Fw: One klezmer's experience

[david lowther <dlowther...>]

Thank you, Lori and the others for your thoughtful explanations and teaching me 
where your sentiments come from.  So it is not Christians, per se, that you 
don't want to play klezmer for, but Messianic Jews in particular because they 
believe they are a sect of Judaism, or at least that is what they try to 
convince people.  One of the ways they do this is by having klezmer played at 
their functions to give the congregation a Jewish feel.  Your playing the music 
just feeds into this skewed, sneaky proseletyzing.

But what if one were to take the view that klezmer allows Messianic Jews to get 
in touch with their roots - that, even though they have become Christians, they 
don't want to forget that they are also of Jewish heritage and choose to 
celebrate this?  Isn't it in one's own best interest to have friends of various 
religious and non-religious persuasions? 

Besides, music has a life of its own, as does art, and once it's in the public 
purview, there's no ownership.  Klezmer's roots, I've been reading, are not 
just Jewish, but Gypsy, Belarusian, Romanian, Greek and others.  I found some 
klezmer tunes in a gypsy book, but the titles were different, and some modern 
tunes sound distinctly klezmer.  How could such great music not influence the 
music world and how can a person be sure when he's playing other music that it 
hasn't been influenced by klezmer?  

Perhaps from my perspective as a non-spiritual, pragmatic non-believer I don't 
have a problem with playing music for anyone who likes to hear it.  I also like 
to play klezmer because it's an affirmation that says:  "Hey, the bad guys 
didn't win and Jewish culture is thriving, laughing, dancing, crying and 
feeling alive!"  I'm also aware that my perspective may be naive and ignorant 
and, had I had your experience, would probably feel the same way as you.  
However, the beauty of klezmer has made me curious, to want to know more about 
those who have created this music and who carry on the tradition still.  This 
is why I subscribe to this site, why I want to learn more about what makes 
klezmer what it is.  

I hear a sadness that klezmer has overflowed beyond the realm of Judaism and is 
not appreciated by others in the way that it was meant to, because klezmer is 
not just music, but a way to become closer to God - I hope I'm expressing this 
right.  And that in order to really appreciate klezmer properly, one should be 
Jewish and use the music as a way to reach this closeness. 

I'll leave it at that, and didn't mean to quite get so carried away.  I wasn't 
sure if I should even have brought the subject up in the first place, but 
there's no better way of learning more than to stir things up a bit.  Thanks 
again for teaching me.

Mary    

----- Original Message ----- 
From: MaxwellSt (at) aol(dot)com 
To: World music from a Jewish slant 
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 8:18 PM
Subject: Re: One klezmer's experience


Mary,

My feelings concerning the Messianic Jews are very particular indeed.  So 
please let me clarify to you:

First of all: My band plays for Jews (all denominations), for Christians, for 
agnostics, and for anyone else who cares to hire a klezmer band.  We play 
Jewish music, Bach, and the Beatles.  Klezmer bands have always had the 
flexibility of the contemporary jobbing musician--it lends variety to life and 
pays the bills.

The feelings I was expressing concerning the Messianic Jews--whom I prefer to 
call Christian missionaries--have to do with the fact that their message is 
that we (the Jews) don't get it--we keep waiting for the Messiah when, golly, 
he's come already!
I don't mind a Jew choosing to see Jesus as divine--that is strictly a question 
of personal choice.  But then why keep calling oneself a Jew?

But that is not the point.  The point is that the Messianic Jews hire klezmer 
bands in order to convince their potential converts that Christianity is 
kosher.  If you read the literature that the leaders of these movements 
circulate, it has to do with how to make Jews feel comfortable in their 
congregations.  "Don't say 'cross,' say 'tree'" is one of the many examples of 
how to make Jews "comfortable" in church.  Another interesting and not 
insignificant side note is that these movements are substantially funded 
by--who would have guessed?--evangelical Christian movements.  So my band was 
being used to convince Jews that they could have all the warmth and heimishness 
(familiar family feeling) they wanted in what they are trying to pass off as a 
denomination of Judaism.  They clearly must know that people like me--whose 
Jewish music is not based on notes but on my soul--would not endorse their 
sect. So they had to keep who they were hidden from me.  You must understand 
that this is not playing by the rules.

I hope you understand my reticence to play for these folks, whereas I am very 
happy to be hired to play for Christians who appreciate klezmer music.  One of 
the most stirring moments in my memory was leading a chosidl (a Chassidic 
dance) with Austrians in Graz in a festival that took place in a beer tent.  I 
honor the ability of music to reach across history that way.

Lori @ MAX