Red Rattler: Apology accepted
A Sydney theatre which refused to consider a booking from a Jewish organisation has apologised…and the apology has been accepted.
Shailee Mendelevich
Shailee Mendelevich told J-Wire: “We accept Red Rattler’s apology and would be open to meeting with them to resolve the issue. We look forward to putting this unfortunate episode behind us and moving forward with this important event.”
The Red Rattler based in Marrickville had told Mendelevich that it “does not support colonialism/Zionism”.
One of the theatre’s administrators asked J-Wire if the name of the person sending Shailee the email was known but the message was not signed off by an individual.
Mendelevich had applied to the theatre to use its facilities for a production to be staged by Hillel, part of the Shalom Institute.
The Mayor of Marrickville Councillor Mark Gardiner said today that he welcomed the apology from the Red Rattler theatre.
The Red Rattler is not a Marrickville Council-owned facility. Council has no control over its policies. It is an independently operated venue governed by a Board of Directors.
“I’m very sorry to see this kind of discrimination in Marrickville,” Councillor Gardiner said.
“Especially as just last week, Councillors unanimously took a stand against anti-semitic behaviour,” he said.
“So you can imagine my shock and disappointment when I read that the Red Rattler had refused to allow Hillel access to their venue.
“This was really quite disgraceful and outrageous. I strongly disapproved, especially as Council has over the years supported the theatre in various ways.
“For example, Red Rattler has been the recipient of small amounts of funding from Council, such as Open Marrickville grants.
“Seeing as the annual Open Marrickville festival is a celebration of culture and community, it seemed highly hypocritical for Red Rattler to take this stance.
“So it was with great relief that I heard last night that the Red Rattler Board of Directors had apologised unreservedly and wholeheartedly,” Councillor Gardiner said.
For a copy of last week’s Media Release, Council condemns antisemitism, a photo of the Councillors unanimously standing together in support of a colleague who was a target on anti-semitic behaviour, or a copy of apology from the Red Rattler Board of Directors, contact the Communication team.
It appears that Jewish communal “leaders” are going to meet with the employee who wrote the rejection email and subject him to a tour of the Jewish Museum in order to give him a guided tour through our various gravesites.
How does this remotely address the view of this person concerning his expressed attitude towards the so called “colonisation of Palestine”?
It is time our communal “leaders” woke up to themselves. This case has confirmed to me anyway, that our so called “leadership” appears simply incapable of going on the offensive and tackling controversial issues head on. A leadership which will not address the fictitious “Palestinian” narrative, for fear of being controversial.
So go ahead, give this person or persons the usual tour of the Museum and pretend that the political views expressed have been addressed.
Obviously Jewish leadership in this country is no different to that of the ghetto Jews of old, in short pathetic. We have obviously learnt nothing in 70 years.
It is time that the Constitution of the Jewish Board of Deputies be radically amended to accommodate an electoral process that allows for the nomination to senior positions to be open to the general community. The current process of electing within deputies (many of whom have got their role simply by being an organisation’s useless representative) has got to go.
Gil, you have valid points, but reality and tachles are but very difficult matters to be resolved at the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies level. Apart from a tired mantra of standard issues approached by a toothless pussycat organisation NOTHING has EVER sorted out by the so called leadership in all those thirty plus years I have known the place. To quite a few it has been all but a spring board (sic) for other positions. I know of a few young, active and promising “leader” material who, after a few years seemingly active on the Board have secured themselves cushy jobs, a few right within the State Parliament ( almost exclusively Labor ) not to be seen any more once they used on their CV the Executive BOD positions. Apart from that I cannot remember ANYTHING that the Board has done in an effective way to address critical issues. My 25 odd years at the Board was for me a monthly occasion to render ridicule and criticism, returning home each first Tuesday of the month “satisfied” that I have cracked a few jokes and achieved laughter. They used to ask me to be sure that I attended just to kill the traditional boredom. I got bored myself with the circus and now I am free at last….
Look at the stuff from that moronic antisemite from the islamic pulpit. The same Board of Deps. have, vicariously, “delegated” some other entity to defend a Board and its community while the whole place is teeming with bloody lawyers, including the groisse macher whose legal speciality seems to be photo ops and shaking hands with Cardinals and Imams.
I would not be as arrogant as telling you, of all people, to forget it, but who do you reckon you could convince at the top of our Community to consider for a moment you rational suggestions !! Give as one single name. As a about a chorum of support…. Don Quixote .
Otto,
Please re-read my last paragraph.
We need a change in the Constitution of Jewish organisations, especially the Board of Deputies so that a totally new leadership has the possibility of emerging.
The current structure only ensures that the same mindset of leaders will be in place, one virtually a political clone of the other, all in my opinion pathetic.
Gil, mate
I read it and didn’t want to upset you….
The desperately needed changes cannot be expected. Constitutionally, the …constitutional changes can only be made from within. Pigs mit wings ( read “vings” ).
How many incidents of racism towards jews never get apologised for….? An apology is an apology and we should be accepting of that.
an apology is an apology only when it is an apology.
Your turn now, Alan Baden…….
I certainly hope that no Jewish organization will consider staging a production at that theatre as long as that particular person is in charge. Choose another venue! People who are ignorant of facts should be sat down and informed of the truth in all instances!
Apology, which apology !!!
That bull about someone at the filthy rats making a statement while playing with the internet under the influence of the regular “stuff” the moron was smoking at time – and all the time -, is an apology. Me no thinks so.
The slightest attempt at an apology would have mentioned something like ” Hey guys we is like real pissed with the bloke who said like that stuff about you being like a bunch of like f’n bloody jews we we like reckon like you can like come and like do like yourse stuff like on over here like we dont give like a shit no more if like you do it like no more. And , since like yours is like loaded like all bloody jews is, like you could shout us like some good stuff because here at “The rat” everything is allowed like the stuff we said about like you bloody jews in the first place. “LIKE IT OR LIKE NOT LIKE IT, LIKE WE DONT GIVE A RAT’S !! ” and like this is our like a motto.
Well that’s more LIKE an apology to mine.
The stuff from the Marockville Council is like a bit completely irrelevant, they didn’t do nothing to apologise for, although I’d accept their apology quite proper for other stuff we had to endure from that World’s Capital of Kultcha.
I’m tellin’ yourse guys, otherwise Marrickville Metro, cheapest and best prawns, calamari and, for breaky, a most succulent bacon and eggs ( how bloody bacon could be succulent yourse tell me ).What’s like (!) a drive from Vaucluse or Dover Hayits down Oxford St, Pmmtta Rd., then take a left on City Rd, Princess Hghw, then a right at the big lights, the Marricville Rd and a short hour later you is there.
MY APOLOGY IF I MISSED A TURN IN MY DIRECTIONS (not theatrical) and if anyone does not get there, WHO GIVES A RAT’S !!!
This excessive indulgence with the street directory is just a mental exercise for me, after being away from home for more than half a year, and , please nobody pick on the “mental , ok !!
Seriously now, that beacon of culture and tolerance properly known as The Rat should practically say that the show they DID reject in a most disgusting, immoral way, could be staged at their place without any …..reservations. That is , to my liking, a proper apology.
Otherwise, my gorgeous Son( 27) can bring home anytime gorgeous Ms Mendelevich.