Former Premier Golda Meir said today that she fully supported the decision by Israel’s Ambassador to South Africa, Itzhak Onna, to boycott the premier performance in Pretoria of the play, “Golda” because Blacks and Coloreds are barred from the theater. “Golda,” a dramatization of Mrs. Meir’s life, played on Broadway last year with actress Anne Bancroft in the title role.
Meir’s secretary, Lou Kedar, said the former Premier never imagined that a play based on her career would not be open to people of all races and religions. However, she can do little about it because the production rights are owned by the American Theater Guild.
It was learned that the Israeli director, Leonard Shach, who is a former South African, sought Meir’s blessings for the South African version of the play. She expressed hope that it would be shown to a mixed audience and Shach said he believed that was the intention of the producers. However, the producers decided to open the play in an exclusive auditorium that does not admit Blacks or Coloreds.
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