Jerusalem Municipality has decided to subsidize tickets for a concert by singer Eyal Golan at the city-owned Pais Arena on November 25, the same date as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The decision was revealed Tuesday on Kan Reshet Bet's midday program.
The municipality is subsidizing part of the ticket cost for residents and promoting the event through its municipal benefits club, "Yerushalmi." The timing has drawn sharp criticism, as Golan remains under police and prosecution review following a complaint filed against him in connection with the "Mischakim Chevra" case.
Yael Biton de Langa, deputy mayor and holder of the women's advancement and gender equality portfolio, criticized the decision publicly: "This week we opened the month of struggle against domestic violence and violence against women. The municipality does a lot to raise awareness, but it is quite strange and quite jarring to many city residents and to me that on the very day we hold our flagship event, the singer Eyal Golan will arrive here, with that cloud still hanging over his head. It seems to us clearly inappropriate to hold such an event in Jerusalem, and with almost full funding and subsidy from the municipality. We are flooded with responses from all city residents to prevent this show."
Knesset Member Adi Azuz of the Yachad party also protested, demanding immediate cancellation of the municipal subsidy. "While the complainants against Eyal Golan have been fighting for years to exhaust legal proceedings and suffer from judicial torture, Jerusalem Municipality is subsidizing tickets for a show with his participation specifically on this day," she said. "This conduct is liable to deepen the harm to them and deter additional victims from filing complaints. The municipality should strengthen the victims and not add to the sense of distrust."
Jerusalem Municipality responded to Kan News: "Jerusalem Municipality supports, through the benefits club for city residents, 'Yerushalmi', subsidized purchase of tickets to all cultural events in the city, in a way that increases the cultural offerings for all residents of the city and allows them to consume the culture they love."
