it's December, it's Kislev

[Jack Falk <jackfalk...>]

Chaverim:

This ongoing discussion has touched a very raw nerve for many.
As someone who has lived all of his life in smaller diaspora 
communities - Norwalk CT, Humboldt County CA, Portland OR -
I know something about accommodating to a holiday season that
isn't mine.  Fifty years of Christmas lights, big trees and
nativity scenes in public places, carols from every direction,
the Nutcracker or Handel's Messiah in almost every performance
space.  In deepest golus, we don't expect to find Jewish 
newspapers at the newsstand, hear strangers speaking Yiddish 
or Hebrew, buy our kids a decent kosher pastrami sandwich, or 
experience any of the other visible signs that Jews Live Here
Too.  In smaller communities, we either either work hard - 
individually and/or communally - to create a meaningful Jewish 
experience in our own lives, or we vanish altogether.

Having said all of this, I hope that we can soon move forward
with our lively consideration of Jewish music - the reason 
that we all subscribe to this list.  Can we please leave the
issues of Christmas/holiday/etc. music to our non-Jewish friends?
That's their mishegass - we have plenty of our own.  This isn't 
our time of year, and we don't need to apologize for anything.
There's plenty else for us to discuss.  I look forward to more
postings that have to do with _Jewish_ music.

Thanks, and a happy Chanukah to all of us!

Yankl

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