Re: Identity in Klezmer

[Joel Bresler <jbresler...>]

At 11:11 AM 6/4/98 +0000, you wrote:

<big snip>
>Jewish music and culture is at the moment "in" in middle European 
>Countries. It is not only in Germany, but also in Austria. Jewish 
>music seems to be "exotic". As a result for this trend, also the 
>Jewish communities, congregations and univ. departments boom. I think 
>a part of it is that in the past few months documentary films about 
>Israel and Judaism were often shown on German and Austrian TV 
>stations, as well as fiction films. Also some Klezmer festivals (like 
>in Poland a couple of years ago) and workshops added to the booming 
>of Jewish culture in Europe.
>
>Haddi

Having just returned from Spain, I can report on a somewhat smaller but no
less intense "Judeo-philia", with most of the Jewish scholarship and much
of the Ladino musicmaking in the country in the hands of dedicated
non-Jews. I was glad to see the interest, yet left to muse on the human
impulse that causes us to extirpate a culture in one generation, then study
it in succeeding ones! (cf the Jews in Spain, the Jews in Germany, native
people's in the US [and incredibly, studied and imitated extensively in
Germany...])


Joel Bresler
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