By New York Post (Opinion) | Created at 2026-08-09 18:50:40 | Updated at 2026-08-09 22:57:25
8 hours ago
Sometimes, bravery is found in unexpected places.
The recording artist known as Boy George was so moved by an exhibition in London dedicated to the Jews slaughtered, tortured, sexually assaulted and abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Nova Music Festival in Israel — “The Moment Music Stood Still” — he recorded the hauntingly beautiful reggae tune “We Will Dance Again.”
Some of the lyrics are openly supportive of the Jewish state, a risky move for an entertainer in the current climate.
“You say genocide, I say war / When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for.
“Does it get ugly? You bet it does / When I know you want to kill every last one of us.”
Other lines are heartbreakingly evocative, describing unflinchingly the brutality inflicted by Hamas savages on young people who gathered at Nova to move their bodies for joy and peace.
“You never mention Oct. 7 / Young girls raped against trees / Murdered brutally / For the crime of dancing.”
The song, made with AI, is tragic, at times chilling. And unforgettable.
It also expresses the deep support and affection the singer/songwriter, 65, whose real name is George Alan O’Dowd, has for Israel and the Jews.
The gesture has spelled career suicide.
The cancellation of the former Culture Club lead singer by virulent antisemites came on as swiftly and violently as a terrorist attack.
He was forced to withdraw from playing King Herod in a revival, ironically, of the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the London Palladium.
He was set to portray the Jewish king who flamboyantly mocked the Jewish Jesus in a memorable scene, a role he was to take over this month.
Not only was his pro-Israel song removed from the online music-distribution platform Bandcamp, but Boy George’s profile was dropped from the site as well.
Bandcamp bosses, whom he called a “bunch of c–ts,” were “bowing to the pressure of antisemites,” the pop icon lamented.
He also parted ways with his record-label manager.
It was the Jews or the manager. To Boy George, it was no contest.
George said he wanted to release his new pro-Israel track widely, but complained that Tony Pontius, who ran his record label BGP for a number of years, was “unequivocal” in saying “I want nothing to do with this song.”
George said he responded, “OK, we are done.”
“In Buddhism we understand that every action comes with a consequence,” George posted to X. “Due to my decision to stand up for my Jewish friends I am losing a few people from my life.”
A few, far too few, heroic figures defend Israel and the Jews while resisting intense pressure; they risk serious career damage for daring to step out of line.
One is Sen. John Fetterman.
The Pennsylvania Democrat has said his “red line” for leaving the Democratic Party will be reached if it officially becomes the anti-Israel party.
Fetterman, 56, withstood a cringe-worthy bout of hectoring this week by Jon Stewart on his podcast, “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart.”
Stewart, 63, in essence, accused the senator of harboring dual loyalties for siding against the Democrats’ left wing while standing with Israel.
“You could agree with [far leftists] 90%, but Israel is the red line?” Stewart asked.
“Absolutely,” Fetterman replied. “I can’t ever turn my back to Israel after where it’s at.”
“I mean no disrespect on this,” Stewart sneered, “but that is not our country.”
Despite the pushback, Fetterman tried to get the interview back on track.
“I think what history demonstrates is that when people . . . turn their back to the Jewish community, things end really badly.”
Stewart clapped back, “Jewish community and Israel are not the same thing, brother man. That is not the same thing.”
Still, “brother man” didn’t miss a beat, explaining to his hostile inquisitor that Israeli and American interests are one and the same.
“I’m always gonna stand with Israel,” the senator insisted, “and I’m always gonna vote and support whatever’s necessary to protect themselves and to prosecute Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, too.”
Other mensches and menschettes stand out: John Ondrasik, the singer/songwriter behind the band Five For Fighting, rewrote the lyrics of the hit song “Superman” to honor hostages then held by Hamas and to give hope for their safe return home.
He played a show in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv along with family members of captives.
That act alone meant he publicly defied calls for artists to boycott Israel, led by the odious Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, 82, who’s been trying to intimidate musicians from playing in the Jewish state for years.
Meanwhile, Ondrasik, 61, has sharply criticized those in the music and entertainment industries for a “shameful silence” following Hamas’s inhuman acts of Oct. 7.
Then there’s the Scottish woman who went viral rocking out in her car, singing a peppy song in Hebrew in a deep brogue.
Boy George. John Fetterman. John Ondrasik. She joins a small but sublime list of brave individuals who refuse to back down, no matter the cost, to stand up for what’s right.
I wish there were more like them.
