ISGAP Fellow Phyllis Chesler on The Hijacking of History by Opera: The Death of Klinghoffer

More on the controversy about the opera surrounding the events which led to the death of Leon Klinghofer.

I love opera. I was once a regular contributor to NPR's "At the Opera," and that privilege lasted for almost three years. I attend the Metropolitan opera as often as I can—I also attend the Chelsea Opera, the NY City Opera (when it existed), and the Glimmerglass Opera Festival in Cooperstown almost every summer.
The Metropolitan Opera's General Manager, Peter Gelb, has a constitutional as well as an artistic right to produce whatever he wants. However, his choice of The Death of Klinghofferis an abdication of moral responsibility, political sensitivity, and gravitas. Gelb's showcasing of this opera is equivalent to a college president's decision to allow ISIS, Hamas, al-Qaeda, or the Taliban to speak on campus because "all sides must be heard and understood" because "all points of view are equally valid."

Blood libels against Israel and the Jews, mythic pseudo-histories—genocidal narratives—have permeated the Western campuses. These dangerous falsehoods claim the privilege of free speech and academic freedom and they have been welcomed by the intelligentsia. Now, these same ideas are making their debut amidst the trappings of high culture.