Boycott Batsheva Dance Company

We, the undersigned, are calling our community of conscience to boycott Batsheva Dance Company on February 25, until the company cancels and renounces its relationship to Israeli artwashing. We are artists, and cultural and social justice organizations and allies that support human rights. We reject the use of art to normalize the atrocities Israel is perpetrating in Gaza — violence that has caused deep grief in our communities and that experts, scholars, and human rights NGOs recognize as constituting genocide.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes Batsheva as “the best known global ambassador of Israeli culture.” The Israeli government is proud of using the arts to launder its image and disguise its longstanding practices of apartheid, occupation, and dispossession of Palestinians from their homes and lands.

Many supporters of dance and culture ask, “Doesn’t art transcend politics?” We can answer this question by educating the public about Brand Israel. Brand Israel is an explicit, publicly stated campaign by the Israeli government to improve their image abroad. Batsheva is funded by the Israeli state and carries contractual obligations to represent Israel and its policies in a positive way. Batsheva’s performances serve as a polished cover for Israel’s ongoing crimes against Palestinians, helping to sanitize its international image. So, the answer is that genocide is deeply implicated in Batsheva’s legal obligations.