Jewish poet accuses Edinburgh bookshop of discrimination after event cancelled

A Jewish poet has accused an Edinburgh bookshop of discrimination after it cancelled her poetry event following complaints about her alleged Zionist beliefs.

Tracey S. Rosenberg said she was “disappointed but not surprised” after Typewronger Books cancelled her Dead Poets’ Slam, scheduled for 2 December, less than two hours after raising concerns about her views and behaviour.

The light-hearted event would have seen performers impersonate deceased poets and recite their work, with Rosenberg hosting as Dorothy Parker.

The bookshop initially welcomed the proposal, describing it as “an excellent idea, and very us!”, before receiving an anonymous complaint alleging Rosenberg had performed “various Zionist/racist poems” at Edinburgh open mic events.

In an email seen by Jewish News, Typewronger founder Tee Hodges said the shop did not want to give the impression it supported Israel, declaring: “Free Palestine is very much the opinion of those who work here.”

Rosenberg attempted to arrange a telephone conversation, but Hodges insisted on email communication. When she replied that she was unsure what was expected of her, the event was cancelled.

Speaking exclusively to Jewish News, Rosenberg questioned the credibility of the anonymous complainant, who had identified themselves as Jewish.

“I was flabbergasted to discover in their response to UKLFI that the person who wrote to them originally claiming to be Jewish, was an anonymous email. Anyone can do that saying that they are Jewish and I honestly don’t think they are.”

She added: “They have absolutely discriminated against me in violation of the Equality Act.”

Rosenberg said attitudes towards Jewish performers within Edinburgh’s spoken word community had changed.

“This was inevitable, as the spoken word scene is so progressive that someone at one point would come for me for my Zionist views.”

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which has challenged the cancellation on Rosenberg’s behalf, argues that the decision is likely to constitute unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

A UKLFI spokesperson said: “It is alarming that a Jewish poet’s event could be cancelled simply because someone complained that her poetry was ‘Zionist’. She was apparently expected to demonstrate agreement with the bookshop’s political position on Israel, even though her event had nothing to do with the conflict.

“People are entitled to disagree about Israel, but they are not entitled to exclude others from public events because of their Jewish identity or protected beliefs. We believe this cancellation crossed the line into unlawful discrimination.”

However, Typewronger has denied discrimination, claiming the cancellation resulted from a breakdown in communication following allegations that Rosenberg had behaved aggressively towards other poets and created an unpleasant atmosphere.

“Communication had broken down, and that was the sole reason for cancelling the event,” Hodges wrote in a response to UKLFI.

Rosenberg disputes the allegations, maintaining that she responded promptly and attempted to discuss the concerns by telephone.

Jewish News has contacted Typewronger Books for further comment.