Adlabels Lorde a ‘bigot’
A pro-Israel organisation has printed a full-page newspaper advertisement calling Lorde a ‘‘bigot’’ for cancelling her Tel Aviv concert.
The ad, which appeared in the Washington Post, also accuses the New Zealand government of ‘‘prejudice’’ against Israel in its United Nations voting.
The ad was headlined ‘‘Lorde and New Zealand ignore Syria and attack Israel’’ and said ‘‘21 is young to be a bigot,’’ in reference to the singer’s age.
It was taken out by US-based organisation The World Values Network, which on its website claims to be ‘‘dedicated to disseminating the light of the Jewish people and promoting and defending the state of Israel as the supreme embodiment of a nation founded on these principles.’’
A week ago, Lorde announced she was cancelling her planned concert in Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital, to protest the state’s occupation of Palestine.
The cancellation followed an online campaign by activists opposed to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Lorde has been criticised for cancelling the show by Israel’s culture minister, Miri Regev, and actor Roseanne Barr, among others.
In its ad, the network criticised the New Zealand government’s decision to vote for a UN resolution condemning the United States for recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
It said New Zealand’s ‘‘growing prejudice against the Jewish State seems to be trickling down to its youth’’.
The ad said Lorde had joined the ‘‘anti-Semitic’’ BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement ‘‘which seeks the economic annihilation of the Jewish State’’.
It also accused Lorde of hypocrisy by proceeding with her two concerts in Russia despite the Russian government’s support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The World Values Network and Lorde’s management have been approached for comment.
The World Values Network was founded by US Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Boteach is a controversial but influential figure in the US, where he has appeared on lifeadvice shows Dr Phil and The Oprah Winfrey Show. His book Kosher Jesus saw him accused of heresy by some other rabbis.
He was a friend and unofficial spiritual adviser to pop star Michael Jackson.
Boteach wrote a piece criticising Lorde’s decision to cancel her concert for alt-right news site Breitbart.
The World Values Network has taken out several full-page ads in US newspapers in the past year to express its political views.