The lead singer for heavy metal band Disturbed delivered an anti-Hamas rant during a performance at the end of February. Since then it is as though the flood gates have opened.
David Draiman spoke strongly in support of Israel in a video clip that went viral after a young fan gave him a bracelet with the words “Am Israeli Chai.” His emotional response to that gesture showed a change in his personal policy to leave politics out of the band’s performances.
I confess that I do not know about this band. However, that must be because I’m old and today’s heavy metal isn’t my music genre. According to Billboard, Disturbed is one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century.
Anyway, Draiman explained that he keeps politics out of their concerts but he couldn’t remain silent any longer after the bracelet summoned up an emotional response. During a show in Orlando, Florida, he spoke out.
He’s Jewish and has family in Israel. He lost friends during the massacre by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023. Hamas murdered about 1,200 people and wounded more than 5,300 people. Hamas also took 242 hostages that day from Israel. More than half of those hostages remain in captivity in Gaza.
Nine-year-old Sophia came on stage with Draiman. He thanked her for her gift to him and described it to the audience. He explained that Am Israeli Chai means the people of Israel live. It is a rallying cry in support of the existence of Israel. Then he sent her back to her seat with her mother. That is when he let loose about the war between Israel and Hamas.
From our show last night in Orlando.#FreeTheHostages #SaveGazaFromHamas#BringThemHome#BringThemHomeNow #Gaza #Israel #Hamas #Hamas_is_ISIS #NovaFestivalMassacre #Coexistence #AmYisraelChai pic.twitter.com/JQ8Pr6jOQO
— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) February 27, 2024
It wasn’t the yelling kind of rant. I think he spoke from his heart and his words were filled with sadness. He rightly called for the eradication of Hamas. He was careful to make a distinction between Hamas and Palestinians. That is more generous than I would say. Hamas is the elected power base in Gaza. The people have lived under its rule since 2007. There can be no peace until Hamas is destroyed.
“I miss people that were slaughtered like animals at the Nova Festival,” he onstage. “Rape is not resistance. Slaughtering innocents at a music festival that brings together people from all walks of life is not resistance.”
“I genuinely feel empathy for the Palestinian people despite what everyone on the other side of the equation likes to claim.” he added. “There is not a single Jew on this planet that does not celebrate life. We celebrate life. Hamas celebrates death and they need to be eradicated; not the Palestinians, Hamas. We need to save Gaza from Hamas.”
He warned it is a “dark time that we are living in, and there are people who like to go ahead and use our fear of one another as an excuse to gain power, as an excuse to profit off of our own misery and our own suffering.”
“It’s dark times, my people,” he concluded. “It is dark times, but sometimes darkness can show you the light.”
Draiman continues to speak out now in support of Israel. He calls for the release of hostages and he flags antisemitism on social media. He posts pictures with signs that read #BringBackOurGirls. Girls and women continue to be held hostage in Gaza. If they are still alive, they are suffering the brutality of their captors.
#BringBackOurGirls #FreeTheHostages #BringThemHome #BringThemHomeNow #WomenHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/fBVNCWbeYb
— David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) March 7, 2024
Draiman said he keeps politics out of performances but that he felt he had to acknowledge Sophia’s gift and that set off his rant.
“I couldn’t not acknowledge her very precise, thoughtful gift without being insulting at that point, so I felt compelled to speak about it and I just went completely off the cuff, speaking from my heart and trying to address the elephant in the room, so to speak,” he told the outlet. “I just did the best that I could, and I’m glad that it resonated with as many people as it has apparently so far. Who knows? I can only hope that it has a continuing positive effect.”
Good for him. The entertainment field is much like most of America right now. There is a majority of supporters of Israel but the pro-Hamas supporters are loud and gather in shockingly large numbers to protest the existence of Israel and the Jewish people. Ignorance runs rampant.
He raised money for a Jewish Reggae musician after his gigs were canceled due to threats of protests by pro-Hamas demonstrators. He set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise $25,000 to provide security for Matisyahu. It reached its goal in two days. Matisyahu’s shows in Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico were canceled by the venues that decided they couldn’t guarantee security because of the threats by pro-Hamas demonstrators. But, was it outside demonstrators or was it problems with antisemitic staff?
According to the singer, the issue was actually staff who were unwilling to work at the show. The artist said that he had offered to supplement these staff shortages, but he had been refused.
“They do this because they are either antisemitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who holds empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Matisyahu said in social media posts at the time. “It truly is a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate-mongering and silencing artistic expression.”
Matisyahu visited Israel to show solidarity. He visited army bases and performed for soldiers.
.Good for Draiman. It looks like the canceling of Matisyahu continues.
I for one will not play any venue that cancels a @matisyahu gig, or any other artist due to radical antisemitic bullies, starting with @HOBChicago. If every touring artist would join me this bullshit would end immediately. https://t.co/BIMoeHH3aE
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) March 9, 2024