Lenny Kuhr announced on April 22, 2026, that she and her husband are leaving the Netherlands for Israel, citing growing discomfort as a Jewish person in her home country.
The veteran singer-songwriter, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 with “De troubadour,” stated plainly on social media that Jews can no longer live without concern in the Netherlands. She described feeling and seeing this reality directly, while insisting she is neither intimidated by online backlash nor deterred by threats.
Despite her resolve, Kuhr acknowledged the emotional weight of departure, writing that “the farewell hurts deeply” as she bids goodbye to a country she once loved and to audiences who have supported her for decades.
Her final performance in the Netherlands is scheduled for May 31, after which she intends to relocate permanently to Israel, a place she says welcomes her and her family wholeheartedly.
Plans for the move have been developing since at least February, when she told Omroep Brabant that the climate for Jewish people in the Netherlands had deteriorated and that her children’s presence in Israel made the relocation logical.
In the intervening months, she has been actively searching for a home, a process she now indicates has been successfully completed, based on the timing and certainty of her announcement.
Looking ahead, Kuhr said she does not intend to launch a full new career in Israel but expects to continue making music, possibly sharing her work through streaming platforms like Spotify, noting that her children and sons-in-law are musicians.
Before her departure, she remains active in the Dutch cultural scene, with a scheduled performance on May 7 at a synagogue in Coevorden, where she will present songs from her new album “Licht,” which explores themes of comfort and connection born from reflection and creativity.
The concert, set to begin at 7:30 p.m., carries an admission fee of 25 euros, and advance registration and payment are required via email to the synagogue’s treasurer.
This upcoming indicate may offer one of the last opportunities to hear her perform “De troubadour” live in the Netherlands, a song that launched her to international fame over five decades ago.
Her decision to leave comes amid broader tensions surrounding her public appearances, including an incident two years prior during a show in Waalwijk, where audience members unfurled a Palestinian flag and accused her family of complicity in genocide — a claim she has not publicly addressed in the current context of her departure.
Why is Lenny Kuhr leaving the Netherlands?
She states that Jewish people can no longer live without concern in the Netherlands, a reality she says she both sees and feels, prompting her and her husband to move to Israel where they feel welcomed.
What are her plans after moving to Israel?
Kuhr does not plan to build a entirely new career but expects to continue making music, possibly sharing it via Spotify, noting her children and sons-in-law are musicians who may collaborate with her.
When and where is her final performance in the Netherlands?
Will she perform “De troubadour” before leaving?
There is a possibility, as her May 7 synagogue concert in Coevorden may include the song, described as one of her last opportunities to hear it performed live in the Netherlands.
