Film festival ‘will never return to the Tricycle’

THE UK Jewish Film Festival will not return to the Tricycle Theatre, despite the venue’s public apology for boycotting the event, the JC understands.

A source close to festival organisers said the apology had not gone far enough and had been motivated by financial concerns.

“There is no going back to the Tricycle. Frankly, the Tricycle is losing money hand over fist because Jews are not going. If the UKJFF were to hold events there, no one would buy tickets,” the insider said.

“The view held by people who run the film festival is that the apology had no impact.

“They need to be looking to do more than money-making from the Jewish community. They could make more of an effort to understand how central Israel is to Jews in Britain.”

Tricycle chair Jonathan Levy apologised in the JC last week, and admitted that calling on the UKJFF to give up £1,400 funding from the Israeli embassy during last summer’s Gaza conflict was “the wrong decision”.

Former Tricycle patron Sir Trevor Chinn this week welcomed the theatre’s apology. He said: “I think it is a logical move and I am glad they have done it. They have suffered significantly, but they have now realised the error of their ways.”

He said he was considering re-joining as a patron of the theatre.

M i c h a e l Etherton, UKJFF ch i e f ex e c u - tive, said: “We have consiste nt l y ur g e d the Tricycle to take meaningful action t o re s t ore t r ust and confidence with the wider Jewish community. This is a positive step in that direction, which we will continue to review regularly.”

He confirmed the film festival would not be held at the theatre this year.

Pro-Israel activists rejected the apology this week, with one saying she would “never set foot in the Tricycle again”.

‘They need to do more than make money from the Jewish community’