Opinion
An antisemitic performance at a celebration: Coming to the curriculum next?
A performance video posted today shows a figure wearing artificial sidelocks and a head covering before a celebrating crowd. In our view, turning Jewish symbols into entertainment amounts to antisemitic mockery. The curriculum question is rhetorical criticism; there is no evidence of an approved plan. The location and filming date have not been independently verified. Video: Abdallah al-Louh, according to the caption on @abdallah_alloh.
· Video credited in the original caption to Abdallah al-Louh, @abdallah_alloh
A performance video posted on Instagram today shows features associated with a Jewish character being used to entertain a crowd. In our view, this is antisemitic mockery, and the question about the curriculum is rhetorical criticism.
The footage shows a participant wearing artificial sidelocks and a head covering, riding a donkey before a crowd in a festive performance setting. The video was posted today by abdallah_alloh, and its caption credits Abdallah al-Louh with filming it. The caption does not identify the town or the filming date, and neither has been independently verified. The post alone provides no basis for saying the event took place in Israel.
In our view, making Jewish symbols a source of amusement does not become harmless simply because the crowd is celebrating. This is our editorial criticism of the visual portrayal in the clip, not a claim that everyone in the audience shares the same views or that a single performance represents an entire community.
'Coming to the curriculum next?' is a rhetorical question about normalizing mockery and the message it sends viewers. The supplied posts offer no evidence that the performance is being added to a curriculum, was commissioned by an educational institution or was approved by an education ministry. The question must not be presented as a report of such a move.
An opinion column by the Israel News desk. The report it draws on: abdallah_alloh / Instagram
