Re: Germans and Klezmer

[Patricia Griffin <plgriff...>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Steven Fischbach <fischri (at) gis(dot)net>
To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: Germans and Klezmer


> It has been about a year since I took my "roots" trip to Berlin.  In
> addition to flipping through the Nazi property seizure and deportation
> records of my relatives at the Berlin Landesarchiv, I had the opportunity
> to spend time with members of a Berlin based Klezmer group (thanks in part
> to our esteemed List Owner).  I included the band on my itinerary as I was
> as equally interested in finding out about this odd phenomenon of German
> klezmer as I was in learning about my family's history in Berlin.
>
> Although my experience with the band consisted of a series of brief
> contacts during a short period of time, I came to understand that at least
> these performers had a sincere love of the music, and that's why they
> perform it.  They were conscious of the fact that their band could be
> interpreted by some as a cheap attempt at reconciliation and were also
> conscious that many Germans portray Jewish culture  in cliches.  I asked
> about who came to their concerts and why they came, but the band couldn't
> answer that question.
>
> Also, on my trip I had an exchange with a Jewish staff member of the
Jewish
> Museum Berlin about the Klezmer phenomena in Germany.  He was totally
> revolted by it, and said there would be no Klezmer music in his museum.
> Yes, the subject of Klezmer in Germany is controversial.
>
> I hardly consider myself an expert on this subject, since my time in
> Germany was so brief and it  the only time I have ever been outside the
US.
>  However, in any community there are good folks and bad folks and folks in
> between.  People should be judged by what they do more than who they are.
> I cannot dismiss or reject all Germans who play Klezmer.  I am glad that
> the German, non-Jewish musicians on this list said what they said and I
> thank them for their contribution to this discussion.  As far as I am
> concerned, I welcome their participation in our culture and look forward
to
> hearing their music.  I hope that they will try to re-discover (and
> perform) Jewish folk music that existed in Germany before the Shoah,
> whether that music be Klezmer or otherwise (I am still trying to find out
> more of what it actually was).
>
> To those who cannot bear the thought of listening to any Germans
performing
> Klezmer, I think you need to re-evaluate your position.  Those born after
> WWII (and even those who were born during the war) were not responsible
for
> the Shoah.  While I think it is okay for ethnic group members to ask
> questions to the "outsider" as to why they perform ethnic music, I do not
> think it is necessary to hold Germans who play Klezmer to any higher
> standard than any other "outsider" who performs ethnic music, Shoah
> notwithstanding.
>
> So now I am up to four pfennig.
>
> And, thanks Josh for sharing your essay with this list.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Steven Fischbach
> Providence, Rhode Island  USA
> fischri (at) gis(dot)net
>
>

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