Re: Making Judaism Cool

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

I'll sidestep the Judaism being cool debate until I've considered and 
reflected more on the phenomenon (if then), but as a far as Roseanne, the 
issue is not whether she cares about being Jewish, contributes to Jewish 
causes (I'm delighted if she does), or, for that matter, wants to study 
Judaism--though Kabbalah would usually be considered an inappropriate place 
to begin.  The issue is whether she should be *teaching* (which is, I 
assume, what is meant by "leading") Kabbalah studies (which, at least on its 
face, sounds absurd).  The answer is almost certainly No.

--Robert Cohen


>From: "Trudi Goodman" <goobietheg (at) hotmail(dot)com>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: Re: Making Judaism Cool
>Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 12:32:30 PDT
>
>
>  Hey why shouldn't Roseanne be leading kabbalah studies...does the fact
>that she is a performer mean that she doesn't care about being Jewish?
>No...as a matter of fact she has given long-standing support to the Jewish
>Community, particularly through Jewish Charities, such as the charitable
>wing of the B'nai Brith.  So?
>   Are we be back to yet another discussion of who is REALLY a Jew and who
>has the right to be?  I'll have to check with my Irish Jewish great
>Grandfather on that one!
>   As for Judaism and Jewish culture being "cool" we could do worse.  I 
>find
>that people who are actually interested in Jews stick around long past the
>fads.  These coolniks actually come to Jewish Music concerts...ya know?
>      Zei Gezunt
>      Trudi the G, LR (Lepracohen in Residence)
>
>>From: Ari Davidow <ari (at) ivritype(dot)com>
>>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>>Subject: Making Judaism Cool
>>Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 21:07:59 -0400
>>
>>There is an interesting take on new Jewish music from the March edition
>>of Tikkun magazine that I just discovered:
>>
>>http://www.tikkun.org/0003/0003schorsh.html
>>
>>I think there's some meat there worth discussing, if anyone else is
>>interested. Certainly the "cool" issue as regards new Jewish music, as 
>>used
>>by the author, rings a bell. The author also peripherally touches on an
>>issue raised obliquely by Ruth Wisse in her review of Henry's
>>book--klezmer, or
>>cool new Jewish music, on their own, do not carry a Jewish life.
>>
>>That doesn't matter, if one is appreciating the music because it is
>>exciting, wonderful, Jewish soul music (to the extent that the best
>>new Jewish music is those things), and it has nothing to do with how
>>one live's one's life or one's identity as a person.
>>
>>It is absolutely irrelevant for those people already immersed in
>>Jewish life, for whom a variety of new Jewish music (not necessarily
>>klezmer or "cool") is a living part of that life.
>>
>>But for many of us, this new Jewish music is something more than the
>>soundtrack to struggles with defining who we are as Jews. As people
>>living Jewishly outside the mainstream of Jewish life, or trying to
>>influence the Jewish mainstream to our own political or cultural
>>visions, the music carries additional weight and relevance.
>>
>>And, yet, I suspect that for many of the people about whom the author
>>of this article is writing, this "cool" is enough, or is substituting
>>for something deeper. Roseanne leading kabala study, indeed!
>>
>>Anyway, as I said, if the article strikes any of these chords, let's
>>do discuss it.
>>
>>http://www.tikkun.org/0003/0003schorsh.html
>>
>>ari
>>
>>
>>Ari Davidow
>>ari (at) ivritype(dot)com
>>list owner, jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>>the klezmer shack: http://www.klezmershack.com/
>>
>>
>
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