Dutch Jews Urge Amsterdam’s Concert Hall To Lift Ban On Hanukkah Concert (Worthy News Focus)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Growing outrage over Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall (Het Koninklijk Concertgebouw) decision to cancel a Hanukkah concert featuring Jewish-Israeli cantor Shai Abramson has prompted an open letter from the heirs of Holocaust survivor and musician Lex van Weren, urging sponsors to withdraw support until the venue reverses course.

In the letter dated November 6, 2025, signed by Karen Lucia Senese Middelkoop on behalf of the heirs of Lex van Weren, the group said the decision—reportedly made after pressure from anti-Israel activists—“stands in stark contrast with the moral and cultural heritage this institution is meant to represent.”

It warned that excluding Jewish artists under “pressure from extremist groups” violates the very values the Royal Concert Hall symbolizes.

“Since 1940, Europe has learned what happens when culture bows to hatred. When Jewish musicians were silenced then, the world learned through shame,” the letter said. “There is no greater betrayal of art than to remain silent in the face of exclusion.”

Middelkoop, writing on behalf of the heirs, appealed to donors to suspend sponsorships until the board issues an apology and reinstates Abramson’s invitation to perform at the annual Hanukkah concert, organized by the foundation Stichting Chanukah Concert.

Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall is one of the world’s most celebrated concert halls and home to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest). Yet during World War II, the hall came under Nazi control, banning Jewish musicians and composers — a legacy that makes the current accusations of exclusion especially sensitive.

THE LEGACY OF LEX VAN WEREN

The letter invokes the memory of Lex van Weren (1920–1996), a renowned Jewish-Dutch trumpeter and Holocaust survivor. Deported via Kamp Westerbork to Auschwitz-Birkenau (prisoner no. 163848), Van Weren survived by playing in the camp orchestra.

After the war, he built a successful career in Dutch light music, performing with the City Theatre Orchestra, appearing on radio and television, and receiving the Golden Harp (Gouden Harp) in 1964 for his contributions to Dutch music.

The heirs’ appeal came shortly after the Dutch Christian organization Christenen voor Israël (Christians for Israel) issued an earlier open letter on November 4, 2025, calling the Royal Concert Hall’s decision “deeply shameful” and warning that it could set “a dangerous precedent for the exclusion of Dutch Jews.”

The group also criticized Amsterdam’s mayor and city council for not intervening, writing: “It is deeply shameful that Amsterdam and its cultural institutions, once again — 85 years after the [Nazi] occupation — are allowing Jewish artists to be excluded.”

The organization urged the venue to apologize and reconsider, saying Dutch cultural institutions “should never again yield to political or activist pressure to exclude Jewish artists.”

Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall defended its decision, saying the performance by Shai Abramson was canceled due to his visible connection with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The hall explained that Abramson, as the IDF’s Chief Cantor, continues to represent the military at official ceremonies.

‘AT ODDS WITH MISSION’

“This is at odds with our mission of connecting people through music,” the Concert Hall said, noting that the IDF “is actively involved in a controversial war” — referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which erupted after Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023.

After months of discussion, the Royal Concert Hall asked organizers to choose a different singer, but the foundation refused. When no agreement could be reached, the hall terminated the contract, officials said.

The Concert Hall emphasized that the decision was not about Abramson’s religion but about maintaining what it called “a neutral and unifying space for all audiences.”

However, Ronny Naftaniel, a prominent Dutch-Jewish leader whose father suffered during the Holocaust, questioned that explanation.

“Look, Concertgebouw (Concert Hall). In Paris, there was also pressure to cancel a concert by the Israeli Philharmonic conducted by Lahav Shani,” Naftaniel wrote on social media, where he also praised the protesters.

“The performance on November 6 in the Philharmonie de Paris will continue as usual. The bad attitude of the music temple in Amsterdam will never be forgotten.”

A SYMBOL OF DUTCH CULTURE

Founded in 1888 and designed by architect Adolf Leonard van Gendt, Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall is internationally acclaimed for its exceptional acoustics and elegant neoclassical design.

Hosting about 900 concerts per year, the hall has long been regarded as one of the world’s premier music venues — and a powerful symbol of Dutch cultural identity and freedom.

The controversy has also moved beyond the concert hall: Protesters have gathered outside Dutch wealth manager Van Lanschot Kempen in Amsterdam, the main sponsor of the Dutch capital’s Royal Concert Hall, holding banners reading: “1941 – For Jews forbidden / 2025 – For Israeli Jews forbidden?”

Organizers said the demonstration aimed to remind Dutch cultural institutions of their wartime history and warn against “repeating mistakes of exclusion under a different name.”

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