GENE SIMMONS, DAVID DRAIMAN And More Sign Letter Rejecting Attempt To Bar Israel From 2024 'Eurovision Song Contest'

More than 400 leaders from the entertainment industry — including KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, DISTURBED singer David Draiman and Ozzy Osbourne's wife/manager Sharon Osbourne — have signed an open letter released by the non-profit entertainment industry organization Creative Community For Peace in support of the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) public commitment to include Israel in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

The letter comes in response to others who have demanded that Israel be disinvited from the contest. In December, Iceland's Association Of Composers And Lyricists published a statement saying Israel's military action in Gaza made its participation incompatible with an event "characterized by joy and optimism". In Finland, a petition signed by more than 1,400 music industry professionals accused their national broadcaster Yle of double standards, saying it was among the first to demand the ban on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Creative Community For Peace letter highlights Eurovision's unique ability to unify people from diverse backgrounds and music's capacity to effect positive change in the world. The letter states that the annual event, with more viewers than the Super Bowl, is a celebration of unity and should not be used as a tool for politics.

Simmons said: "Music unites people from all backgrounds. It's the one language that everyone can understand. It's a beautiful thing and a great way to bring people together. Those advocating to exclude an Israeli singer from Eurovision don't move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world."

The statement is the first of its kind — a call from the entertainment industry unequivocally voicing support for Israel's inclusion in Eurovision.

"We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust," the letter reads. "Under the cover of thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian populations, Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women, and children," it continues.

On Eurovision's impact, the letter states, "We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music." The letter concludes: "Those who are calling for Israel's exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics."

CCFP's chairman David Renzer and executive director Ari Ingel said: "We join entertainment industry leaders in rejecting the vilification of Israel on the global music stage. After thousands of innocent Israelis were killed, over 360 of them at a music festival as they danced in celebration of life, to see some respond in this fashion is shameful. We hope Eurovision stands firm in the face of this misguided, discriminatory boycott attempt. We want the world to know that the entertainment industry supports the Contest and all this year's amazing participants, including Israel's."

Simmons was born as Chaim Witz in August 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, to Jewish immigrants from Hungary. He was the son of Holocaust survivor Flora Klien and a father, Feri Witz, who soon abandoned his family, leaving them penniless prior to emigrating to America in search of a better life.

Draiman, the son of Israelis and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, spends much of his time on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing pro-Israel articles and posts and has often used his fame to speak out against anti-Semitism.

DISTURBED's song "Never Again", from 2010's "Asylum" album, was written about the Holocaust and calls out people who deny it.

Both of Draiman's maternal grandparents were survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, while many others on his mother's side were wiped out by the Nazis.

Sharon Osbourne once described herself as "half a Jew", with the Jewish half coming from her father, the renowned music promoter and manager Don Arden who had represented ELO, THE SMALL FACES and BLACK SABBATH.

"We were brought up in basically a Jewish household," Sharon told The Jewish Chronicle. "My family, my father's family, my aunt, my cousins, are all Jewish. And observant Jews who practice and love their religion. So Judaism is the only religion I have, and the only one with which I feel comfortable."

Open letter:

"We, the undersigned members of the entertainment industry, are writing to express our support for Israel's continued inclusion in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

"We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

"October 7th was a day in which a music festival meant to celebrate life was attacked by Hamas and saw 364 innocent civilians killed, hundreds maimed and brutalized, over 40 festivalgoers taken hostage, and many raped.

"Israel is fighting a war against a European Union-designated terrorist group that once again broke a ceasefire that day, and then went on to slaughter over 1,200 people. This current round of fighting is not a war that Israel wanted or started. To punish Israel would be an inversion of justice.

"Israel also has a long and storied history in Eurovision. This includes winning the Contest in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018 and having a diverse group of contestants representing the country, including Palestinians, Ethiopians, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

"Israel then hosted the Contest in 1979, 1999, and 2019. In fact, Eurovision fans voted 'Dare To Dream,' the 64th Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, the best Eurovision production of the decade.

"Furthermore, we believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music.

"The annual Eurovision Song Contest embodies this unifying spirit. Every year, millions of people across Europe and around the world join in a massive display of cultural exchange and celebration of music.

"Those who are calling for Israel's exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.

"We support all of this year's contestants as well as your decision to reject the calls to expel Israel from the Contest. We are looking forward to a successful and exciting Eurovision 2024."