Robbie Williams thinks Israel is “f****** amazing”

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Robbie Williams thinks Israel is "f****** amazing"
https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/robbie-williams-thinks-israel-is-f-amazing/

"I speak to a lot of my fans on my website and the question 'Where are you most excited to play?' comes up a lot. I always say Israel."

These were the words of Robbie Williams ahead of his first concert in Israel in 2015. And when the interviewer followed up with a withering, "Really, but why?" Robbie just kept going. "Because I am genuinely excited to go there. The people, the place and the history – there is an unspoken energy coming from the place."

Every supportive word was another jarring slap in the face of a BDS supporter – and there were many who were opposed to his visit to the Jewish state. On social media and in column inches they reminded the entertainer that he was a UK UNICEF children's ambassador and that, as such, by appearing in Israel would 'normalise settler colonialism, war crimes... and apartheid?'.

Robbie took his dad Robert to Israel last time
But Williams verbally shrugged off the calls to stay away: "I have pressure from people not to appear in Blackpool. And I'm sure if enough people got together, they could start a petition demanding that they don't want me to perform anywhere, ever. Because I offend their sensibilities."

He certainly offended the sensibilities of Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, who unsurpris- ingly was one of his most strident critics. But it was Waters off a duck's back as far as the former Take That star was concerned when he touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport on 30 April in his private Boeing jet, later telling his adoring 40,000 crowd: "Israel is f***ing amazing."

And now, after infuriating the baying activists nine years ago, Robbie is fearlessly returning to Israel.On1 June, he is the big name at the Summer in the City festival at Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park.

Robbie and Sam Smith will perform at Hayarkon Park
Supported by the lesser- known Martin Garrix, a Dutch DJ and record producer, and Calum Scott, an English singer/ songwriter who rose to prominence on Britain's Got Talent, Robbie arrives in Israel lit by the success of his most recent XXV album, which earned him a new record for a solo artist – 13 of Williams' albums reached the top of the British album charts. This won't please the detractors who don't want him
to be a Holy Land headliner, but Robbie has pushed ahead, even paving the way for his arrival by dropping nuggets of Jewish connection and affiliation.

This started a few months ago when he was a guest on the podcast Andrew Gold: On the edge and took interest in the host's surname. "Gold? That's a Jewish name isn't it?" said Robbie. "It is," replied Gold. "My children are Jewish," replied Robbie , which is the case for Theodora Rose (Teddy), 11, Charlton Valentine (Charlie), nine, Colette Josephine (Coco), five, and Beau Benedict Enthoven, who was three in December, because their mother, Robbie's wife Ayda Field, is Turkish-Jewish.

More than that, as Robbie revealed, the family celebrate Jewish chagim and, despite not celebrating Passover this year because of his touring, the Williams clan went big on Chanukah in a show of solidarity "against Kanye West".

Julia Haart's, My Unorthodox Life which Robbie thinks is crazy
Robbie has also enjoyed watching Netflix's My Unorthodox Life – "It is crazy" – the reality series which documents the world of former strictly orthodox Jewish woman Julia Haart, but it was in the Israeli paper Hayom that he really spilled the schmaltz by admit- ting that he was put off converting to Judaism because of a need for circumcision.

The thought of the op was enough for him to settle on "just identifying myself as a Jew. I am a Catholic who has distanced himself from religion, and Ayda is a Jew who has distanced herself from religion – but it is important that we have a tribe. It's important to have a sense of belonging. I feel more Jewish than I feel Catholic."

As Robbie's dad, Robert accompanied his son and the grandchildren on his last visit to Israel. The shekel has probably dropped regarding Robbie's new-found allegiance to the faith but there was no room for doubt last month when the star said: "If someone says Israel, I think of the land of my beloved's ancestors. I get criticisms about performing there, but they don't interest me and come from people who don't matter to me. On this next visit I want to do an even better performance than the last one. It's very important to me to impress the Israeli audience."