More than 120 Montreal musicians and cultural organizations have signed onto a boycott of Israel, joining an international campaign that Israeli music industry officials say is increasingly preventing Israeli performers from securing concerts and professional opportunities abroad. Organizers of Israel’s annual Music Showcase Festival reported Wednesday that international attendance at this year’s event is expected to fall by half, with foreign industry representatives increasingly unwilling to work with Israeli musicians.
The festival, which takes place in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from November 17 to 22, brings together Israeli performers with international booking agents, producers, concert promoters and festival organizers. Approximately 30 foreign industry representatives are expected this year, compared with 60 in 2025. Hadas Vanunu, the festival’s artistic director, told the Times of Israel that even arranging discussions with potential international guests has become increasingly difficult.
The festival’s organizers say the boycott has been accompanied by financial pressures, including reductions in Israeli Foreign Ministry funding and increased travel costs. The event receives support from several Israeli government and municipal bodies, including the Foreign Ministry’s Cultural Diplomacy Division, the Culture Ministry and the Jerusalem Municipality. Organizers have increasingly turned toward Asia and North America as cooperation with European music industry representatives has become more difficult.
The boycott movement has also gained substantial support within Montreal’s music industry. Musicians For Palestine Montréal published a declaration earlier this year identifying 89 musicians, artists and cultural workers, along with 34 music institutions, that had formally endorsed a cultural boycott of Israel.
The signatories include internationally recognized Montreal performers Patrick Watson, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Safia Nolin, Bibi Club and TOPS. The list also includes prominent record labels and music businesses such as Arbutus Records, Constellation, Bravo Musique, Bonsound and Hot Tramp Management, along with concert promoters and festivals.
Several Montreal performance venues and publicly supported cultural organizations have also signed the declaration, including Casa del Popolo, La Sala Rossa, Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI), and the Société des arts technologiques (SAT). The SAT lists Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the City of Montreal among its government and institutional partners.
The declaration calls on participating artists and organizations to refuse performances in Israel, reject funding from Israeli government sources and organizations the campaign considers complicit in Israeli policies, and withdraw from cultural projects that it says serve to normalize Israel’s conduct. The statement accuses Israel of genocide and apartheid and rejects the legitimacy of Israel’s establishment.
The campaign does not publish individual booking policies for each participating venue, and the declaration does not identify specific Israeli performers who have been refused performances in Montreal. Its signatories nevertheless include organizations involved in organizing concerts, distributing music, representing artists and providing performance spaces in the city.
Israeli musicians have reported declining opportunities abroad as the boycott spreads. Gadi Stern, pianist with the Israeli instrumental trio Shalosh, told the Times of Israel that his group now performs approximately 30 international concerts annually, about half the number it previously booked. Stern said the group has encountered particular hostility in Scandinavia, Spain and parts of Britain.
“When we’re abroad, we’re not representing Israel,” Stern told the newspaper, explaining that the musicians perform internationally as artists rather than representatives of the Israeli government.
The Israel Music Showcase Festival is entering its 17th year and has previously helped performers including Noga Erez, Lola Marsh and Tatran establish international careers. This year’s lineup includes Mark Eliyahu, Yael Deckelbaum, Haze’evot, Daniel Zamir, Shalosh and several other Israeli performers.
Organizers say they are continuing preparations for the November festival despite the reduced international attendance. The Montreal boycott campaign, meanwhile, continues to accept additional signatories through its website, where its list of participating musicians, record labels, venues and cultural organizations remains publicly available.
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