A full-page advertisement has labeled Lorde as a bigot after the singer canceled her Tel Aviv show. The advert also lambasts Lorde's native New Zealand as prejudice against the Jewish state.
Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Shmuley Boteach called out the attention of the young artist after she announced the cancelation last week. He went public with his criticisms against the singer in an ad supported by "This World: The Values Network." Boteach, a prominent pro-Israel voice, took out a full-page advert to call Lorde a bigot for canceling her show in Tel Aviv.
"21 is Young To Become a Bigot," Boteach wrote in his ad, which features a large image of the singer against the backdrop of a photo of men running through rubble while cradling infants. The outspoken rabbi, who was once a spiritual adviser to the late Michael Jackson, also accused Lorde of having joined sides with Russia in the destruction of Syria through genocide.
"Lorde joined a global anti-Semitic boycott of Israel but will still perform in Russia, despite Putin's support for Assad's genocide in Syria," reads the sub-headline on the ad, which appeared on the Dec. 31 issue of the Washington Post.
"While Lorde claims to be concerned with human rights, she hypocritically chose to proceed with her two concerts in Putin's Russia, despite his support for Assad's genocidal regime which has already claimed the lives of over 500,000 innocents, and Russia's own endless litany of human rights abuses," Boteach adds on his advertisement, which is on page five of the publication.
Boteach also went as far as accusing New Zealand as a country that allows prejudice against the Jewish state. Lorde's decision to cancel her show in Tel Aviv supposedly tells that the prejudice has trickled down to the young generation. The ad further accused New Zealand of co-sponsoring a UN resolution last year that condemned the continued Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
Lorde accused of anti-semitism in full page Washington Post ad as fallout from cancelled Israel concert continues https://t.co/Hc7IoCi1yT pic.twitter.com/G9WDQ4zLVX
— 1 NEWS (@1NewsNZ) January 1, 2018
Last week Lorde announced the cancellation of her June show in Tel Aviv after she was told that the show would only endorse Israel's occupation of Palestine. In her initial statement, the pop star said that it has been her dream to perform in Tel Aviv. However, Lorde backtracked on her statement and apologized for the cancelation.
Here is @Lorde's statement on the cancellation of her Tel Aviv show, via Israeli PR for the concert. pic.twitter.com/Ph0uGHRjCV — Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) December 24, 2017
This is not the first time that Boteach sparked criticisms for his outspoken thoughts against known personalities. He also accused Susan Rice, former national security adviser to then U.S. President Barack Obama, of having disregarded the Rwandan genocide while she was under Bill Clinton’s national security team in the 1990s.
