RE: Judaism and J4J

[medelman <medelman...>]

Thanks to Fred for bringing the discussion back to the point of this
community.
At the risk of inspiring an onslaught of discussion, I'd like to suggest
that music we want to call Jewish needs to be a reflection of the
experiences and values of Jewish people.  Obviously, that changes
dramatically over time and place, but it allows us to focus, at least a
little bit, on how the music affects/reflects Jews as Jews.  It is certainly
the case that Jewish music affects others, just as "other" music has been
brought into the Jewish community.  The important point, though, is that
when we borrow from others, we adapt the music, "elevating" it, according to
the Hasidim, to reflect Jewish ideas and ideals. (Admittedly, some of this
"adaptation" consists exclusively of appending a Jewish text.  I won't start
postulating on the extent to which a "kvetch" or a "gevein" makes a
classical European tune into a Jewish one.)  When others borrow our music,
they are doing the same thing - and in that other context, I would venture
to say that our music stops being Jewish, just as any number of "foreign"
tunes have stopped being foreign (even those that originated in someone
else's liturgical tradition!) and become part of the Jewish experience.

Marsha Bryan Edelman

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of Fred Blumenthal
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 11:12 AM
To: World music from a Jewish slant
Subject: Judaism and J4J






The ListServ dealing with "world music from a Jewish perspective" has
segued into discussions of Jews for Jesus, the cost of congregation
membership and the definition of a Jew.  I belong to a Conservative
congregation now, but I grew up in a Reform congregation, and in that
religious school was taught that a person who defined her/himself as a Jew
was a Jew.  So if Sammy Davis, Jr. said he was Jewish, he was Jewish.
Whether you agree with that or not, you should probably agree that it
simplifies answering the question.  But, then, when applied to music: what
is Jewish music?  As the neo-klezmer movement pushes Jewish music further
into world music - as it pushes world music into Jewish music - and as pop
and (non-Jewish) "folk" music push themselves into Jewish prayer, a
definition becomes more difficult.  I anticipate someone saying "I know
Jewish music when I hear it."

Fred Blumenthal
xd2fabl (at) us(dot)ibm(dot)com





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