Jerusalemites photos cancelled by Indian Festival

Israeli photographer Sharon Gabay was delighted to receive an official email on 18 September reading “Congratulations! Your Work is Selected for Indian Photo Festival 2026.”

The message told Gabay that his diverse photos of Jerusalemites of every religion and background would be displayed in the annual photography festival in Hyderabad.

But later that day when he looked for his name on the official selection, Gabay found himself strangely absent.

He wrote to the organisers, who told him that his work had been selected by the judging committee but removed due to “the circumstances surrounding this year’s exhibition”.

“Following the selection, certain concerns were brought to the festival’s attention regarding the inclusion and after careful consideration of these concerns and the broader context in which the festival operates, we have decided that it would not be appropriate to proceed with the exhibition in this edition.

“We would like to emphasis that this decision is separate from the artistic evaluation of your work and is not a reflection of its artistic merit,” wrote organiser Rohit Reddy.

In response to questions from Gabay, Reddy said the festival was concerned about “the effect of proceeding” in the face of objections. But he refused to say what the objections were or what threats were made that prompted the concern.