“Are you afraid to hear this, Germany?” the photographer asked in her fiery speech, which drew support from the crowd but criticism from some German cultural leaders. American photographer and activist used the opening of her exhibition in Berlin to deliver a powerful condemnation of Israel’s assault on Gaza. Speaking at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin on Friday, the 71-year-old artist described her retrospective show “This Will Not End Well” as a platform to express her "moral outrage" over what she described as "genocide in Gaza and Lebanon".
Her comments came a day after the International Criminal Court in The Hague for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Goldin, who is of Jewish descent, recalled her family’s history, saying: “My grandparents escaped pogroms in Russia. I was brought up knowing about the Nazi Holocaust.
What I see in Gaza reminds me of the pogroms that my grandparents escaped.” During her speech, she emphasised the importance of distinguishing between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, warning against the conflation of the terms. She also addressed the treatment of artists and others who have voiced strong criticism of Israel, noting how some have had their or faced other repercussions.
"Never again means never again for everyone," Goldin added, referencing the vow to prevent genocides like the Holocaust from happening agai.