Cape Town – Some Jewish South Africans have voiced their dissatisfaction at the fact that the Johannesburg leg of the Coldplay tour will fall on Yom Kippur.
Disgruntled fans immediately took to Twitter after the announcement of the tour dates to voice their opinions over the plan to stage the concert on the particular date.
Prominent tweeter Mandy Wiener wrote: "The Joburg #Coldplay concert is on the most religious Jewish holiday of the year, Yom Kippur. So no jews can go. Outrageous. @BigConcerts"
Another Jewish fan, who tweets as @sashaberkowitz also tweeted: "The Coldplay concert in Joburg is on Yom Kippur. Out of all the days of the year, they just had to choose that one! #JewishPain"
Regrettable but unavoidable
Tour publicist Penny Stein said that it was regrettable that the concert fell on that particular day, but that it was unavoidable due to the band's international travel schedule.
"Unfortunately it's a case of the band coming from one place and moving to another, and the scheduling was unavoidable. With an artist the size of Coldplay, the dates are set in stone months and months in advance from their touring schedule, and there was nothing that could be done to move them." she said.
Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement, is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. Jews traditionally observe this day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.
Disgruntled fans immediately took to Twitter after the announcement of the tour dates to voice their opinions over the plan to stage the concert on the particular date.
Prominent tweeter Mandy Wiener wrote: "The Joburg #Coldplay concert is on the most religious Jewish holiday of the year, Yom Kippur. So no jews can go. Outrageous. @BigConcerts"
Another Jewish fan, who tweets as @sashaberkowitz also tweeted: "The Coldplay concert in Joburg is on Yom Kippur. Out of all the days of the year, they just had to choose that one! #JewishPain"
Regrettable but unavoidable
Tour publicist Penny Stein said that it was regrettable that the concert fell on that particular day, but that it was unavoidable due to the band's international travel schedule.
"Unfortunately it's a case of the band coming from one place and moving to another, and the scheduling was unavoidable. With an artist the size of Coldplay, the dates are set in stone months and months in advance from their touring schedule, and there was nothing that could be done to move them." she said.
Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement, is one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. Jews traditionally observe this day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.