During his performance Sunday evening in Warsaw, Israeli singer David D’Or was doused with red paint by a pro-Palestinian protester who was quickly removed from the venue.
“It was very sad,” D’Or said after the incident. “This was a performance at a wonderful Jewish festival, and I was on stage with the Philharmonic Orchestra. I closed my eyes and prayed, and suddenly, in the middle of ‘Avinu Malkeinu,’ when I told the audience, ‘Let’s pray together for world peace and better days ahead,’ I felt a cold rush across my face.”
The incident in Poland, Warsaw
The protester, carrying a Palestinian flag, attempted to climb onto the stage and shouted, “Free Palestine,” while covering D’Or’s clothes with red paint. “I opened my eyes and saw red everywhere—on the setlist, on songs like ‘Ana Bekoach,’ ‘Shema Yisrael,’ and ‘Shmor Al HaOlam Yeled.’ It threw me into harsh visions, even though I knew it wasn’t real blood. It reminded me of what happened on October 7,” he said.
D’Or described the moment as extremely difficult. “The audience was clearly frightened. I tried to calm them, asking everyone to sing and pray together. Fortunately, my pianist, Ya’ad, played a protective melody while I sang, and we embraced the situation. There was some catharsis in the end. The orchestra’s female members were terrified, their elegant dresses stained red, looking like blood. It was not easy, very sad—I hope better days come.”
