In the fight against Israel sanctions, Lana Melman is Boadicea
Her manifesto is to call out the critics and stop the lies
When Scarlett Johansson was surprised to find herself at the centre of a controversy in 2013, Lana Melman was there to hold her hand.
The American actress had just been launched as the face of SodaStream and its multimillion-pound advert had gone out during the Super League break. The problem was that SodaStream was an Israeli company; the reaction was almost instantaneous.
“Scarlett’s representatives found themselves flooded with emails and calls accusing her of crimes against humanity,” says Lana. “Her seven-year relationship with Oxfam, which is not meant to be a political organisation, came into question as they criticised her. There were memes circulating with an A for apartheid carved into her forehead.”
For the Jewish actress, who was determined to stand her ground as she believed in the eco credentials of the SodaStream product, it was a baptism of fire. For Lana, a former entertainment lawyer and television executive, it was another day in the life of fighting the BDS movement, work which she chronicles in her new book Artists Under Fire; The BDS War Against Celebrities, Jews and Israel.
Lana says her Zionism was forged when she learned not only about the Holocaust but racism in America. “My father would tell me about growing up in Los Angeles where there were signs saying, ‘No Negroes, no Jews, no dogs allowed’,” she says. “Learning about these things meant that it was almost as if my DNA had changed. I knew that our fate was all tied together as Jews. However much we disagree with each other, we have a common fate.”
In 2011 she started working with the organisation Creative Community for Peace, helping people see the arts as a bridge to peace but she realised she needed something more aggressive to work against the tactics of the new Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which had become ever more powerful, and she set up the organisation Liberate Art. “I saw that artists were being scared off from going to Israel,” she says. “People like Dustin Hoffman and Meg Ryan cancelled trips there and BDS claimed it as a victory – that gave them bragging rights. I was at a place in my life where I was ready for transition and members of the entertainment community reached out and asked me to do something.”
Since then, while she can’t name the people she’s guided through the implications of traveling to Israel, she has helped numerous artists plan trips to Israel and deal with the impending fallout. She has also engaged stars including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kelsey Grammer and Sarah Silverman to publicly support Israel’s right to defend itself.
As hard as she is working, Lana worries that things are only getting worse, likening the lies of the BDS movement to the Chronicles of the Protocols of Zion.
“The BDS founder Omar Barghouti is open about his intention and it begins with getting rid of the Jews,” she says. “He says, ‘No rational Palestinian will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.’ But the movement acts as if it is a force for good. They use bullying tactics to get their way, frightening artists, and whether they succeed or fail it doesn’t matter, because they use the fame of the celebrity to get their message across.
“There is a huge correlation between the lies they tell and the classic antisemitic trop. When they say Israelis are murdering Palestinian children, this is the classic blood libel. When they talk about Jews stealing land, this is the age-old idea of the greedy, thieving Jew.
“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion used the tropes everyone knew and turned them into a powerful book, which influenced Hitler. With this BDS movement, by directing this material at celebrities, and having celebrities spread these lies, their propaganda is just as powerful. The world is hearing them. It is very dangerous and it is time to call it out.”
Lana experienced the threat of the BDS movement first hand when she was visiting London and went to see a performance of the Jerusalem Quartet. “I found it very intimidating to walk past this gauntlet of protesters who were screaming ‘shame on you, shame on you’,” she recalls. “Even during the concert, you could hear them screaming ‘5, 6, 7, 8 Israel is a terrorist state.’ The next day there was a review in the Evening Standard with the music critic spending a third of the review talking about his, ‘pangs of liberal guilt’ simply for being there.”
Many of the biggest – worst – names in the BDS world are English. Rogers Waters is the pied piper, regularly attempting to shame any big acts who dare announce a trip to Israel.
“There is a group of BDS Zealots and most of them are English,” she says. “I think it is there in the theatre world at the Royal Court and of course the BDS movement has co-opted the language of the left. It talks about freedom and justice and that becomes a bonding experience. I think some of its popularity in England might come out of a guilt of colonising – it feels like that’s being deflected onto Israel.”
Sometimes the celebrities are shamed by the zealots, sometimes they are threatened with violence – Paul McCartney was once warned that he should not perform ‘if he values his life’ and often they are warned that it will have a massively detrimental impact on their careers.
Lana groups these BDS types – there are shades of grey. There are the leaders such as Roger Waters and Brian Eno, there are the letter writers like Ken Loach and Mark Ruffalo and then there are the intimidated acts who feel forced into tortured statements of contrition for daring to plan to go to Israel.
The activist isn’t feeling positive about the fightback, but her book is a manifesto for how each of us can play a part in it; and it starts with engaging with the celebrities on social media just as the BDS activists do.
“Sometimes they have been forced to delete lies they have told about Israel by people on social media,” she says. “That is why it is important to call it out when they say things that are wrong; and if you tag in the celebrity millions of people will see it. They aren’t just attacking Israel but by telling these lies they are attacking Jews everywhere. Calling them out also makes them think about what they are saying. If you are arguing with your high school friend on Twitter no one is going to see it – but make your point to a celebrity and it will be read. We are living in a dangerous time and I urge people to call this out where they can.”
Lana’s book Artists Under Fire; The BDS War Against Celebrities, Jews and Israel is out now.
The Anti BDS Celebrities – artists who have appeared in Israel despite pressure not to or have signed anti BDS letters
The Rolling Stones, JK Rowling, Paul McCartney, Morgan Freeman, Ziggy Marley, Nick Cave, Radiohead, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Robbie Williams, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Maroon 5, Bryan Ferry, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna, Martha Wainwright, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keyes
The BDS gang – artists who actively campaign for BDS or have signed letters in favour of it
Roger Waters, Russell Brand, Dua Lipa, Caryl Churchill, Mia Farrow, Ken Loach, Alice Walker, Julie Christie, Mark Rylance, Rosanna Arquette, Mark Ruffalo
Reluctant supporters – artists who pulled out of Israel tours because of BDS pressure
Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Demi Lovato
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