“Concert for Hope and Unity” cancelled after Greek choir declines to perform with Jewish group

A planned benefit concert at Sydney Town Hall to support families affected by the Bondi terror attack has been cancelled after members of a Greek choir refused to perform alongside a Jewish group, citing political objections and fears about security.

The “Concert for Hope and Unity”, scheduled for 28 June at Sydney Town Hall, was conceived in the aftermath of the Bondi attack as a cross-cultural event bringing together the Australian Hellenic Choir and the Sydney Jewish Choral Society. All proceeds were intended for victims’ families.

Australian Hellenic Choir president James Tsolakis told The Australian that his choir’s decision to withdraw meant the concert could no longer proceed.

“Every cent was to be dispersed to a charity to support the families of the victims of the Bondi terror attack,” he said.

Mr Tsolakis said he was taken aback by the level of opposition among members.

“There’s a bit of antisemitism in the Greek community; I didn’t realise the extent of it,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of people in the community blaming the Jewish community for what’s happening in Israel, Palestine … that’s not correct.

“You want to hate Netanyahu? Hate Netanyahu, but what have the Jewish people done to you? The whole antisemitism thing has got to be wound back.”

He said concerns ranged from the political climate to fears about performing at a high-profile venue.

“This is all about bringing people together using music,” he said. “I initiated it but I’ve got no choice but to shut it down. I’m extremely disappointed and pretty upset.”

The concert had secured $15,000 in NSW government funding shortly before rehearsals intensified, and organisers were expecting a capacity audience.

“We were expecting a sellout audience of 2000 people. The music prepared was beautiful, songs of love and peace and harmony,” Mr Tsolakis said.

Chair of the Sydney Jewish Choral Society Anne Spira told JWire the decision came as a shock, particularly given the choirs had previously performed together.

“I was in absolute shock, actually,” she said. “We’d done this before … it was a very harmonious, collaborative and very successful project.”

The two choirs had shared the stage in 2022 performing “The Ballad of Mauthausen”, a work telling the story of a Greek prisoner and a Jewish prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp.

Spira said the environment had changed significantly since then.

“The situation has changed,” she said. “Security was a major issue this time. That was absolutely not required in 2022.”

She said her understanding was that opposition within the Greek choir was mixed.

“My understanding was that some had political objections, while others had security concerns,” she said. “It was a different environment this time.”

Spira confirmed preparations were already well underway before the cancellation.

“We had already started rehearsals and were in full preparation mode,” she said. “Once the funding came through, we went straight into production.”

She said the decision reflected a broader shift affecting Jewish participants in the arts.

“We’ve joined the group of Jewish creatives in Sydney who have now been de-platformed,” she said. “It’s very sad.”

Spira added that members of the choir were now making submissions to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion following the incident.

Speaking to JWire, former Multicultural NSW chair and former NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff said the cancellation had caused deep distress within the Jewish community.

“The decision by some choristers to pull the plug on the event was extremely hurtful to the Jewish community and very unfortunate,” he said.

“The Australian Greek and Jewish communities have enjoyed a long and collaborative friendship, and our hope is that the two choirs will again share a platform in the near future.”

Alhadeff, who had been due to serve as emcee for the concert, said he would also have provided historical context on the Holocaust’s impact on Greek Jewry.

“Eighty-seven per cent of the Jews of Greece perished,” he said. “My background is on Rhodes Island. My paternal grandparents were deported from there and perished at Auschwitz.”

Despite the setback, Mr Tsolakis said he hoped the collaboration could be revived, with discussions underway about staging a future performance in Canberra.