Re: how does tradition live?

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

>I-L: On the other hand, the traditional Jewish sound strengthens our
>identity as Jews -- well, it does for me,
>anyway.
>>Alex: YAY! Go!Go!Go! Ari?

It certainly can be something that strengthens our identity
as Jews. There is a conundrum, and I don't have a facile
answer. For most Jews, tradition, as presented by the last
couple of decades of Ashkenazic Halakhic culture practice, 
is both closed (didn't grow up with it), and/or unattractive
(see no connection between that and what they understand
as Judaism). I don't want to argue right or wrong, except
to note that I am among those who has consciously chosen
not to practice Orthodox Judaism (which in its own way, is
also changing). That will certainly provide context for 
my own comments.

I accept that one can't simply appropriate anything and
call it Jewish--there has to be some living link to some
form of tradition. My hesitations lie in the unanswerable
question of what type of "living link" or how far it can
be stretched, and in what context.

At one extreme, I don't think one could make the case that
Bob Dylan's music is Jewish. =He= is Jewish, his social
concerns and outlook may be those that some of us embrace
as Jewish (excluding his Christian period), but there is
nothing in his music that ties directly to any Jewish
tradition beyond the vaguely prophetic. But, at another 
extreme, someone in Hasidic garb doing a hasidic nigun 
at a karaoke club seems equally, if differently, foreign.

Somewhere in the middle, Debbie Friedman, as much as I
personally am not a fan of her music, is certainly doing
Jewish music, as are the Klezmatics (some of whom don't
even happen to be Jewish).

I don't see this as a problem, actually. I rather like
the diversity. Part of me is eager to find out which parts
of these new twists are canonized and traditional 100 years
from now.

ari


Ari Davidow
The klezmer shack: http://www.well.com/user/ari/klez/
owner: jewish-music mailing list
e-mail: ari (at) ivritype(dot)com