UK Venue Cancels Concert by Hasidic Jewish Singing Star Benny Friedman

Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Shmuliphoto

Hasidic vocalist Benny Friedman

A highly anticipated concert in London by popular Hasidic vocalist Benny Friedman was canceled by the scheduled venue just one day after tickets were out for sale.

Friedman’s “Am Yisrael Chai Tour”, organized in partnership with ACM Events, has been touring the world with its message of Jewish pride.

“For several years, London has consistently topped the list of cities requesting visits by Benny,” Friedman’s management told the Chabad-Lubavitch COLlive news outlet, and so two shows were planned to take place in England.

The team behind the concert faced significant challenges in securing a venue for the event in London, however, encountering resistance from multiple venues unwilling to host a public Jewish pride concert or to be associated with pro-Israel sentiments.

Despite these hurdles, the organizers finally secured the Clapham Grand, a historic and refurbished Victorian music hall, as the London venue. On Sunday, the team announced two UK shows—one in London on January 6 and the other in Manchester on January 7.

“The response was overwhelming,” organizers said. “Excitement was palpable as fans rallied behind the tour.” A large number of tickets were sold immediately following the announcement.

However, the concert organizers received word Monday morning that Clapham Grand was pulling out of the agreement and canceling the London show, citing security issues due to the nature of the event.

“We are completely stunned by this news, and disappointed that a reality like this for the Jewish people is still possible in 2024,” the Am Yisrael Chai Tour team said in a statement.

Despite the setback, the organizers still intend to bring the tour to London, albeit in a different setting.

“We are determined to secure an even bigger venue in London,” the team announced. “We will see you in London, and we will keep you posted with further updates.”

London is no stranger to antisemitism.

From January to June 2024, the Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish security organization, recorded some 1,978 reports of antisemitic hate incidents, compared to 964 such incidents over the same period in 2023.

Some 1,037 antisemitic incidents were reported in Greater London, including 411 such incidents in Barnet, the local authority that is home to the country’s largest Jewish community.

The second-highest number of reported antisemitic incidents, 268, was in Greater Manchester.

The incidents included cases of damage and desecration to Jewish property, threats, and hate expressed in higher education settings.

COLlive.com contributed to this report.