Disrupting The Dance

Update: My mom called to say that the show was beautiful and that she really enjoyed it. She said that there were only a few "pathetic-looking" protestors there and she was shocked to discover that some of them were Jewish. She also said that there were a lot of police officers around "just in case".

Back in October, while talking to my mom, I saw that she was feeling kind of down and stressed out. I wanted to do something to cheer her up but wasn't sure how. When I found out that the Israel Ballet was coming to the States to perform for the first time in 25 years, I thought "jackpot!" My mother LOVES ballet. She studied ballet as a child (come to think of it, I've never really told you much about my mother's childhood... I really should, it's fascinating) but she hasn't had many opportunities to attend ballet shows. Then I found out that the Israel Ballet would be performing Don Quixote (one of my mom's all-time favorite stories) right here at the performing arts center at Brooklyn College. Yeah, baby. I was SO getting those tickets.

And so I did. I bought two tickets, for my mom and her husband, and gave them to her as a Chanukah present. She was really happy, and has been looking forward to seeing the show, which is scheduled for this afternoon.

But as we all know, man makes plans and pro-Palestinian protesters ruin them. Jameel has posted that the Israel Ballet's performance in Vermont this past Friday was interrupted by protesters from Adalah-NY: The Coalition For Justice in the Middle East, and that they are planning to disrupt today's performance at Brooklyn College as well. Apparently, they feel that accusing Americans who wish to watch a ballet of "supporting Israel's apartheid policy" and "covering up war crimes" is a perfectly reasonable and justifiable action to take. I called my mother to warn her that her long-anticipated pleasant afternoon at the theater was going to be marred by a bunch of deluded, self-hating anti-semitic lunatics who think that turning their backs on their own people and advocating for Israel's enemies constitutes "justice". She was not pleased (but like any good New Yorker, began to worry that the protest would make it even harder to find a parking spot). I then called the security office at Brooklyn College, who assured me that they knew about the protest and would have security there.

I appreciate the heads up from Jameel, and I really hope that those goons let my mom and the other patrons enjoy the show in peace.