The \"sneak attack\" pulled by Berlin conductor Daniel Barenboim continues to draw criticism. Although he had earlier agreed to abide by the Israel Festival management\'s decision not to play Richard Wagner\'s music, he turned to the audience at the end of his last concert this past Saturday night, and said, \"The concert is over; I will now play Wagner. Whoever wants to, may leave.\" Several people objected, but were drowned out by the yells of others. A few dozen people walked out, including MK Dan Meridor, but the vast majority - including State Attorney Edna Arbel and Supreme Court Justice Dorit Beinish - remained.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center called upon the Israeli music community to boycott Barenboim for what it called his \"cultural rape\" of the Israeli public. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said that Barenboim had \"exploited the stage,\" and that his decision was \"arrogant, uncultured, and unacceptable... It\'s not his job to determine whether the State of Israel decides to allow Wagner to be heard or not.\" Wagner was famous for his anti-Semitism, and the Nazis later adopted his music and ideology as theirs. Playing his music in public has been forbidden in Israel since the establishment of the State, as an \"offense to the sensibilities\" of much of the public.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center called upon the Israeli music community to boycott Barenboim for what it called his \"cultural rape\" of the Israeli public. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said that Barenboim had \"exploited the stage,\" and that his decision was \"arrogant, uncultured, and unacceptable... It\'s not his job to determine whether the State of Israel decides to allow Wagner to be heard or not.\" Wagner was famous for his anti-Semitism, and the Nazis later adopted his music and ideology as theirs. Playing his music in public has been forbidden in Israel since the establishment of the State, as an \"offense to the sensibilities\" of much of the public.