Israeli broadcaster apologises after playing Richard Wagner opera
Hundreds of listeners lambaste 'Kan' radio after classical music from Hitler's favourite composer was aired on Friday
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan has apologised to the nation after a musical director “erred” in choosing to play the music of Richard Wagner.
Hundreds of listeners lambasted bosses at the broadcaster’s classical music radio station, ‘Voice of Music,’ after a segment from Wagner’s Goetterdaemmerung (Twilight of the Gods) opera was played on Friday.
Wagner was an unapologetic anti-Semite and Hitler’s favourite composer so there has been an unofficial ban on his music in Israel for years, out of respect to the sensitivities of Holocaust survivors.
A spokeswoman for Kan said: “The directives of the Israeli broadcasting corporation have remained as they were for years: Wagner’s music won’t be played on Kan, out of an understanding of the pain such a broadcast would evoke among the Holocaust survivors in our audience.”
She added: “The editor erred in his artistic choice to play the piece, and it was a wrong public decision. We apologise to our listeners.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
