Grammy-nominated singer Regina Spektor effortlessly silenced pro‑Palestine protesters with a sharp yet nuanced response at her concert in Portland, Oregon.
Multiple loud hecklers attempted to hijack Spektor’s concert on Saturday by spouting pro-Palestinian talking points. However, the Russian-American singer-songwriter calmly and effectively shut down the feeble attempts to derail her music show.
‘This is not an internet comment section. I know that you are mistaking my show for a YouTube video.’
The Jerusalem Post reported that the political outbursts erupted 10 songs into Spektor’s concert at the Revolution Hall in Portland.
Someone in the crowd screamed, “Free f**king Palestine!”
Video of the incident shows another concertgoer yelling, “Free, free Palestine! Say it! Say it!”
The disturbance caused Spektor to halt her performance.
Spektor responded by saying, “You’re just yelling at a Jew.”
“I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing,” Spektor told the audience, according to Fox News.
The audience began to clap in favor of Spektor.
Spektor added, “I really appreciate the security.”
Spektor noted, “We had a really hard time last night when I said, ‘Shalom aleichem,'” which is a Hebrew phrase that means “peace be unto you.”
Some concertgoers shouted, “Am Yisrael Chai,” which translates to “the people of Israel live.”
RELATED: Macklemore leads ‘F*** America!’ chant at pro-Palestinian concert
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
The lights at the venue turned on to locate the hecklers, and Spektor asked, “Where are you?”
“I thought this was different than the internet,” Spektor said. “This is real life.”
After another outburst, Spektor retorted, “You can leave the show if you want. This is not an internet comment section. I know that you are mistaking my show for a YouTube video.”
However, another pro-Palestinian heckler reignited the debate by saying, “I’m watching dying children. That hurts.”
“I think you should go because this is not the place for that conversation. I’m a real person who came here to play music. If anybody wants to walk out, this is your chance. Does anybody else want to take a walk? You can,” the singer said, according to the music blog Stereogum.
A handful of audience members are seen leaving the music venue.
Spektor — a Jewish woman who immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet Union when she was a child — informed the audience, “The only reason I even speak English is because I came here to escape this s**t. I only speak English because I came from a country where people treated Jews as othered, and I’m being othered here, and it sucks.”
She continued, “It would be nice if one of my family’s generation didn’t have to go to a new country and learn a new language.”
A majority of the crowd was overwhelmingly supportive of Spektor.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc for Superfly Presents
Shortly after the October 7 massacre of Jews by Hamas terrorists, Spektor voiced her support for the people of Israel.
“I will not be indifferent to the suffering of Jews and Palestinians… I will keep hope and peace within myself and send love towards you… Am Yisrael Chai,” Spektor wrote on Instagram in October 2023.
According to Fox News, Spektor also stated, “My tears are endless but my heart has enough room… Room for murdered, raped, and kidnapped innocent Jews. Room for bombed innocent Palestinians suffering and dying in Gaza. Fury at Hamas whose mission is exterminating Jews while hiding behind Palestinian human shields.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Spektor said of the massacre, “If you’ve devalued Jewish life so much that mourning murdered Jewish children at a festival, raped women, and the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust has offended you — leave.”
The singer criticized the Israeli government while defending the nation and its citizens.
“Israeli government is NOT its people, like any other government on earth,” she stated. “Netanyahu does NOT speak for all Israelis, or all Jews living across the world.”
“In the Middle East, Israel is the ONLY democracy with a chance to vote/protest/change its government,” Spektor continued. “The ONLY land where LGBTQ people are able to live safely. The ONLY land which doesn’t mandate women’s dress or behavior.”
On the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, Spektor performed at a pro-Israel gathering in New York City.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
