[HANASHIR:11658] re: Another opinion about sharing our music

[Joel Stern <joeldavidstern...>]

I recently joined this wonderful list and decided to de-lurk to respond to 
the issue of whether or not to share Jewish music with non-Jews.  By way of 
introduction -- I live in Los Angeles, am a part-time cantor, and enjoy 
sharing new pieces, both solo and choral, in my minyan. (It?s called the 
Library Minyan, a traditional egalitarian lay-led group that meets at Temple 
Beth Am.)

Laura expressed concern that our music might be used to lure unsuspecting 
marginal Jews into the Christian fold.  This is certainly a possibility.  I 
think that there is another way to look at it though.   Many gentiles living 
in rural America have still never met a Jew in person, and may only think of 
us as stereotypes.  You know ? shrewd, tight-fisted, Shylock types; or weak, 
intellectual and studious.  Music sharing can be a wonderful opportunity to 
offer a very different image, to counteract the negative ones.  Those people 
Wendy met will never think about Jews the same way since their chance 
encounter with her, and I can?t help feeling that the positive consequences 
of this meeting will far outweigh the potential negatives.

Joel Stern

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