Israel’s 'Loyalty in Culture' law spreads to other ministries
The spirit of the "Loyalty in Culture" law starts seeping into other government ministries, defunding cultural programs that criticize the government’s occupation policy.
“In these tense times, when Israeli reality appears to be dividing and separating its citizens and residents, the city of Haifa continues to foster an identity of tolerance and values of coexistence.” This was how the Jewish-Arab Beit Hagefen Cultural Center described the Haifa Story Festival, a beacon of coexistence among the Mediterranean coastal city’s mixed population.
The eighth edition of the festival, held on Nov. 1-5, was themed “identity activism in Haifa.” It was open to all and free of charge, featuring such diverse activities as a tour of Haifa’s gay community, a screening of the film “A Trumpet in the Wadi,” which deals with Arab-Jewish relations (after Sami Michael’s novel), and a session on Ethiopian cuisine. Other performances and lectures dealt with identity on a more political level, such as the lecture titled “Who’s Afraid of Palestinian Identity?”
