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UK Chabad House to Host ‘Shylock’ for Shavuos

Illustration photo: ‘Shylock’ in Shakespeare’s ‘the Merchant of Venice.’

After a pro-Palestinian boycott caused them to lose a large portion of their funding, an Israeli theater company – which is scheduled to perform Shakespeare’s ‘the Merchant of Venice’ in London – appealed to a nearby Chabad House to help by hosting the religious cast members for Yom Tov.

From The Jewish Chronicle:

The Israeli theatre company targeted by boycotters for its forthcoming performance at the Globe Theatre next month is £10,000 short on funding for the visit. But, after an intervention by the JC, the Israeli Foreign Ministry this week agreed to cover the shortfall.

Habima National Theatre disclosed the financial headache to Islington Chabad’s Rabbi Mendy Korer, whom the company had approached for help for its religiously observant members.

Habima is to perform The Merchant of Venice as part of the 37-play Globe to Globe Shakespeare festival in May.

Earlier this month, leading actors and directors, including Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, and Mark Rylance, the first artistic director of the Globe, signed a letter to the Guardian asking the Globe to withdraw its invitation to Habima because it had performed in settlements. The move to exclude Habima was condemned by leading actors, writers and playwrights, including Maureen Lipman, Simon Callow, Steven Berkoff, Sir Arnold Wesker, Thomas Ades and Howard Jacobson.

Habima has been reticent about making any comments over the call for a boycott, or any public appeal regarding the funding shortfall, fearing further negative publicity.

But after initial reluctance, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, informed by the JC about the shortfall in Habima’s funding, has promised to make sure that any financial difficulties are covered to make sure the company is able to perform in London.

A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in London said that the Foreign Ministry was the “biggest exporter of Israeli culture to the world” and would ensure that the performance went ahead.

Rabbi Mendy Korer said he and his family would be hosting the most observant member of the cast, Jacob Cohen, who is playing Shylock. Rabbi Korer said: “It turns out we are the closest place to the Globe Theatre. The actor will stay here or in Stamford Hill over Shavuot and then move to the hotel [with the rest of the cast], where we will continue to provide food”.

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7 Comments

  • reader

    Interesting. Sir Arnold Wesker is a distant relative & was a guest in my parents’ home when one of his plays was performed nearby. Nice to see he does the right (write??) thing!

  • Israelis are so pathetic

    So sad that an Israeli drama company would choose Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, one of the most anti-Semitic pieces that did so much damage to the image of Jews through the centuries.

    Serves the Israelis right to have it boycotted. How ironic that it takes an anti-Semite to boycott an anti-Semitic play (even if they are only doing it to be anti-Semitic…)

  • CHT

    I am surprised this old piece of artistic anti-semitism played by religious Jews. The only reason it is accepted by the modern world is that this is a progressive anti-semitism, another words, Shakespeare is raising certain questions towards anti-semitism. However, nonetheless it is still anti-semitic, the whole unrealistic make up of plot materializes Christian paranoia of that time that Jews go after Christin blood and flesh.

  • ironic...

    Thanks for pointing out the emes logic. This is such an upside-down world we currently live in.

  • Milhouse

    #3 and #4, it all depends how you perform it. Directed and acted properly, as I’m sure Habimah does, the play becomes a passionate statement *against* antisemitism.

  • CHT

    Milhouse,

    How can it become against when the story is completely detached from reality, to the extend that it is more of the surrealistic symbolism than fiction drama that reflects illusionary paranoia of Christians towards the Jews. What Shakespeare was thinking when he came up in his sick mind with the image of the Jew that is willing to brutally and shamelessly kill the gentile just because of his business handling.

    Recall Beilis?