For many, it was to be a respite. An escape. A place to unwind and be among nature, music, dance, yoga – a sanctuary of sorts. A safe space. The website promised an experience based on inclusivity. This promise was undoubtedly fulfilled for many Woodford Folk Festival goers, unless, of course, you were Israeli or Jewish.

Israeli backpackers flocked to Woodford keen to, at least temporarily, leave the massacre of October 7 behind them.

‘We came because we heard that it’s an amazing festival,’ said Ami, a young Israeli.

‘I went with a friend whose boyfriend was kidnapped and then killed in Gaza. Our goal was to clear our minds and leave the city – be in nature. Instead, the experience turned out to be very triggering.

‘The people there had no idea what they’re talking about. One girl on stage in shorts was holding an Aboriginal and Palestinian flag, yet if she dressed like that in Gaza she would be shot straight away.’

And for local Jewish residents, the experience was not much different.

‘As a person who’s been going to Woodford since my early teens, I’ve always found it a place of refuge and I felt safe. Each time I’d go to Woodford it felt like coming home,’ said Penny. ‘Yet this year was different. It was filled with extremely distressing experiences. It was disheartening to see casual one-sided references to the war in an inflammatory way.’

And then there’s Hagar, who has been travelling in Australia for close to a year. She is a Nova festival goer and has many friends who lost their lives on October 7, as well as friends who have fallen while serving in the army in this current war. The Nova music festival is where more than 350 young Israelis were murdered. Others were raped, tortured, or kidnapped and taken into Gaza. Some are still being kept hostage.

It was the first time, she said, during her travels in Australia that she had encountered such anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish sentiments from the other people in attendance.

‘The people they [the protestors] are supporting killed my friends and reminded me of the horrible events of October 7,’ Hagar said.

‘It [Woodford] is not an experience which I will remember as being good, [with some festival goers] supporting murder and rape in a modern society and it felt like our side wasn’t heard or given a chance to tell our story.’

The Woodford Folk Festival near the eponymous South East Queensland town has been and gone for another year. The festival is held annually over six days and six nights, following Christmas through to New Year’s Day. More than 2,000 local, national, and international, artists, musicians, and presenters put on over 500 acts. Around 125,000 people flock annually from around the globe to the event. The festival is run as a non-profit organisation supported by corporate sponsors as well as receiving state and federal government sponsorship. The festival organisers tout the event as a festival ‘based on a vision of inclusive and creative community and culture…’ and ‘…kindness, empathy, goodwill and generosity are collectively extended to all’.

For a certain minority, this year’s festival was anything but ‘inclusive’ or filled with ‘kindness, empathy, and goodwill’. Instead, it was marred by pro-Palestinian supporters high-jacking the festival, turning the event into mass political grandstanding.

‘I’m a regular attendee at Woodford Folk Festival and have worked there multiple times,’ said Imogene, who is neither Jewish nor Israeli.

‘This festival holds a very special place in my heart and is definitely considered to be one of my favourite festivals in Australia. However, I was really disappointed this year by the insensitivity towards the large Israeli and Jewish community who have supported this festival for many, many years.

‘I understand that this art and musical festival always has a hint of politics, however, this year’s festival was heartless and very inappropriate. It was incredibly unfair towards the Jewish community to have people protesting about Gaza and Palestine with signs like ‘From the river to the sea Palestine will be free’ during such a sensitive time. In festivals you should feel a sense of belonging, instead people were parading the extinction of Israel with no real understanding of the depth of their words. There were groups of people gathering at the village green with flags, and posters, and wearing Keffiyeh (which is culturally inappropriate in itself), and then parading these around the festival. People even put ‘Free Palestine’ stickers on Israeli food trucks and signs. Can you feel the suffocation? Musicians and artists praying for the people in Gaza with no remorse or prayers towards Israelis who are sitting right in front of them. It was absolutely heartbreaking!’

Imogene shared that throughout the festival her Jewish friends came up to her in tears and shared how unsafe they felt – in a festival that should be bringing nothing but love and light, she said.

‘After the horrific events that happened on October 7, in particular at the Nova festival, you can imagine the hurdle Israelis and all affected had to overcome to even bring themselves to this festival, to then feel suffocated, unsafe, and to be reminded of these events by people dressing up like the ones who brought this terror in the first place.

‘While I love this festival and all that goes into it, I was very disappointed and disheartened by the large number of beautiful people who were torn apart from all of this – including me.’

Israeli-born Australian Sivan attended the Woodford Folk Festival with her two children, aged 6 and 9. Sivan had never been to Woodford and was looking forward to spending the day at a festival that she thought would be a peaceful, welcoming, and inclusive environment. As a Jewish Israeli, what she experienced was quite the opposite. She felt unsafe, not welcome, and her children felt scared, threatened, and fearful from what they experienced.

Sivan’s best friend, Danielle, lived on Kibbutz Oz – one of the kibbutzim massacred on October 7. The parents of Sivan’s friends, Orly and David, were both gruesomely murdered by Hamas. What makes these slayings particularly grotesque is that the terrorists filmed the murder and sent the footage of this horrific act to their daughter, Danielle. Sadly, this experience is not unique to Sivan. Many Queenslanders have a close connection to the horrors of October 7.

As Sivan strolled around the Woodford grounds, she encountered a group of Palestinian protestors sporting Palestinian flags and signs. The group chanted ‘Free, free Palestine’ and ‘Genocide’. She asked this group whether they knew what had happened on October 7.

They did not respond and avoided engaging in conversation with her. She asked again. No response. She then asked them to close their eyes and imagine terrorists breaking into their houses, murdering families, slaughtering babies. One of the protestors responded with: ‘That never happened.’

Sivan said her children were left extremely scared after the encounter. Sivan said she came to the festival to enjoy the shows, the workshops, the music, and dancing: the putative community spirit of the festival. Yet the reality of the festival was anything but enjoyable. A little later, she was confronted by yet another protest.

Jewish friends of Sivan had flown up from Melbourne with their daughter to attend the festival. They had paid for two days but after the first day did not feel comfortable returning to the overtly anti-Israel environment.

An Israeli backpacker, while watching a performance, was confronted by a Palestinian flag and a mentioning of all ‘the murders in Gaza’ during the show. Another Israeli backpacker went to order some food from an Israeli food truck. A sticker had allegedly been stuck to the van: ‘Warning: Do not buy this product. Supports Israel. A country that is exceedingly violating international law, the 4th Geneva Convention, and fundamental human rights. Stand up for human rights. Boycott Israel until it respects international law. #BDS.’ Not only is this incorrect, as many international law experts will confirm, but one has to ask what a locally owned/run business has to do with Israel? Just like every other Aussie, they were there to enjoy the festival and, hopefully, make a quid while they’re at it, not to be subjected to boycotts and acts of antisemitism. The IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Association) defines what constitutes antisemitism, including: holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

Prior to the start, both Israelis and Jews had shared their concerns with Woodford management. According to them, these concerns were allegedly met with justifications of free speech. Festival organisers provided assurances that they would respond quickly and decisively to any incitement of hatred.

The Woodford Folk Festival is a partly state and federal sponsored event and as such ought to be wholly exempt from politics and expressions of controversial opinions. Furthermore, it runs directly counter to Woodford’s stated aim of ‘love’ and ‘coming together as humans’ etc. etc. It is indeed incumbent upon the festival organisers to ensure that no festival goer is offended, but is instead able to enjoy the music, dance, art, the natural environment, and workshops.

‘I left Israel 2 months after the war started,’ Yasmin says. ‘In the first 2 months, I have not experienced any negativity from people here, even the opposite, people whom I interacted with were very supportive and understanding in conversations when I told them I am from Israel.

‘During the Woodford Festival, I was exposed to the most Palestinian and pro-Palestinian content so far in my trip. On the first day, there were Palestinian flags on the main stage at an event, which made me feel very uneasy and unsafe. They then set up a stand with their propaganda. It was the opposite to feeling welcome and at home; it was very uncomfortable. We tried to talk to the management about our feelings to no avail.

‘We talked to the police about how this makes us feel but they informed us that this was authorised by the management.

‘People at the festival asked me why don’t I go to another country and live there? What they don’t understand is the connection we have to our country, our land. It is where I live, where my cultural heritage is.

‘In my eyes that flag [Palestinian] is a symbol of Israeli annihilation, which was attempted on October 7. When I see that flag I feel my life is in danger. I did not enjoy this festival. I would have liked to have something to represent how we feel and what the Israeli side has been through. It felt like very one-sided opinions and views.’

One Israeli backpacker summed up the general sentiment: ‘If I knew it would be such an anti-Israel festival I would never have gone. I thought it was supposed to be a peaceful, welcoming festival. I came to escape – to experience positive, good vibes and be among nature – to have a good time. Yet it felt violent, aggressive, toxic.’

In my opinion, the organisers of the Woodford Folk Festival have failed miserably in their mission, vision, and values of inclusivity, kindness, empathy, goodwill, and generosity collectively extended to all. They have allowed what is one of the great festivals of ‘human connection and love’ on the annual calendar to descend into something else entirely.

‘It was the first time I felt unwanted and rejected because I am Israeli,’ Amit said. ‘I felt minimised – like someone is pointing a finger at me because of where I am from.’

I wonder if this was the experience event sponsors had hoped for…