Holocaust survivors’ objections silence Tel Aviv Wagner concert

Tel Aviv University on Monday denied a request to hold a concert of works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner on its campus. The request was denied due to strong objections by Holocaust survivors, who argued that staging the concert would be an affront to them.

Wagner was a vocal anti-Semite and is generally considered to have been a formative influence on Hitler.

The request to hold the concert at Tel Aviv University’s Smolarz Auditorium was submitted about a week ago. But according to university officials, the name of the organization behind the request was concealed from them, as was the plan to dedicate the entire concert to works by Wagner.

The university issued a letter to attorney Yonatan Livni, founder of the Israel Wagner Society who submitted the initial request, saying, „We have received serious, outraged complaints calling for the cancellation of this controversial event. The very existence of such an event crosses a line that will inevitably result in a grievous affront to the Israeli public, particularly to Holocaust survivors. As we know, this is a sensitive subject. …”

The Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, an umbrella organization that coordinates assistance to Holocaust survivors, praised the university, saying in a statement, „We welcome this responsible decision by the university’s board and we hope that these defiant Wagnerites will stop abusing the feelings of Holocaust survivors.”