Re: One klezmer's experience

[Joshua Sharf <jsharf...>]

Actually, I think we agree on the issue at hand.  Jews for Jesus are
Christian, not Jewish.  I was distinguishing between J for J (Christian) and
Eve's experience (Jewish).  If anything, the J for J are worse than the
Southern Baptists, since they pretend to be something they're not, as part
of their strategy.

By the way, for an enlightening and entertaining account of the complex
Baptist relationship to Southern Jewry, see Eli Evans's "The Provincials."

Joshua Sharf
Site: http://www.viewfromaheight.blogspot.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marvin Margoshes" <physchem (at) cloud9(dot)net>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2003 8:05 AM
Subject: Re: One klezmer's experience


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joshua Sharf" <jsharf (at) ix(dot)netcom(dot)com>
> To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 11:56 PM
> Subject: Re: One klezmer's experience
>
>
> > There's a big difference between people who are trying to attract people
> to
> > Christianity, and people who are practicing a flavor of Judaism you
don't
> > find to your taste, don't you think?
>
> Is Jews for Jesus a flavor of Judaism?  I think not, and virtually all
Jews
> agree with me on this.  Perhaps I can make the point of view clearer by
> telling a true story.  Almost 50 yrears ago, I was working in a research
lab
> alongside a Japanese colleague.   He was engaged to a young Japanese
woman.
> One day, he told me that his fiancee was Catholic, so he was taking
> instruction from a priest to become Catholic.  But he went on to say that
he
> would still be a Buddhist.  That attitude makes sense to one brought up in
> an Eastern religion, and it is common in Japan.  But it is not allowed in
> any of the major Western religions.  To a Jew, monotheism and the Trinity
> don't fit together.
>
> We are sensitiized by centuries of conversion efforts by Christians, often
> compulsive.  And the efforts go on.  The politically-powerful Southern
> Baptist Convention has made it official policy to convert Jews.
>
> > Please, I don't see orthodox members of this list disparaging
> Conservative,
> > Reform, Reconstructionist, or Jewish Renewal.
> >
> We disagree on this mail list on religious matters, at times heatedly.
See
> the recent discussion of Kol Isha as an example.  Most of us try to keep
the
> discussion impersonal, sticking to the ideas.  If we stray, our moderate
> moderator brings us back into line.
>
> > Joshua Sharf
> > Site: http://www.viewfromaheight.blogspot.com
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <SICULAR (at) aol(dot)com>
> > To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 9:50 PM
> > Subject: Re: One klezmer's experience
> >
> >
> > > thanks for articulating that, Lori!  well-said indeed.
> > >
> > > I, on the other hand, was hired to play for a Lag B'Omer women's
> drumming
> > > circle event that was passed off as a self-empowerment sort of Jewish
> > women's
> > > gathering to me when I was called about it, and advertised as quite
New
> > Age-y.
> > > But when I got there it was a rather rigid event trying to bring women
> > into
> > > more subservient traditional Jewish ways and a lot of political
beliefs
> > which I
> > > will simply say were to me reprehensibly rightwing.  a sponsor website
I
> > looked
> > > at afterward turned out to be a well-funded neo-Orthodox movement
> office.
> > > Since I had agreed to it as a business arrangement, I tried proposing
> one
> > or two
> > > participatory ideas I thought would be more self-expressive and
> > empowering --
> > > things I knew from women's Rosh Chodesh groups and feminist seders
> etc. --
> > but
> > > these were clearly unacceptable to the strategy of the motivational
> > > speaker/leader. so  then I played but refused to give eye contact or
> > anything beyond a
> > > beat to the leaders of the gathering.  I felt very spiritually
> compromised
> > and
> > > deliberately misled.... the purpose of the music as used here seemed
to
> be
> > > helping these repressed people blow off steam and have a creative
> outlet,
> > while
> > > trying to attract/proselytize other Jewish women.  nothing wrong with
> that
> > in
> > > itself I guess, but they had purposely not told me about their
movement
> > > affiliation and underlying beliefs, sticking instead to the recruiting
> > strategy
> > > cover of this as a vaguely alternative-lifestyle event and creative
> > outlet.  it
> > > was held at New York's PS 122 performance space theater on an off
night,
> > to
> > > further this image of something experimental and progressive.
> > >
> > > pretty creepy.
> > > Eve
> > > =================
> > > - e v e  s i c u l a r  -
> > > drummer/bandleader
> > > ISLE OF KLEZBOS &
> > > METROPOLITAN KLEZMER
> > > 151 First Ave #145, NYC 10003
> > > tel:  212.475.4544
> > > fax:  212.677.6304
> > > www.metropolitanklezmer.com
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>

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