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Dutch TV accused of anti-Semitism in Israeli Eurovision spoof
Comedian who parodied Netta Barzilai’s entry for the international singing competition accused of using racist lyrics against background of Gaza
A Dutch comedian who parodied Israel’s winning Eurovision song has been accused of employing anti-Semitic lyrics against a background of Gaza.
Jewish and pro-Israel groups in the Netherlands reacted to the parody of Netta Barzilai’s song ‘Toy’ this week, after lyrics in the skit appeared to suggest that the opening of a new US Embassy in Jerusalem was a money-spinner.
Nicknamed ‘the chicken song’ because it at times features Barzilai clucking, the Dutch version changes to “with your ka-ching, ka-ching and your ping-a-ping, with your dollars and cents and your funds, with your ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching”.
The Dutch TV performance, by Martine Sandifort on the Sanne Wallis de Vries Show, was broadcast on Saturday night and set against a background of projected imagery from the Gaza border showing Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters being carried away on stretchers.
The Israeli Embassy in Holland submitted a formal complaint to the television station, while members of the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel tweeted sarcastically: “Jokes about Jews and money… How funny!”
The show’s producers said the satirical sketch did not target the Jewish community but Israeli ambassador Aviv Shir-On told Dutch newspaper NRC that the song “packages anti-Semitic stereotypes as jokes”.
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