Billy Joel Wears Yellow Star of David at New York Show Amid Rising Neo-Nazi Activity [View all]

[grossproffit]

Billy Joel made a strong statement against the growing neo-Nazi and white nationalism movement on Monday night, taking the stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden wearing a yellow Star of David.

The 68-year-old hitmaker, who was born to Jewish parents and describes himself as culturally Jewish, donned the patch on both the lapel and back of his suit blazer — a reference to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

It was a surprisingly political statement from Joel, who previously told Rolling Stone that he found being lectured about political views at a concert to be a turnoff.

Joel appears to have a change of heart as the neo-Nazi, alt-right movement has only gained more visibility — uniting much of the nation in outrage earlier this month after the tumultuous “Unite the Right”‘ rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia left one counter-protester dead.

Jews across Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe were forced to wear yellow stars or armbands signifying their faith and culture in the run-up to World War II. The public identification by the yellow star preceded mass-murder in Nazi concentration camps, which led to the deaths of six million Jews.

http://people.com/music/billy-joel-wears-yellow-star-of-david-at-new-york-show-amid-rising-neo-nazi-activity/