Re: Cantors

[Solidarity Foundation <svzandt...>]

Alex,

I should have caught up on the beginning of this thread before sticking my
two cents in. This is certainly a reasonable and thought-provoking position.
I suppose when you said "all Jews are folklorists" you were just rhetorically
extending your argument against professionalism. (Which, incidentally, kind
of reminds me of the ideas of Ivan Illich -- see for example his book
_Disabling Professions_ and many others. 

I think these ideas are very important. We are losing our vernacular
(non-professional) knowledge -- about running a home, raising a family,
entertaining ourselves... and connecting spiritually. But... it's
precisely because these things are being lost that people like folklorists
are important. A folklorist is by no means a substitute for a culture-bearer. 
But there's no reason why one can't be both. (Reyzl IS both, by the way.)
There was a time not so long ago when Eastern European Jews didn't NEED any
folklorists. As a historical fact, folklore studies of our culture didn't
really get under way until about 1900, more than a hundred years later than,
say, German folklore. Until well into this century, the majority of our
people had a great deal of vernacular knowledge. But when you say "all Jews
are folklorists," unfortunately today large numbers of Jews are not only
not folklorists, but have little vernacular Jewish knowledge.

I know a lot of people will disagree with this. They'll say that I am
clinging to some antiquated idea of culture. But what people don't take 
into account is the difference that is due to the times that we live in --
a time of mass media, mass consumerism, and, yes, mind-numbing professional-
ism -- when it takes some real effort to keep vernacular knowledge going.
And that's why we need people who are specially trained in this.

Still, I find something too black and white, either/or, and perhaps puritanical,
in your position. Where there is a cantor who might as well be singing an
Italian opera with Hebrew words, I would agree. But a cantor davening with
real _kavone_ (intention)...? But yes, you have a point, and I'm still
thinking about it...

Itzik-Leyb