Boy George will visit the Nova Festival Memorial Site in Re’im on November 3 and perform at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 4 with Ivri Lider.
By Shula Rosen
Boy George is visiting Israel for a series of performances and events supporting the Nova community, meeting President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem and praying at the Western Wall after facing pushback over his public support for Israel and his song “We Will Dance Again.”
The singer’s connection with the Nova community developed after he visited the Nova 06:29 exhibition in London.
He subsequently released “We Will Dance Again,” accompanied by photographs of young people murdered at the Nova music festival.
On Monday, Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog received Boy George at the President’s Residence alongside former Gaza hostage Elkana Bohbot and Sylvan Adams, president of World Jewish Congress Israel and a Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem board member.
Herzog thanked the singer for standing with Israel and the Jewish people amid what he described as widespread discrimination in culture, art and music since October 7, 2023.
He cited Boy George’s statement, “If you’re ever confused, I stand with the Jews. I don’t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human.”
Boy George said releasing his song had affected him personally.
“I feel like ‘We Will Dance Again’ has forced me to grow up,” he said. “This experience has made me much more aware of what is out there emotionally and what challenges us.”
Bohbot, kidnapped from the Nova festival and held captive for 738 days, also thanked Boy George.
“They tried to take away our freedom, but they will not take away our spirit,” Bohbot said. “Today, after 738 days in captivity, I stand here free.”
During his Jerusalem visit, Boy George toured the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem’s “06:29 – From Darkness to Light” exhibition, documenting the October 7 attacks through photographs and testimonies. Sigal Mansouri, whose daughters Norelle and Roya were murdered at Nova, joined the visit.
Boy George later visited the Western Wall, where he placed a note and prayed for peace with Adams.
He will visit the Nova Festival Memorial Site in Re’im on November 3 and perform at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 4 with Ivri Lider. A November 7 performance with DJ Ofer Nissim will be dedicated to the Nova community and their families.
The visit was initiated by Adams and coordinated by Live Nation Israel with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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