Three Belgian board members of cultural house Bozar resign over arrival of Israeli conductor

© picture alliance/dpa | Bernd von Jutrczenka

Three Bozar board members are resigning in protest against the planned arrival of Israeli conductor Lahav Shani. Among them is Minister of State Jos Geysels, who has served on the board since 2021. Actor and filmmaker Mohamed Ouachen and Els Silvrants-Barclay are also stepping down.

The reason is Bozar director Christophe Slagmuylder's announcement that Lahav Shani will be welcome for a concert with the Munich Philharmonic next year. The same combination already caused a stir last fall, when the Ghent Festival of Flanders canceled the concert because Shani allegedly did not adequately speak out against Israeli action in Gaza.

"That the management decided to allow the concert to go on is a line that has been crossed for me. I can no longer function as a full board member like this," Jos Geysels told VRT NWS. "The trust is gone."

Mohamed Ouachen explained his decision on social media, "Lahav Shani is not just any conductor. He is musical director of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Israel, a country whose actions have been labeled as genocide by Amnesty International and apartheid by the International Court of Justice." According to Ouachen, as the musical director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Shani is a political figure and his invitation in the current context is a political choice.

Picture: © picture alliance/dpa | Bernd von Jutrczenka