Fighting the BDS War in the Entertainment Industry, with Lana Melman

AIC brought Lana Melman to Atlanta for two free talks on Sunday, July 31, 2022: one at 1:00 at Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell, the other at 7:00 at Temple Emanu-El of Atlanta. Both were streamed live, and she signed copies of her book at each.

The book is Artists Under Fire: The BDS War Against Celebrities, Jews, and Israel. In it Melman tells the stories of artists BDS has tried to use as pawns: Scarlett Johansson, Alicia Keys, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones among them. She calls out the group of artists led by Roger Waters who joined the boycott movement, and she lays out a step-by-step plan for fighting back.

In 2014 Melman circulated a statement backing Israel’s right to defend itself, and more than 300 Hollywood names signed it.

Waters was due to play Atlanta that August. Five days before the talks, the Atlanta Jewish Times named Cheryl Dorchinsky as their organizer, and she told the paper BDS has gotten very good at borrowing the language of human rights, justice and peace when what it really opposes is the Jewish state.

The recording is from the afternoon talk at Temple Beth Tikvah.