Stevie Wonder Pulls Out of IDF FundraiserPetition Called on R&B Star To Shun Israel Army EventBy JTA <http://forward.com/authors/jta/> Published November 28, 2012.
- PRINT - EMAIL - [image: Share] SHARE <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php><http://forward.com/articles/166877/stevie-wonder-pulls-out-of-idf-fundraiser/#> <http://forward.com/articles/166877/stevie-wonder-pulls-out-of-idf-fundraiser/#><http://forward.com/articles/166877/stevie-wonder-pulls-out-of-idf-fundraiser/#> Stevie Wonder is set to pull out of a performance at a fundraiser for the Israel Defense Forces, a source told JTA. Wonders representatives will claim that he did not know the nature of the group, the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and that he believes such a performance would be incongruent with his status as a U.N. Messenger of Peace, according to a source who has read email exchanges between Wonders representatives and organizers of the event. Wonder was scheduled to headline the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces annual gala in Los Angeles on Dec. 6. The event raises millions of dollars annually to support the Israeli military. An official of Friends of the IDF, reached at its Los Angeles office, had no comment. Wonders agent at Creative Artists Agency did not return a request for comment. The spokesman for the U.N. Secretary General also had no comment on the matter. The United Nations does not usually impose restrictions on its goodwill representatives. Wonder most recently performed at a U.N. concert commemoratiing its 67th anniversary. Wonder had come under intense social media pressure to pull out of the event. An online petition calling on him to cancel his performance had garnered more than 3,600 signatures. The petition was launched more than a day ago on the change.org website. You were arrested in 1985 protesting South African Apartheid, now we ask you: please remember that apartheid is apartheid, whether it comes from White Afrikaaner settlers of South Africa or from Jewish Israelis in Israel, the petition reads. Desmond Tutu has recognized that Israels Apartheid is worse than South Africas will you stand with us against apartheid and cancel your performance at the IDF fundraiser. A second petition, launched by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, calls on Wonder to (p)lease continue your legacy of speaking out for the oppressed. Please be a full-time lover of justice by standing on the right side of history and canceling your performance for the Israeli army. Wonder performed at a 1998 gala honoring Israels 50th anniversary. Read more: http://forward.com/articles/166877/stevie-wonder-pulls-out-of-idf-fundraiser/#ixzz2Dbvwgipg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
