Pro-Palestinian Protesters Disrupt Israel Philharmonic Concert at San Francisco’s Davies Hall

Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco on Sunday evening, with multiple demonstrations inside the venue during the performance, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Despite a visible security presence and entry screening with wands, several audience members brought Palestinian flags and interrupted the performance from their seats. The disruptions occurred after the playing of the American and Israeli national anthems and continued throughout the evening.

“They’re killing the children,” one protester shouted. “Go back to Gaza,” someone in the audience responded. San Francisco Chronicle contributor Rebecca Wishnia, covering the event, reported that three attendees restrained a protester on the ground as others cheered.

Dorit Ron, a UCSF neuroscience professor seated near the stage said that the interruptions were spaced out, with protesters standing up and shouting at different points. “It was horrible. It shook me to my core,” she said.

The first protester identified was Judy Greenspan of Berkeley, a Jewish educator affiliated with Bay Area Labor for Palestine. She told the Chronicle she brought a Palestinian flag into the concert and unfurled it during the Israeli anthem. “There is a genocide going on and we are boycotting everything that is Israeli,” she shouted while walking toward the stage. She was escorted out by security and joined a demonstration on the sidewalk.

Other disruptions followed. One protester’s glasses were reportedly broken, and her hair pulled. Ron recalled another interruption during a cello solo and a final outburst from a man behind the stage after intermission. “This one lasted the longest and it took forever for security to come,” she told the Chronicle. “I could see the violinist crying.”

Ron estimated the disruptions spanned 10 to 15 minutes. She saw audience members attempt to remove protesters themselves. “I have never, ever been witness to something like this,” said Dr. Larry Rand, another attendee, via email to the Chronicle. “It was highly disturbing and scary for concertgoers (and I’m sure the performers).”

The concert program included music by Tchaikovsky, Leonard Bernstein, Tzvi Avni, and Max Bruch. Music Director Lahav Shani conducted the performance despite the interruptions. Soloists included cellist Haran Meltzer, who played Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei,” and flutist Guy Eshed, who performed Bernstein’s “Halil,” a piece dedicated to a young Israeli musician killed during the Yom Kippur War.

Greenspan said her group purchased tickets in advance and was not affiliated with the protest outside. “This is not the time to allow the Israeli symphony to perform at Davies Hall,” she told the Chronicle. “We felt strongly enough that there should be a statement inside.”

Roughly 100 protesters demonstrated outside before the show. Groups involved included Code Pink, Jewish Voice for Peace, Artists Against Apartheid, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Oakland Against Genocide, and Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism.

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