West End Letters: Carol Concert | Bethlehem | Occupied Territories

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 5 December 2008

Singing carols for justice to mobilise Christians

• MANY thanks for the report by Jamie Welham on Bethlehem now: Nine Alternative Lessons and Carols for Palestine’ (Jewish group under fire over protest carols, November 28).
As the co-ordinator of this event, I would like to point out that only a couple of churches refused to stage it. Many simply had no dates left, a few did not get back to me and several, (including St John’s, Waterloo and St George’s, Hanover Square) said that they would. We opted for St James’s Church, Piccadilly, as it was more suitable, though we were considering holding it in two or three venues.
Having sung these carols on the streets for six years, we felt it was time they were sung in their rightful home. By doing so, we hoped to reach a wider audience and mobilise Christians who are sometimes scared of protesting against Israel’s policies for fear of accusations of anti-semitism, hence the benefit of Jews being involved.
The alternative carols do not make fun of Christianity or Christmas, but have simply been updated to reflect the current situation. It does not feel right singing traditional carols when Bethlehem is surrounded by an apartheid wall and Gaza is being turned into a concentration camp.
It is sad that a bigoted and vociferous minority are more outraged by these carols than the behaviour of Israel which has provoked them. Singing for justice, is surely the Christian and Jewish thing to do. Ignoring an injustice is not.
Deborah Fink
Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods
jews4big@googlemail.com

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