Re: Hassidic rock

[Yoel Epstein <yoel...>]

Several people asked where to find the Yediot article on line.  Yediot's
website is www.ynet.co.il, but I did not see the article posted there.  It
is not a very thorough site, and usually does not post articles from the
magazine section.

Shirona wrote:

>>From a cultural perspective it makes alot of sense. Rock  'n roll music
was
a reaction to a climate of repression, (in very broad strokes - political,
moral etc.)  in the fifties and sixties. It gave a younger generation an
outlet for rebellion, for blowing off steam, for self expression - all of
that stuff.  I can imagine that in the tight, "repressed" Hassidic
communities the impulse would be the same.   Maybe the Hassidim are entering
their "sixties" phase - Amen v'Amen.

It makes sense to me too, though that certainly was not the message of the
article.  According to Yediot, the performers are Hozrim Betshuva (secular
Jews turned religious), whose musical message is the joys of Judaism and the
glory of God.  They perform in halls with a mehitsa (divider between men and
women), with bookshelves stocked with religious texts.  Between numbers, a
Rabbi might get up and give a little "drasha" (sermon) - the description of
this was almost ludicrous, like a standup comedian between acts at a
stripshow.  In other words, far from rebellion, the Hassidic rock scene was
portrayed as mainline orthodox - something that in my mind is so
contradictory as to be unbelievable.  Like skiing in a bikini.

Glenn Tamir writes:

>>It could be wrong and knee-jerk to associate a musical style with a
lifestyle. One doesn't necessarily have to do drugs and have lots of sex to
play Rock & Roll (but it does help!)

That is, of course, the issue.  Is the decadence that we hear in heavy metal
rock inherent in the music, or is it external to the music?  I mean within
the cultural context - obviously a Zulu would miss this, but wouldn't anyone
brought up in or around western European culture recognize these musical
messages?  Some of these orthodox Rabbis are pretty sharp - surely they must
see this.  How can they approve?


joel epstein