Israeli Culture/Jewish American Culture

[Benjamin_Laden <Benjamin_Laden...>]

I think that in Israel there was no revival to klezmer, because there
 >was no
 >need for it as the whole life was full with Jewish culture and
 >tradition.

Moshe Berlin's words were few but conjured up some sensitivities. Jews
living in Israel are participating in Jewish culture by waking up and
walking down the street. The Hebrew language surrounding them, the music
created by and for Israeli Jews coming from the radio. To find Jewish roots
in Israel, there is no need to reach back to something or somewhere that
came before. Israel is a young Jewish culture and it already has it's own
musical roots in the music of the chalutzim, through Nomi Shemer, Arik
Einstein, and up to Teapaks (popular Israeli rock band).

Jews outside of Israel (at least those not living in religious 'shtetls'),
have to reach to get to the Jewish culture. It is not all around them, it
must be pursued. Outside of Israel, the new Jewish music comes from Jewish
roots that are not Israeli. Since the roots of American Jewish Music were
not well defined  American Jews reached for tha last Jewish culture that
was well defined, the Jewish music of our grandparents and their parents.

Why wasn't an American Jewish Musical culture well defined?

In the sixties and seventies most Jewish musical culture outside of Israel
jumped over to celebrate the new Israeli culture since it was so exciting
and new. It broke a continuity with the previous music culture that had
been building in the Galut, the Yiddishkeit of Mickey Katz, Yiddish
Theater,  etc.  It left the American Jewish music culture in poor health.
Rock and roll also took it's toll.

The health of Jewish musical culture outside of Israel has improved
tremedously and we have witnessed a nice blossoming of Jewish Musical
culture around the world that is separate from Israeli culture.  The Jewish
Music Plant comes in many species, and all are capable of creating
beautiful flowers. And cross-breeding is creating even more wonderous
strains.
Benny