Fans booed singer David Raiman as he walked on stage at Ozzy Osbourne’s last gig - but this wasn’t antisemitism. It’s was the sound of metal fans in the know rejecting a longtime Israel lobby frontman.
This article outlines his support, looks at his response and questioned need to be asked about the “Creative Community for Peace” pro-Israel entertainment industry lobby.
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First published: 6 July 2025
Updated: 10 July 2025 (see version history)
Contents
End Papers
1. Introduction
I was watching Ozzy Osbourne’s mammoth swansong show yesterday a 10 hour globally livestreamed affair with multiple bands before the Prince of Darkness himself arrived on stage on a giant black throne - very similar to his 1989 album “No Rest for the Wicked”.
Earlier in the day a singer in an support band had walked out sporting a jewelled Star of David - and I was taken aback as the audience started booing him.
I was so surprised as I thought it was an unwarranted antisemitic attack on a man showing his Jewish pride on stage - not like he had on an Israeli flag or hostage lapel pin - but scratching the surface reveals a different story about this guy.
Very different.
2. “Not one virtue-signalling keffiyeh in sight”
Metal heads are not your flag-waving right on Glastonbury types - but at the same time they have eyes. And went out their way to boo his years of fanatical support for the IDF, propaganda trips to Israel and deeply unpleasant posts about Gazans.
This was from the heart of the black T-shirted crowd - without a “virtue signaling keffiyeh or Hamas-loving flag in sight” (I paraphrase your typical cynical pro-Israel critic).
David Draiman - frontman of the heavy metal band Disturbed - has been one of the principal mouthpieces of pro-Israel propaganda for years, leveraging (and no doubt enhancing) his platform in the entertainment industry to promote Israel and attack those who speak out against Israel.
But he’s so much more than that.
3. IDF connection
He notes that both his father and grandfather were IDF paratroopers and in 2022 said he would “support the IDF until I die”.
If his grandfather were in the IDF what around the late 40’s … then it would have been one of the predecessor terrorist organisations which committed untold atrocities themselves during the Nakba. Before being consolidated to today’s IDF.
In June 2024 Draiman flew to Israel to visit with the IDF with various photo opportunities. He actually signed a bomb bound for Gaza - an act preformed the previous month by Republican political Nikki Haley. Time magazine noted “anyone who signs a bomb is a sociopath”1.
Indeed.
4. Creative Community for Peace
Draiman is a spokesperson for the pro-Israel entertainment industry powerhouse lobby the “Creative Community for Peace” (CCFP). One of those fabulous pro-Israel generic names to slip under the radar of “neutrality, honest”.
The CCFP was started around 15 years ago by two record executives and is a thinly disguised lobby for Israel. Over the years they have formalised pro-Israel rhetoric in the music industry, is anti-BDS and actively persecutes artists speaking critically about Palestine.
They normalise the idea of occupation - one example that struck with me was hosting their annual swanky LA Gala Dinners - with wine served all the way from where… The Golan Heights!
In 2019 Draiman himself called Roger Waters and others speaking out against Israel “Nazi Comrades”2 as he was about to perform in. Tel Aviv with his band.
After October 7th the CCFP went into absolute overdrive with cancelling and silencing pro-Palestine voices and constantly ensuring that industry-types fell into line with supporting Israel.
Another story - another article in fact you can find here3.
5. Pro-Israel Platforming Activism
Draiman’s rhetorical support for Israel seems to have increased from 2021 - with a series of memes using his name and words from the CCFP on a number of pro-Israel topics.
He produced a statement rubbishing Human Rights organisations about their “lies about Israel” in 2022.
This would have been the year Amnesty International released their ground breaking report on Apartheid in Israel, in-line with an Israeli NGO B’Tselem’s findings previously4 never mind various other reports from Amnesty across the years.
And the Israeli Government didn’t like it - and as part of an overall campaign, Draiman made his statements.
If you think about it … what does a “creative community for peace” have in its remit to make political statements like that on NGO findings?!! And I’m sure the CCFP describes itself on their charity tax-free status paperwork as a “non-political charitable trust” ….. etc.
One worth looking at.
6. It’s not what you believe as an entertainer, it’s who you know…
More recently - there’s been “entertainment industry outrage” on a number of topics - in fact often led by none other than Ozzy’s entertainment royalty wife Sharon Osbourne.
This ranges from petitioning the BBC for anti-Israel bias (after cancelling FOUR Gaza documentaries… ?) and leading the ultimately successfully campaigns to censure and cancel pro-Palestine bands Kneecap and Bob Vylan.
Cancelled for speaking out.
Handy having all those contacts in the entertainment industry when you hear something you don’t like, eh?
7. Draiman - an inappropriate choice for Black Sabbath
It got me thinking - why the bloody hell is a war mongerer there in the first place??! After Sabbath wrote famous anti-war songs “War Pigs” and “Children of the Grave” (see APPENDIX A: Sabbath anti-war songs for lyrics).
In particular with the video segments in between the sets where a female guitarist from a local Birmingham band was interviewed. She talked to her inspiration from the song “War Pigs” which she first heard around the time of the Iraq War. Her family were from Iraq and she said the lyrics made her feel like people cared.
And later where Lamb of God covered “Children of the Grave” (“War Pigs” itself left of course to Black Sabbath to play at the end) the singer Randy Blythe gave impassioned words before launching into the song.
“We’re going to play a Black Sabbath song for you motherfuckers
The world is a crazy place
The world is a chaotic place
The world is a divisive place
But is was in 1971 when Geezer Butler wrote the lyrics for this song
This song my friends is a warning
And it is a command
To love yourself - and love your brothers and sisters
This song is called Children of the Grave”
So back to Draiman.
So including a guy on the roster who signed bombs bound for Gaza and posted a series of publicity shots with the IDF seems more than inappropriate….
But then Ozzy’s staunchly pro-Israel wife Sharon - a leading light in the “Creative Community for Peace” Hollywood lobby - I’m sure pushed Draiman as one of the CCFP’s principal spokespeople - who happens to be a heavy metal playing Israeli - onto the agenda.
The shame is - Ozzy as a 76 year old Parkinson’s sufferer with a brain addled and scrambled from drugs would most probably not be aware of the nuances, nor would Sharon bother him. So it was annoying when his name came up on the CCFP petition to accuse the BBC of antisemitism (hilarious when 4 banned Gaza documentaries, 100 journalists signing doc saying they were forced to take Israeli line later - it’s exactly opposite).
I think he was taken advantage of with the inclusion of Draiman.
8. The Gunners Dream
A musician who would have been more appropriate in the anti-war social justice ethos would be this guy - who wrote the song “The Gunners Dream” - which was read out in the United Nations chamber in 2012.
The song was written by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.
Even if his music were of the required heaviness for Ozzy’s show - no doubt Sharon would veto.
A place to stay
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears
And what’s more
No one ever disappears you never hear their standard issue
Kicking in your door.
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs, don’t blow holes, in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no one kills the children anymore
No one kills the children anymore.
“The Gunners Dream”, Pink Floyd 1983 Album “The Final Cut” (written Roger Waters)
Epilogue: Boycott Draiman’s band
The next day Draiman - who is described in the music press before his Ozzy performance as “cocky, arrogant, ego that fills the stage and difficult to like” - posted an in-character response to the boos on Instagram5.
A long post where he spent a long time talking about boo levels like Trump talking about ratings or numbers of people attending his rally. Pathetic.
His final post got me. The unconscionably collectivisation implication that he was being victimised because he was Jewish (he wasn’t).
This was my reply:
1. You rocked!☺️
2. Don't collectivise - there was no "jew" hatred - it was YOU for what you stand for - your religion is irrelevant
3. Specifically - your vile actions signing the bombs, vile posts on Gaza (including defending the ambulance attacks!) and others well before October 7th denying human rights abuse… come on man…
4. The boos were pretty clear on my livestream, but then you sound like Trump arguing over numbers
5. This =>
He was just tone deaf to the reasons.
Following his riposte - there were immediately calls to boycott Draiman and his band “Disturbed” - by simply setting your streaming music players to avoid the band when playing to not buying their music.
Noting his cocky call for ticket sales for his upcoming tour … a much more meaningful approach would be to not buy tickets for one.
I wouldn’t propose protesting his venues. The majority of metal fans wouldn’t give a shit - focused on the music - though notably the booing at the Ozzy gig showed he’d crossed the line with those in the know. Those not in the know fueled by beers and machismo and reading mainstream media narrative would probably “punch a hippy/terrorist”!
And focusing on the music - my first comment on his Insta did this as #1 - genuinely “you rocked! ☺️” . But I was in the know.
And his murderous support vastly overshadows the fact he can hold a tune.
Disturbed tour dates here: https://disturbed1.com/tour/
You know what to do.
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APPENDIX A: Sabbath anti-war songs
A.1 War Pigs
Album “Paranoid” 1970 (Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward)
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerer of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to Mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds...
Oh Lord yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'till their judgment day comes, yeah!
Now in darkness, world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of Judgment, God is calling
On their knees the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings...
Oh Lord, yeah!
A.2 Children of the Grave (1971)
Album Master of Reality” 1971 (Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward)
Revolution in their minds - the children start to march
Against the world which they have to live in
Oh! The hate that's in their hearts
They're tired of being pushed around and told just what to do
They'll fight the world until they've won and love comes flowing through, yeah!
Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sunrise of tomorrow bring in peace in any way?
Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?
Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear? Yeah!
So you children of the world, listen to what I say
If you want a better place to live in, spread the words today
Show the world that love is still the life you must embrace
Or you children of today are Children of the Grave, Yeah!
📚 Further Reading
Sleekit Scotsman ☮️🏴 Substack Related Articles with article summaries.
The Kid’s in the Picture: An overview of “The Hollywood Lobby” (first published 13 April 2024) - the pro-Israel Creative Community for Peace. One and the same as pro-Israel campus organisation “Stand with us”.
CCFP structure and agenda
Retribution for speaking out
Hollywood representation of Arab characters
Voices of reason speaking out
Redefining Hollywood D&I policy
🗄️ Version History - Article Updates
First published: 6 Jul 2025
Last Update: 10 Jul 2025
Sleekit Scotsman ☮️🏴 articles are updated periodically to add latest information on the subject of the article for relevance
Updates
10 July 2025: Reformatted to usual article style, added in Epilogue: Boycott Draiman’s band with Draiman’s response, boycott calls and review of Black Sabbath’s peace songs - why Draiman shouldn’t even have been there.
END PAPERS
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📋 References
Time Magazine May 29 2024 “‘Anyone Who Signs a Bomb Is a Sociopath’: Critics Slam Nikki Haley’s Israeli Missile Stunt“ - https://time.com/6983027/nikki-haley-criticized-israel-artillery-sign-finish-them/
Times of Israel 6 Jun 2019 “Rocker David Draiman slams Roger Waters, ‘Nazi comrades’ for Israel boycotting“ - https://www.timesofisrael.com/rocker-david-draiman-slams-waters-and-nazi-comrades-for-israel-boycotting/
Sleekit Scotsman “The Kid’s in the picture… if you’ll sign this open letter” (first published April 13 2024) -
https://sleekitscotsman.substack.com/p/the-kids-in-the-picture-if-you-sign
The Guardian - 2 Feb 2022 “Amnesty International calls Israel’s actions against Palestinians apartheid“ - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/01/amnesty-international-calls-israel-actions-against-palestinians-apartheid
David Draiman Insta 7 Jul 2025 -
