No Dancing on Gaza's Graves--Boycott the Batsheva Dance Troupe February 15, 2009

The University Musical Society is bringing the Batsheva Dance Company of Tel Aviv to Ann Arbor for two performances. This is a violation of the 2004 Palestinian call to "comprehensively and consistently boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions" and the 2005 call of 171 Palestinian civil society organizations for broad boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

The Batsheva Dance Company is funded by the Israeli government, it has no Arab performers, and is "proud to be considered Israel's leading ambassador." Ohad Naharin, the dance company's director, is an Israeli army veteran and current Israeli soldiers/reservists also belong to the company. We urge you to join us as we nonviolently oppose these performances as part of a sustained BDS campaign.

What you can do:
1. Call, write, or send an e-letter to Ken Fischer and the UMS Board asking them to cancel the show (go to http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/eletters/).
2. Write letters to the editor of the Michigan Daily and Ann Arbor News.
3. Don't buy tickets to the show or any UMS show until UMS honors the boycott against Israel.
4. If you already have tickets then exchange them for another show.
5. Plan to join us outside to nonviolently protest the performances unless the UMS cancels them.

Official Website: http://nextyearinalquds.blogspot.com/