A publicly funded Antwerp art centre has sparked outrage by refusing to rent a venue to a Jewish school, citing the ongoing war in Gaza.
The rental of Monty Art Center was initially confirmed to the Jewish school. However, this was subsequently cancelled in an email, citing “ties with Israel” as the reason.
In a statement released in response to the incident, the European Jewish Association (EJA) accused the centre of “discrimination and antisemitism”. It called for the resignation of the Monty’s director, Lana Willems, and for an end to Flemish subsidies to the arts centre.
The EJA criticised the incident as a clear discrimination, “We are talking about a conflict happening thousands of kilometres away which is affecting the most innocent among us, Jewish students.”
When contacted by the Belga agency, the director of the institution admitted to having made “a mistake” and apologised to the wronged school.
Adding to this, she mentioned that the ongoing situation in Gaza is causing lots of emotional debate, even within their organisation. “In this context, I wrongly and hastily drew a connection between the Jewish school and the Israeli government.
“I want to apologise explicitly to the individuals I have hurt with this email. I share the concerns voiced about the rise of antisemitism, racism, and polarisation in our society in general,” she concluded.
