A few months ago I wrote about the Metropolitan Opera’s upcoming performances of John Adams’s opera The Death of Klinghoffer, based on the true story of the hijacking by Palestinian militants of the cruise ship Achille Lauro and their murder of elderly passenger Leon Klinghoffer. While the performances will go forward this Fall, the simulcast of the performance has now been cancelled, thanks to the ADL’s Abe Foxman and various others who are concerned of the opera’s alleged “anti-Semitic” nature which doesn’t exist. Philip Weiss has more on the cancellation. The opera’s librettist Alice Goodman noted that many people who are not able to see actual live performances will have their viewing of it in theaters on HD taken away from them, all because of ignorance and hysteria. In my view, those who push for censorship are very selfish in their taking away from others the ability to decide for themselves what is good or bad, artistic or offensive.

The Best of Scott Lazarowitz