The Eilat Women’s Festival prides itself on celebrating women’s empowerment. Yet, its initial decision to feature Eyal Golan – a public figure linked to unresolved allegations of sexual misconduct – struck a discordant note.
The festival organizers canceled his performance on Tuesday after massive public backlash, including protests from women’s organizations and the withdrawal of prominent performers.
This was the correct decision; events centered on women’s empowerment must embody the values they seek to promote. Hosting a figure associated with such allegations risks alienating the very audience they aim to serve and undermining the safe space these events are meant to provide.
Shortly after the Women’s Festival had announced that Golan would be performing, women’s organizations demanded that it cancel his attendance. Performers Michal Tsafir and Yana Darom canceled their appearances in protest, too.
This is because Golan, until last year, was under investigation on suspicion of consensual illicit intercourse and luring minors to use drugs. This after his father de facto pimped underage girls to him, who allegedly told him that they were legal adults before engaging in sexual activities with the famed singer and with his father’s associates.
Two such victims were featured in a recent KAN 11 exposé interview in which they detailed the extent of the assault they allegedly underwent at the hands of Golan and his father.
Taisia Zamolowski, the main plaintiff in the case of sexual abuse of underage girls by Golan’s father, and plaintiff “N.” came forward to tell of how they were lured, as Golan’s fans, into committing sexual acts.
Golan’s father, Danny Biton, allegedly lured Zamolowski with promises of concerts and meetings with Golan, later coercing her into performing sexual acts and instructing her to lie about her age. She recounted a particularly harrowing experience at a party in Golan’s apartment, where she said both Golan and another well-known singer sexually assaulted her in a stairwell.
Biton allegedly used access to his son as a sort of bargaining chip with underage girls, in particular to coerce Zamolowski into performing sexual acts with his associates.
In 2022, Golan was investigated again on suspicion of solicitation for prostitution following the court testimonies of Zamolowski and “N.”
Golan, following the backlash and before he was pulled from the festival, denied knowledge of these crimes and said they were conducted without his awareness.
Golan has continued performing since the investigation against him and his father was opened, much to the chagrin of many women’s rights organizations. But there is a difference between filling up Hayarkon Park and performing at a women’s festival.
Should Eyal Golan be canceled?
That is not to say he should not be able to perform. After all, the court has yet to be able to charge him. The longstanding sexual assault case was officially closed by the Tel Aviv District Court in May 2023, as mentioned, due to lack of evidence.
The case was initially closed in February 2014 after the plaintiffs withdrew their accusations against him. Later, the complainants said the investigation was mishandled and the allegations against some of Golan’s friends were never investigated. The case was opened again in March 2021 with the same claims and police negligence.
“We were afraid to speak, and one of the symptoms of [sexual assault] victims is self-blame,” the victims said during an investigation into the case, colloquially referred to as the “Social Game,” in 2022. “But we did not forget. We repressed for many years. Now, after all these years, we are strong to tell it as it was: extreme brutal rape.”
While the court has yet to bring forward an accurate and complete conclusion to this case, women must feel safe and protected in the spaces intended for them.
Whether or not Golan committed a crime, the atmosphere surrounding him and his performances is tied to the allegations, and the nature of that atmosphere comes with him to all his shows as a result. That should have been taken into account by the Eilat Women’s Festival to begin with.