Controversy Erupts Over Music Award For Radical Chabad Messianist

The ACUM (the nonprofit corporation that administers the rights of authors, composers, lyricists, poets, arrangers and music publishers) decided to change the wording of the lifetime achievement prize slated to be awarded to Ariel Zilber after Dalia Rabin, the daughter of murdered prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, complained to the ACUM’s board of directors. Zilber will now be honored only for his contribution to Israeli music.

Ariel Zilber

Controversy Erupts Over Music Award For Radical Chabad Messianist
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

A lifetime achievement award slated to be issued by Israel’s equivalent of the Grammys to a former Israeli pop star turned Chabad messianist and right wing fanatic has been rebranded, Ynet reported.

The ACUM (the nonprofit corporation that administers the rights of authors, composers, lyricists, poets, arrangers and music publishers) decided to change the wording of the lifetime achievement prize slated to be awarded to Ariel Zilber after Dalia Rabin, the daughter of murdered prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, complained to the ACUM’s board of directors. Zilber will now be honored only for his contribution to Israeli music.

Notoriously, Zilber had previously unsuccessfully advocated for the early release from prison of Rabin’s assassin, Yigal Amir.

Over the past decade, Zilber has reportedly been drawn deeply into the Chabad messianist movement and recently joined the Eretz Israel Shelanu Party (Our Land of Israel Party), an extreme right-wing party led by Kahanist Baruch Marzel and Chabad-ordained Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber Wolpo. Both Wolpo and Marzel have supported Jewish terrorists, including Rabin’s assassin.

Zilber has also reportedly made a number of homophobic comments.

Israeli singer Achinoam Nini – known internationally as Noa –  refused to accept an award from ACUM when she found out Zilber would be honored at the same ceremony.

"I wanted to announce that I have cancelled my participation in the ACUM Prize Award Ceremony due to ideological reasons. I also asked that no one accept the award on my behalf,” Nini reportedly wrote on her personal Facebook page.

A public outcry ensued.

The prize ceremony is scheduled to take place this evening at Jaffa's Noga Theatre.

Right wing politicians, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Religious Services and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett both attacked the ACUM’s decision to rebrand Zilber’s prize.


“[The] ACUM's retreat from its original decision and move to give (Zilber) a prize for his contribution to music and not a lifetime achievement is a sad and appeasement of the radical-left's Bolshevism. The very same people waging a war for some teachers right to express moral doubts about the IDF in the name of freedom of speech, are now fighting to silence an artist whose genius contribution to Israeli culture over the years is undisputed. I hope that by this evening, ACUM will return to their original and correct decision," the Lieberman reportedly wrote on his Facebook page.

Bennett called on the ACUM to “backtrack” and award the original prize to Zilber.

"I suggest ACUM backtrack their decision. The shame is theirs, it is an honor not to receive an honor from you,” Bennett reportedly claimed.

Yigal Amir, Rabin’s assassin, shared Lieberman’s and Bennett’s views on Land for Peace and related foreign policy and security issues, and like Bennett is an Orthodox Jew.

Before Rabin was murdered, Israel’s secular and religious right issued a seemingly never ending stream of invective and incitement against him, comparing him to Hitler and labeling him a rodef – a dangerous person who under Jewish law may be murdered on sight by any Jew without a court hearing.

Comments

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I don't that if Ariel Zilber had tracked left instead of right, now advocated the forcible removal of Jews from Shomron and Yehuda, openly praised Hezbollah and Iran and made anti-relgious remarks that these same "enlightened" artists would be tripping over one another to give him extra awards.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Let's go listen to some Wagner. After all, it's great music. Never mind his political opinions.

[rebitzman - $101 to read my posts]

Always loved Noa's music - now I respect her her willingness to stand up for what is right.

[(The other) Eli]

Wagner wasn't really that great a composer

[put a square into a hole]

To Rebitzman
I agree with you. HOWEVER its Zilber that stood up for whats right.
Go listen to his great speech that he gave blasting the bashers!!!!!!

[rebitzman - $101 to read my posts]

I did, and his speech was quite impressive.

Too bad it doesn't alter the facts

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Zilber? Rosho, Ge-eh, Tomei.
On top of that, a certified fool. His yechi yarmulke says it all.
I hear his admirers saying that if he was a leftist, then it wouldn't have happened to him.
Well, it did happen to worthy intellectual giant Yeshayahu Leibovitz.
... and before I forget screw Vladimir Lieberman, Naphtali Bennet & Li Li Livnat along with their wicked and distorted logic.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

hey, did you see a donkey bray while wearing a yechi yarmulke? why, just look at the picture above.