Rolling Stones Defy Boycott, Rock Israel

JERUSALEM, Israel – Rolling Stones fan or not, most Israelis appreciated the group’s decision to defy calls to boycott Israel and perform its first concert here.

Some 50,000 Israelis flocked to Tel Aviv Wednesday evening at the close of the Shavuot holiday to attend the Rolling Stones concert.
 
Lead Singer Mick Jagger, described by Arutz Sheva reporter Sara Miller as “a dynamic stage presence,” wooed the crowd by wishing Israel “Chag Shavuot sameach” (Happy Shavuot and introducing the group by its Hebrew name, “Ha’evanim Hamitgalgelot.”

The concert began as a record-breaking heat wave that enveloped Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Shavuot lifted. Miller noted how extraordinarily the aging musicians, “each hovering around the 70 mark, made it look effortless.” 

“Yes it was hot, and yes it was crowded, but I doubt any person standing in Yarkon Park on Wednesday night regretted being there,” Miller said.

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you can get to see the Rolling Stones,” she concluded.