Jewish healer Sharon Tal reinstated to wellness festival after backlash over ‘cowardly’ ban

Organisers of Melbourne’s flagship wellness festival have backflipped on their decision to ban Jewish healer Sharon Tal from attending after a pro-Palestinian campaign labelled her a Zionist.

‘Soul alchemist’ Sharon Tal at her office in Caulfield on Tuesday. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

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Organisers of Melbourne’s flagship wellness festival have reversed their decision to ban Jewish “soul alchemist” Sharon Tal after copping fierce backlash and accusations of capitulating to anti-Semitic activists and violating their own principles of inclusion.

The backflip comes less than two days after The Australian revealed the MindBodySpirit Festival had dropped Ms Tal following an online smear campaign by pro-Palestinian activists that branded her a “Zionist” and falsely accused her of taking “part in a genocide”.

Ms Tal, a long-time participant of the festival, was abruptly removed from the event earlier this week after a self-described “psychic medium” activist, Talitha Mitchell, took issue with a reference to WIZO — the Women’s International Zionist Organisation — in Ms Tal’s professional bio.

On Thursday morning, a spokesperson from the MindBodySpirit Festival said they “sincerely regret” their prior decision to remove Ms Tal from the June program.

“After careful consideration and following consultation with venue and security personnel, we are pleased to be reinstating Sharon Tal as a participant in our upcoming Melbourne Festival program,” the spokesperson said.

“We greatly value our longstanding relationship with Sharon Tal and her significant contributions to our festivals, and we sincerely regret the distress caused by our prior decision to remove her from the program.”

Organisers insisted the original decision had not been based on Ms Tal’s religion, ethnicity or personal beliefs, but was made in response to “significant public reaction” and safety concerns. However, they conceded that the outcry had prompted a review.

“We are confident, however, that the security precautions we have in place will allow us to stage a safe, harmonious and respectful experience for our staff, exhibitors and Festival attendees.”

The decision to reinstate Ms Tal was made following direct pressure from the Opposition, senior Jewish leaders and civil rights groups who accused the organisers of discrimination and political “cowardice.”

Liberal senator Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, intervened directly on Wednesday by writing to Exhibition and Events Australia managing director Jane Ford to condemn what he called an “appalling” decision to exclude Ms Tal.

Liberal senator Dave Sharma intervened directly, calling the axing of Sharon Tal ‘appalling’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“If activists have made threats regarding the presence of Ms Tal, then such threats should be addressed directly and rebuffed, if necessary with the involvement of law enforcement,” Mr Sharma wrote.

“Capitulation to such threats is an immoral and potentially unlawful course of action.”

Speaking to The Australian following the backflip, Mr Sharma welcomed the decision but warned that it should never have come to this.

“I am pleased that Exhibitions & Events Australia has now come to its senses and reversed an appalling decision. As I wrote to Ms Ford yesterday, the decision to exclude Ms Tal on the basis of her Jewish identity was clearly discriminatory in nature,” he said.

“EEA should never have given any comfort whatsoever to the activists, but I am glad they have now seen sense.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said reinstating Ms Tal was a win for “common sense”.

“It would have been difficult to escape the conclusion that Ms Tal had been discriminated against simply for being Jewish and participating in the life of the Australian Jewish community,” Mr Wertheim said.

“By initially bowing to an orchestrated smear campaign, the Festival organisers behaved cravenly and made a mockery of their own values of diversity and inclusion.

“By reinstating Ms Tal to the event, the festival organisers have redeemed themselves, and we commend them for this welcome, if belated, victory for fairness and common sense.”

Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dvir Abramovich said the festival organisers should not be applauded for reversing a decision they never should have made.

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich. Picture: Josie Hayden

He accused them of acting out of convenience, describing the reinstatement as a response to public pressure rather than a genuine commitment to fairness.

“The MindBodySpirit Festival didn’t do the right thing. They did the convenient thing,” Dr Abramovich said.

“After days of silence, of cowardice, of letting a Jewish woman be publicly humiliated and cast out for her identity, they’ve now reinstated Sharon Tal not out of conviction, but because they were caught red-handed.

“We are relieved that Sharon will return to the festival — but we will not thank the people who tried to erase her. You don’t get applause for cleaning up the mess you created. You get held accountable.”