Board of Deputies Vice President Andrew Gilbert has reacted to a statement from Strange Brew Bristol, a venue which had previously cancelled a performance by Jewish klezmer band Oi Va Voi.
Andrew said: “We warmly welcome the statement from the venue Strange Brew Bristol in which they acknowledge their mistake in cancelling the performance of UK Jewish band Oi Va Voi. It is important that the venue has recognised that this band was likely only subject to the scrutiny they were because it was a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer, and that no performers should ever be excluded based on their ethnicity or nationality.
“We echo Strange Brew’s call to other venues not to allow the conflict to effectively exclude Jewish acts. It is also welcome that they have implemented antisemitism training. The Board of Deputies has been campaigning against the exclusion of Jewish acts from arts venues – an issue emphasised in the report of the Board of Deputies’ Commission on Antisemitism chaired by Lord John Mann and Dame Penny Mordaunt.
“We hope that Strange Brew’s statement will set a standard for others in the arts sector.”