Protesters Demonstrate at MoMA During World Jewish Congress Gala Event
**Protest at MoMA: Tensions Over World Jewish Congress Event**
On the evening of November 12, 2024, a protest erupted outside the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City as the institution hosted the World Jewish Congress’s (WJC) Theodor Herzl Award Dinner. The event, named in honor of the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, was met with vocal opposition from pro-Palestinian advocates, drawing renewed scrutiny to MoMA’s association with trustees and high-profile donors linked to contentious political and human rights issues.
### The Source of Tension: Protesters and MoMA’s Associations
Approximately 40 demonstrators gathered outside MoMA’s 53rd Street entrance, in an action organized by multiple advocacy groups, including Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG) and Within Our Lifetime. They aimed to protest MoMA Honorary Board Chair Ronald Lauder, who is also president of the World Jewish Congress. Demonstrators expressed their concern over Lauder’s involvement with political groups that support Israel in its ongoing conflict with Palestine.
This protest was not the first time MoMA’s trustees and financial backers have been targeted for their connections to controversial issues. In 2021, a series of demonstrations under the banner “Strike MoMA” brought sustained criticism to the museum’s institutional ties to figures such as BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and financier Leon Black. Black, who was embroiled in controversies surrounding his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, eventually resigned as the museum’s board chairman, though he continues to be a trustee.
During the rally on November 12, protesters held signs reading messages such as “MoMA Trustees Fund Genocide, Apartheid, and Settler Colonialism” and chanted slogans like “Free Palestine” and “No Justice, No Peace.” The protesters called for a severance of ties between MoMA and donors whose activities, they argue, perpetuate violence and human rights violations, particularly in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
### Key Events: Confrontations and Arrest
The demonstration took several tense turns. Before the protest began, New York City police had already barricaded the museum’s entrances as a precautionary measure. At one point, a woman wearing an Israeli flag mingled briefly with the protestors before being removed by the police. An altercation later broke out between a suited man and a protester wearing a Palestinian *keffiyeh*, a traditional symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance. According to eyewitnesses, the suited man reportedly yanked the *keffiyeh* off the protester before being escorted into the museum by police.
One of the more notable outcomes of the protest was the brief detainment of WAWOG organizer Sarah Nicole Prickett. She was stopped by police as she crossed the street between separate groups of protesters and was taken into custody for disorderly conduct. After being issued a summons, she was released later in the evening. Prickett commented to *Hyperallergic*, an independent art news publication, saying, “The least we can do is disorder things,” referring to disrupting institutional complacency and what she described as MoMA’s indirect support of controversial political organizations like the World Jewish Congress.
### The World Jewish Congress and the Theodor Herzl Award
The event was primarily organized by the World Jewish Congress, which functions as a global federation advocating for Jewish communities. The WJC has long supported Zionist causes, such as the establishment of a national home for Jewish people in Palestine, and has held a staunch pro-Israel stance in the current geopolitical context. This stance has drawn criticism, particularly from groups questioning Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza. The WJC has formally rejected recent reports presented to the United Nations, which allege that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide.
This year, the WJC awarded U.S. diplomat Jon Huntsman Jr. with the prestigious Theodor Herzl Award, recognizing him as a “devoted friend of Israel and the Jewish people.” Additionally, Tal Huber, an Israeli designer known for creating the “Kidnapped” posters in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2024, attacks, received honors for advancing Jewish culture.
### MoMA’s Role Under Scrutiny
While art and culture represent the official purpose of MoMA’s existence, the museum’s involvement with high-powered trustees, many of whom sit amidst larger political and economic spheres, continues to place the institution at the center of ongoing debates about moral and social responsibility.
Protesters like Bobuq Sayed, representing the Afghan diaspora in New York, voiced their concern over institutional priorities, noting that museums like MoMA should stand with cultural workers rather than rely on financing from what they described as “billionaire benefactors” implicated in militarism, environmental degradation, and political conflicts. Liv Senghor, a representative for environmental group Planet Over Profit, echoed this sentiment, stressing how the