This year's "Singer's Warsaw" Jewish culture festival program includes nearly one hundred events: concerts, exhibitions, theater performances, and meetings with artists, musicians, and writers from around the world. The festival's special guest will be Hanna Krall, a Polish master of reportage whose stories have moved generations of readers.
"Tradition meets the avant-garde, and tolerance becomes the voice of everyday life. This is a space for dialogue, openness, and a shared exploration of Polish-Jewish heritage."
- the organizers emphasize. The event's director is Gołda Tencer - actress, director, and director of the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw, who has long been dedicated to preserving and promoting Jewish cultural heritage in Poland.
The grand finale will take place at Warsaw's Grand Theatre, with a unique concert by Dawid D'Ora - an Israeli vocalist whose music is a unique blend of tradition and modernity, infused with influences from classical music, pop, and Middle Eastern motifs.
Due to the fact that "Singer's Warsaw" Jewish culture festival sponsors and patrons list includes the Israeli Ambassador to Poland, a critically acclaimed Polish avant-garde music group Bastarda Trio (Szamburski, Pokrzywiński, Górczyński) decided to boycott this year's edition and cancelled their concert.
"We could go on and on about this, but why bother? Just visit this institution's social media to form your own opinion. For us - the issue is clear. Cultivating the wonderful Jewish tradition and playing the music we love is important to us, and always will be. However, we cannot imagine participating in an event co-financed or even merely under the patronage of an institution that openly supports and legitimizes the worst crimes, even to the point of spreading lies, manipulation, and dehumanization of Palestinians."
- the artists wrote on their social media, also sharing links to a number of aid campaigns for Palestinians. In November 2024 the United Nations Special Committee found Israel's warfare methods in Gaza consistent with genocide, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
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Source: IAR, um.warszawa.pl, facebook.com/bastardatrio