Leonard Cohen opens his pockets for Israelis and Palestinians

July 29, 2009 - 10:43 AM by David · 6 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Music, coexistence

leonard Most international musical superstars who come to Israel might pay lip service to promoting peace in the region – like Paul McCartney did with his ‘Friendship First’ concert – but few actually put their money where their singing voices are.

Leonard Cohen is apparently the exception. In the middle of a long world tour that has raised him to the ranks of the world’s most loved performers, Cohen could have easily skipped Israel at the end of his European swing. But not only did he want to perform in the country, he decided that he couldn’t take money out of the country.

According to his manager Robert Kory, who spoke to me on Sunday, the revenue from Cohen’s Ramat Gan Stadium show on September 24th will be donated through a new fund to benefit Israeli and Palestinian organizations that are working toward conciliation.

The Fund For Reconciliation, Tolerance and Peace will provide financial support for organizations and individuals working in Israel and the PA, focusing on bereaved Israeli and Palestinian parents who have experienced loss yet continue to strive to achieve peace in the region through their efforts.

Initial beneficiaries of Cohen’s altruism will be the Parents Circle – Family Forum, an NGO reprenting Israeli and Palestinian parents who have lost children in the conflict and who have made the commitment to work together in building a consensus for peace, the Peres Center for Peace Children’s Medical Program, Combatants for Peace, an organization which attempts to bring together IDF veterans and Palestinian terrorists who have renounced their ways, and the Palestinian Happy Child Center, a developmental center that works with special needs children in Ramallah.

“I got a call from someone identifying themself as Leonard Cohen’s manager. I thought to myself, ‘what’s going on here?’” laughed the Parents Circle founder Yitzhak Frankenthal, whose son Arik was murdered by terrorists near Ramallah in 1994.

“Robert told me that Leonard would like to donate money from his show to people who have paid the price and still continue to do what they can to achieve reconciliation. They invited me to meet them in New York, and I discovered two wonderful people – Leonard and Robert, they complete each other. It was really special and unusual to find someone like Leonard who cares about what’s going on here in the Middle East and tries to do something to help.”

While Cohen will undoubtedly be razzed by some for trying to put his two cents into our region of the world, and for the fact that the fund is going to be administered by Amnesty International, not perceived as Israel’s greatests friends, the fact that he’s doing something concrete that seems to be only helping Israelis and Palestinians in a non-political manner, if that’s possible, can only be commendable. He’s my man.

And here’s a tip for Cohen fans out there – an announcement is going to be made this week about the launching of ticket sales for the show. Get your wallet ready.

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