McJesus?
McJesus?iStock

Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber demands that Culture Minister Miri Regev not interfere in the display of artworks in museums supported by her ministry's budget, even if they offend religious sensitivities.

Zilber made the demand after Regev contacted the Haifa Museums Director regarding the production "McJesus" by artist Jani Leinonen, exhibited at the "Sacred Goods" exhibition at the Haifa Museum.

"Ridiculing Jesus Christ, the most important religious symbol for Christians in the world, can't take cover behind freedom of expression," Regev said in her letter to the Director. "The contempt of sacred symbols for many religions and believers in the world as an act of artistic protest is illegitimate and cannot serve as a work in a cultural institution supported by State funds.

"There are rules of the Budget Foundations Law according to which support for a cultural institution may be affected.

"From the above quote from your letter, it implies that support for such a performance may be ruled out, in accordance with the provisions of the Budget Foundations Law," Zilber writes to Regev and points out, "As has already been made clear in the past, in the existing legal situation, it is not possible to prevent financing in the field of culture because of the content of the works presented in the supported cultural institutions or to interfere with content presented in a cultural institution because it is supported."

Later, Zilber notes that denying a budget is possible only because of a defined list of legal grounds. "Infringement of religious feelings is not one of the grounds that the legislator chose to include in the article, and therefore it cannot be applied in our case and its mention creates a chilling effect without any legal basis," she said. Zilber also mentions that Regev lacks authority to act in the matter and that authority is entirely vested in the Finance Minister.

Zilber lectures Regev: "Reducing support for cultural institutions due to works of art presented in them, or the demand to stop exhibiting works that cause controversy, is tantamount to violating freedom of expression, which has unique weight in the field of culture. Culture, in all its forms and manifestations, is the embodiment of artistic freedom of expression, recognized by the Supreme Court as belonging to the heart of the right to freedom of expression and as a form of expression that requires special protection.

"As has already been made clear in the past, such requests to cultural institutions - that relate to the content of the artworks - create the misleading impression that support for the relevant institutions is liable to be harmed or is conditional on the absence of a legal basis and should be avoided," Zilber closes her letter.

The artist, who sculpted Ronald McDonald on a crucifix, has asked a Haifa museum to remove the work, saying he joined the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Dina Zilber
Dina ZilberFlash 90