Re: Jewish music films (+ peace songs)

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

I caught three Jewish music films at the BAM festival of Jewish cinema this 
past week; I'm not sure if there are any further showings there, but you may 
want to keep an eye out for at least one.

One was on a great Russian Jewish jazz trumpeter whose name I am, 
disgracefully, forgetting (first name Eddie, in English); but it was more 
about the sadness of much of his life and not that much about the music.

Another was (the film about the song) "Strange Fruit".  I was excited to see 
it but left with distinctly equivocal feelings.  This song only exists 
(though Billie Holiday so much made it her signature song that at one point 
she tried to claim that, alternatively, she wrote it and it was written 
*for* her--neither of which was true)--anyway, it only exists because it was 
written by a Jew, recorded by a Jew, and showcased in a nightclub owned by a 
Jew.  Yet the filmmaker, in true Adam Shapiro fashion (I imagine that he 
will be his next subject, in fact), in throwing in a few visuals relating to 
"other bigotry" at the end of the film--they distracted from it in any case 
and didn't belong at all--included some yahoo's graffito "Kill a Muslim 
today"--as dumb as that it is, you would think it came out of nowhere, just 
someone who didn't like Muslims--but nothing at all about anti-Jewish hate 
speech, which is growing like a virus every day represents an imminent peril 
to our people all around the world.  For that reason alone, this film 
shouldn't have had the National Jewish Culture Foundation (and, *I think,* 
other Jewish) funding that it enjoyed.  Not that it was without interest 
otherwise--I did, after all, shlep to Brooklyn to see it (and only it, that 
day).

The third film was by the far most interesting, though I expected, 
ironically, the least from it.  It was called "Israel Rocks," and I urge 
folks to see it, or try to get it programmed, if you ever have a chance.

Me, I figured Israeli (bad) rock music--who cares?  But it wasn't really 
mostly about music, though there's plenty of music throughout, some of it 
indeed of great interest.  It's about sensibility:  where different 
musicians, and others relating in some way to the music of Israel, are 
coming from:  Jewishly, Israel-wise, peace-wise, Arab-wise.  I won't try to 
sum it up or take too much space (well, too late) going into detail.  So 
just a few highlights:  depressing--to me--evidence of the incredible 
estrangement on the part of some secular Jews from Judaism, the Land of 
Israel, the country of Israel, and everything Jewish; the sweetness of a 
religious black hat musician (whose lyrics were nationalistic but not 
stridently "religious")--there were far fewer religious in the film than 
secular--opining that "every Jew is a yahalom [diamond]"; a charming segment 
with Ethiopian Jews--though a little curious cause they were singing about 
abject poverty but seemed well kept and, indeed, some of them, quite 
beautiful; a segment with Shimon Peres, of all people (I mean w/ respect to 
his speaking about music, which I do not associate with him--not in any 
other regard), talking a little about music (see below); apparently 
supplying a verse to Shlomo Gornish (?--I'm sure I have the spelling wrong; 
I recognized his name, actually), who set it to music; and actually singing 
in duet a little of something, maybe Nurit Hirsh's "Oseh Shalom"; an Israeli 
Palestinian singer talking some, singing some--looked for all the world like 
Ofra Haza, o"h; and--something actually inspiring!--a band comprising a 
superb Arabic drummer (I *love* intricate drumming and wanted to hug the 
guy), a Russian, one or two I gathered secular Jews, and a religious 
guy--not a black hat or a hassid--with a kipa!  Actually making music 
together!  Well, the prayerbook does say G*d makes miracles everyday, not 
just on Chanukah.

*And*--get this, list members--Effi Netzer (I *may* actually have his 
spelling right; I recognized his name, too) saying something like 'We must 
have more peace songs than any other country; I did the research.  We have 
100s of songs about peace.'  !!!

Well, I *did* go on much too much, didn't I?  Oh, well.  But as for Shimon 
Peres, with his customary eloquence (though usually not on music, in my 
experience), he said something to this effect:

'You know, music is a language.  But it's a language without any hate 
speech--You can't express hate in music.'

Rav Shlomo, z"tl, couldn't have said it better.

--Robert Cohen, signing off (I promise)

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