Australian Hellenic Choir president James Tsolakis has expressed disappointment after a planned Jewish-Greek benefit concert in Sydney was cancelled following objections from members of his own choir.
The “Concert for Hope and Unity,” intended to raise funds for families affected by the Bondi Beach attack, was set to bring together the Australian Hellenic Choir and the Sydney Jewish Choral Society for a performance at Sydney Town Hall on June 28.
However, more than half of the Hellenic choir voted against participating, citing political objections to performing alongside a Jewish choir, while others raised concerns about personal safety.
Tsolakis said the decision came despite recent progress, including $15,000 in NSW government funding and a confirmed venue.
“Every cent was to be dispersed to a charity to support the families of the victims of the Bondi terror attack,” he told The Australian.
He described being alarmed by the level of opposition within the community.
“There’s a bit of antisemitism in the Greek community; I didn’t realise the extent of it. Unfortunately, we have a lot of people in the community blaming the Jewish community for what’s happening in Israel, Palestine … that’s not correct.
“You want to hate (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu? Hate Netanyahu, but what have the Jewish people done to you? The whole antisemitism thing has got to be wound back.”
Tsolakis said concerns about safety and the broader political climate contributed to the cancellation.
“This is all about bringing people together using music. This whole gig was mine, I initiated it but I’ve got no choice but to shut it down,” he said.
“I’m extremely disappointed and pretty upset. I was not expecting this to happen at all as we’d performed with the Jewish choir without any problems in 2022.
“It would have been a sterling performance.”
The concert had been expected to attract a crowd of 2,000 people and feature music focused on “love and peace and harmony,” including The Ballad of Mauthausen.
Despite the setback, Tsolakis said he remains committed to future collaboration.
“I have every intention to perform again with the Jewish Choral Society,” he said.
Source: The Australian.
