David Reeb's 1997 painting removed from Ramat Gan Museum after political controversy

David Reeb's 1997 painting 'Jerusalem' was removed from the Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art following criticism from local politicians. The work, part of the group exhibition 'The Institution – the Museum and Israelism' at the recently reopened museum, features four panels. Two show a Haredi man praying at the Western Wall, one references Naomi Shemer's 1967 song 'Jerusalem of Gold,' and the final panel states 'Jerusalem is Shit.' Carmel Shama-Hacohen, mayor of Ramat Gan and a member of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, called the painting an insult and objected to public funding supporting such language. Reeb explained to Haaretz that the work critiques the sentimentalization of prayer and the song as tools for land appropriation since 1967. After Reeb filed a complaint with support from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, a Tel Aviv court upheld the museum board's decision. The artist now plans to withdraw his other works from the exhibition, a move other participants intend to follow.