Volume 4 No 2 - Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

2012] THE EXCLUSION OF ISRAELI ACTORS 645Portia said that Shylock could have his pound of flesh but only if hecould extract it without spilling a drop of blood. The form of words inFraser v. UCU that would humiliate the plaintiff would be that while he isprotected from antisemitism by the Equality Act of 2010, hostility to Israelis not antisemitic.The day after the performance, one of the leading boycotters, BenWhite, tweeted a picture of the beautiful Jewish face of Howard Jacobson,an opponent of the exclusion of Israeli actors from London. White addedthe text: “If you need another reason to support a boycott of Habima, Ipresent a massive picture of Howard Jacobson’s face.”Confronted with this, it is hardly controversial to insist that “criticismof Israel” can sometimes be antisemitic. Let’s hope Ronnie’s judge does nottake advice from a contemporary Portia.*David Hirsh is a lecturer in sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London.