Surprise! Tony Kushner at Center of Israel Kerfuffle — This Time North of the Border
Image by Getty Images
By Talya Zax May 10, 2016
Tony Kushner, the playwright and screenwriter of “Angels in America” and “Lincoln,” has found himself at the center of an unexpected scandal in Toronto. In the city for a talk hosted by the Koffler Center for the Art, he’ll be discussing his career with theatre director Philip Akin. But Kushner’s appearance has been obscured by a political kerfuffle.
It’s a bit complicated, so take a breath: the Koffler receives $250,000 in annual funding from the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, which unexpectedly issued a letter dissociating itself from the event. Its reason? Kushner sits on the board of Jewish Voice for Peace, a BDS-supporting organization that advocates for peace between Palestinians and Jewish Israelis. Kushner himself, however, is against BDS, a position he’s made publicly clear on multiple occasions. He’s now accused the UJA of “McCarthyism” — that quote is from an interview with The Globe and Mail — saying “It’s depressing that — even in Canada — this kind of censorious, illiberal and really disgraceful behaviour [sic] is seen as acceptable.”
Talya Zax is the Forward’s culture intern. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @TalyaZax
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
