A demonstration initiated by 17 members of the Writers Against the War on Gaza against an art exhibition at New York's Jewish Museum was held last Feb. 12 in light of what the group calls "imperial propaganda."

The exhibition showcased Israeli artist Zoya Cherkassky's artworks with themes surrounding the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which self-named "anti-Zionist Jews" alleged was the New York institution's attempt to "manufacture consent for genocide." 

WAWOG's Interruption of Zoya Cherkassky's Art Show

In an Instagram video posted by the WAWOG group itself, the protesters can be heard saying in unison: "As cultural workers, as anti-Zionist Jews of conscience, as New York City residents, we implore you to confront the reality."

Further in the video, a scene of struggle is seen as security guards toil to remove the demonstrators away from the venue during their repeating chants, which received a vitriolic response from the audience that was present at the show.

Some individuals at the event can even be heard shouting "antisemite" at the WAWOG activists in the footage, with others getting more physical by snatching and tearing flyers that the protestors were holding. 

Said flyers depict a caricature of an artist in the middle of "illustrating" a missile head. The cartoon itself was dubbed "The Zionist Artist at Work." 

Behind the illustration, a written statement from the group denouncing the institution's decisions can be read, further alleging the Jewish Museum's role in perpetuating "Zionist tropes and Israel Occupation Forces propaganda upon which the current genocide of Palestinians hinges." 

Cherkassky's exhibition itself started allowing public visitations last December and is planned to run until the second or third week of March. It features a dozen works on paper from the artist's "October 7 2023" series, all of which depict the results of Hamas' attack on Gaza.

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