Trumpeter from prestigious Berklee School of Music fired after calling Jews "despicable predators"

The prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston fired the head of the brass department, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton, following a series of anti-Semitic remarks he posted on social media, and after a petition that garnered thousands of signatures.

Among other things, Payton called the Jews "despicable predators," claimed that they were "obsessed with blood," spread conspiracies about their involvement in the slave trade, and shared content linking Jews to the "Satan's synagogue conspiracy." This was reported by Ynet.

The uproar erupted after a series of investigative reports on right-wing American websites documented posts and videos by Payton in which he describes Jews as the systematic oppressors of blacks throughout history. At the same time, a petition calling for his dismissal was circulated online, which was signed by more than 5,000 alumni and students.

The college is one of the most prestigious music institutions in the world, with tuition fees of about $82,000 a year and graduates such as super-producer Quincy Jones, Jewish composer Howard Shore and musician John Mayer. More than 125 of the institution's alumni have won Grammy Awards – for a total of more than 300 statuettes. The institution also has a cooperation agreement with the Rimon School of Music, which allows outstanding students from Israel to continue their studies in Boston. Among the institution's Israeli alumni over the years are Avishai Cohen, Alon Olearchick and Yehuda Eder.

Payton himself, a musician whose name has become associated with the New Orleans jazz scene, has performed in Israel several times, including at jazz festivals in Eilat and Tel Aviv and at the Zappa Club, and has received positive reviews. In response to the dismissal, he claimed that he was the "real victim" and that he had been dismissed without prior warning or due process. He said two representatives of Berkeley's management informed him in a Zoom meeting on Wednesday that he had only 24 hours to resign or he would be fired.

He claimed that the institution was well aware of his positions even before it appointed him head of the department in the fall of 2024, and even backed them: "The dean, the vice president, the vice president, and human resources – all knew and agreed with my so-called 'anti-Semitic' views," he wrote on Instagram. "The real problem is that people mistakenly classify me as an 'anti-Semite,' but I'm the victim. I was fired without due process or an opportunity to rectify the situation. I loved this job and I finally started to take control of it." This was reported by Ynet.