The Jewish Chronicle

Anti-Israel play runs in Lincoln

January 27, 2011 15:26
1 min read

Lincoln University has been criticised for staging Caryl Churchill's controversial play, Seven Jewish Children.

The production will run in April at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre.

The 10-minute play was originally staged at the Royal Court in response to Israel's action in Gaza in January 2009.

John Nathan, reviewing it in the JC, wrote: "For the first time in my career as a critic, I am moved to say about a work at a major production house that this is an antisemitic play."

After the Lincoln performance, there will be a post-show discussion with Dr Anna Bernard, a York University academic who supports a boycott of Israel, and anti-Zionist Israeli Professor Moshé Machover.

Mark Gardner, of the Community Security Trust, said: "Academic inquiry and responsibility would appear to count for nothing when Israel, or Jews, are being hated like this."

A Lincoln spokeswoman said: "The university is aware that some have accused the play of being antisemitic, and we are also aware that there are different perspectives on the play among the Jewish community." She noted that both Dr Bernard and Professor Machover were Jewish.