How can the pro-Israel community support more Boy Georges?

​It has been around two weeks since Boy George released his song “We Will Dance Again,” and already, much of the media and social media have stopped talking about it. But the fallout from the pro-Israel song raises a larger question: What can Israel and the Jewish community do to better support celebrities who stand with them, and encourage others to do the same?​

Boy George called the partially AI-generated song a call for peace in a statement carried by British and Jewish media. The song shares a title with a 2024 documentary about the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival in Israel.

​Just days after releasing the song, Boy George withdrew from appearing as King Herod in the upcoming London revival of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar

​His manager, Paul Kemsley, announced Boy George’s withdrawal from the role on Instagram, saying that the artist “has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions” and that the team “felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus, while ensuring everyone involved can move forward with mutual respect and goodwill.”

​Boy George also parted ways with Tony Pontius, the longtime manager of his independent record label, BGP (Boy George Presents), who had said he wanted nothing to do with the song. Both developments could potentially carry professional or financial consequences for the singer.

​“Due to my decision to stand up for my Jewish friends, I am losing a few people from my life,” George wrote on 𝕏. Regarding Pontius, he said, “I wanted to release ‘We Will Dance Again’ but he was unequivocal and said ‘I want nothing to do with this song’ and I responded ‘ok, we are done.’”

​The question is what the Jewish and pro-Israel communities could do differently to support better stars who stand beside them, and how Israel and the Jewish community could encourage more people to do what Boy George did and make those voices more effective.

ALL ISRAEL NEWS put those questions to “digital warrior” Rachel Lester, a former member of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit and author of a book on how Israel can better fight media bias on social networks. She said that, for starters, the same pro-Israel organizations that embark on letter-writing campaigns and petitions against people who make anti-Israel statements or decisions could launch similar campaigns in support of people like Boy George.

​“Pro-Israel organizations could organize a thank-you petition and ask people to sign their name and email to thank Boy George for his contribution to the pro-Israel world,” Lester said.

​At the same time, she noted that the Foreign Ministry should be doing more outreach to celebrities like Boy George, and even more so to younger celebrities.

​“Bringing more people to Israel and taking them on delegations where they see Israel from an insider’s point of view” can make a big difference, Lester noted. She said these trips should be less about posting on social media in real time and more about giving celebrities a chance to experience the country and its people, and then return home and create their own art or music on their own time.

​“I would love to see a campaign of taking celebrities through the Nova Festival exhibits and having them meet with survivors and former hostages,” Lester continued. “More personal one-on-one interactions and less trying to throw everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.”

​She also said that every celebrity brought to Israel should receive training about the backlash they might face, as well as how best to handle it and rebut false accusations against Israel and the Jewish people.

George was inspired to write his song after visiting a Nova music festival exhibition in London and talking to Michael and Lisa Marlowe, whose son Jake, a British-Israeli musician, was murdered at the festival.

“The Nova Festival is a mirror of my world as a DJ, and I have played many such festivals, including in Israel, so it resonated with me, and I felt compelled to write something,” Boy George was widely quoted as saying. “I could have been there, and we know that there were people from more than 40 countries who were. I felt these deep emotions, and I wrote this song for them.”

​He also expressed dismay that more people did not join him.

​“Look around and tell me one musician speaking out for the Jewish community, but you can absolutely guarantee they have made their living from working with a Jewish team member,” Boy George also said.

​Lester noted that people in the pro-Israel community should try to share the song widely and more than once, including on their stories and directly with family members and friends. They should also make their own videos talking about the song, post them and encourage others to watch and listen.

​Separately, she said they should make an effort to write positive comments whenever they see a post about the song to help drown out anti-Israel and other negative responses.

​While some of these actions may seem obvious or even small, Lester said these little moves can go a long way. For a Jewish and pro-Israel community that has been battered on social media, especially since Oct. 7, 2023, every positive voice matters. And when someone like Boy George is willing to use his voice despite the potential cost, Lester’s message is simple: That voice should be supported, amplified and passed along.​