Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: list JEWISH-MUSIC: List Message Rejected

[Alana Suskin <asuskin...>]

And if they sang "America the Beautiful" would that mean we all had
to emigrate?
 Look, I personally wouldn't care to sing Christmas music (and I far
more dislike popular Christmas music that I do high church music, at
 least aesthetically), and as I child, I and my family had to struggle
with every single public school I went to in order to not participate
 in their Christmas stuff (but we do a Hanukah song,too) however, that
doesn't make Christmas,Christmas songs, or Christians,
 evil. To be perfectly honest, I've generally had less trouble making
religious Christians understand my requirements for days off, not
violating Shabbat, and so on, than I have had with secular Jews, who
 often seem to think that I'm religious in order to publicly embarrass
them, or something, and will often tell me to stop asking for
conferences not to be scheduled on holidays or Shabbat. Let's try
not to overgeneralize about other people. There are plenty of fine
people in the world who sing Christmas music. Some of them aren't
Christians
 - that doesn't make them bad people.

 Alana Suskin

>> > > ---JeffSchan (at) aol(dot)com wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > <<For about fifteen years, up until her death in 1990, I
>enjoyed a
>> > > close
>> > > > friendship with  Sarah Nomberg-Przytyk.  As an Auschwitz inmate,
>> her
>> > > > "job" was that of secretary to the infamous Nazi monster (makh
>> > shimoy)
>> > > > Josef Mengele.
>> > > > In her book, "Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land", she
>> > > > describes how, at Christmastime, the S.S. officers would sing
>> > "Silent
>> > > > Night" and other Christmas Carols in the shadow of the
>crematoria.
>> > > >
>> > > > Where are your warm and fuzzy feelings at now?
>> > > >
>> > > > Wolf Krakowski>>
>> > > >
>> > > > Although I tend to despise Christmas music (more below) I
>think it
>> > is
>> > > > dangerous to categorize music based on who liked it.  My
>father, a
>> > > Buchenwald
>> > > > survivor, loved Wagner, who was held up as the pinacle of Aryan
>> art
>> > > by the
>> > > > Nazis.  (They also liked Beethoven, my favorite classical
>> composer.)
>> > >  Does the
>> > > > US Navy's commercial use of the music of Aaron Copland (who had
>> > > trouble during
>> > > > the McCarthy era) make Copland a running dog lacky of American
>> > > imperialism?
>> > > > Art can be used in different ways by different forces, often
>in a
>> > > manner
>> > > > diametrically opposed to the intention of the creator of that
>art.
>> > > >
>> > > > As for my views on Christman music, I may have a different
>> > > experience than
>> > > > most on this list.  I attended public school in the early 60's
>and
>> > > was the
>> > > > only Jew in my class.  In music class, at Christmas time, I was
>> > > forced to sing
>> > > > Christmas carols, praising a messiah I didn't believe in.  Also,
>> at
>> > > that time,
>> > > > the Catholic Church still had the position that the Jews killed
>> > > Jesus.  So, as
>> > > > the sole representative of Christ-killers in the neighborhood, I
>> > > would be
>> > > > harrassed by my classmates at that time of year.  I have been
>> living
>> > > with (and
>> > > > subsequently married to) an ex-nun for 16 years and it was only
>> last
>> > > year that
>> > > > I was able to stand having a few minor Christmas decorations
>in my
>> > > home, more
>> > > > than 30 years after the fact.
>> > > >
>> > > > I can understand where Wolf is coming from.  As an atheist, I
>> won't
>> > > perform
>> > > > religious music of any nature, although I am more of a composer
>> than
>> > > performer
>> > > > these days.  However, I cannot condemn Jewish musicians who do
>> > > perform in
>> > > > Christian settings.  As much as I hate the Catholic Church, I
>also
>> > > have a
>> > > > countervailing effect on me.  Although my father was in a Nazi
>> > > transit camp,
>> > > > he was able to obtain Aryan papers for his wife and two
>children.
>> > > They
>> > > > escaped to Warsaw, but were denounced by neighbors.  The Nazis
>> came
>> > > and took
>> > > > his wife and daughter.  His son was outside playing and escaped
>> > > death.  He
>> > > > survived by scavenging on the street for a while, but was
>> discovered
>> > > by a
>> > > > Catholic priest, who took him into an orphanage, thus saving his
>> > > life.  This
>> > > > action was certainly not indicative of the majority of the
>> Catholic
>> > > Church,
>> > > > but it did happen, and it was not the only instance.
>> > > >
>> > > > And as for Christmas music, I am glad we are spending only 2
>days
>> > > with my in-
>> > > > laws this holiday season.
>> > > >
>> > > > Jeffrey Schanzer
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > > ==
>> > >
>> > > Alana Suskin
>> > > Ms.Cat
>> > > _________________________________________________________
>> > > DO YOU YAHOO!?
>> > > Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> > ==
>> >
>> > Alana Suskin
>> > Ms.Cat
>> > _________________________________________________________
>> > DO YOU YAHOO!?
>> > Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> ==
>>
>> Alana Suskin
>> Ms.Cat
>> _________________________________________________________
>> DO YOU YAHOO!?
>> Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>==
>
>Alana Suskin
>Ms.Cat
>_________________________________________________________
>DO YOU YAHOO!?
>Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>