Re: What is Jewish Music redux?

[Eliott Kahn <Elkahn...>]

>
>Nonetheless, I believe it's best, at least for me, to steer clear of faith 
>traditions that use texts that implicate Jews and who, in worse times not so 
>long ago, interpreted them with a good deal more hostility towards us.  

I agree.  Although I find J.S. Bach one of the most spiritual of composers, I 
can't listen to the St. John Passion. The text--and probably the Gospel that it 
sets--is so defamatory towards Jews, it makes even Bach's music abhorrent--no 
small task. That said, one must also recall that one of the tenets of Vatican 
II (in the nineteen-sixties) was to refute the notion that Jews killed  Jesus 
Christ. It was an important step. So was the Pope's recent visit to Israel and 
apology to the Jews for 2000 years of discrimination. Catholics listen very 
closely to these things and only positive developments can come from it.


>Are we free of anti-Christian sentiment in our shuls?  We hear criticism and 
>suspicion fairly often, to be sure, but somthing analogous to anti-Semitism in 
>its historical ramifications?  I don't think so, nor do I think it possible 
>given the imbalance of power.  Do we deride Christians on this list?  I think 
>the answer is the same.  We address historical and current grievances as a 
>minority that continues to endure prejudice (if not discrimination) and 
>sometimes we do this humorously, but as a minority we are inherently, 
>logistically incapable of exercising the applied forms of hate that are 
>sometimes perpretrated by members of the Christian majority.  


And yet this same "Christian majority" has also helped us elect approx. 10 
Jewish senators (That's 10 %); largely eliminated quotas against us in many 
private and all public universities; tolerated our unique form of religious 
(and musical) expression; permitted us to practice our professions in a 
reasonably unbiased fashion, etc., etc.

It is not a perfect record by any means, but compared to any other historical 
period in the Diaspora--save, perhaps, the "Golden Age" in Spain--it's quite a 
good one.

Eliott Kahn

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