Re: Music and Politics for Jews [was mikis theodorakis]

[Sylvie Braitman <curlySylvie...>]

I have refused to sing national anthems in the past. The people who hired me
where a bit surprised, and, yes, I believe they won't hire me again.
Although I warned them well in advance and they were able to find somebody
who had less problems with anthems....
I think what I would do if I were to sing for an organisation whose views I
don't share, is to sing what I like, with the messages I like and somehow,
if only unconsciously, make a difference.

This actually makes me think of a very troubling event that happened to me
last March in Berlin.
The woman I was visiting had been part of a polarized group of children of
victims and perpetrators of the Holocaust. She is German, non Jewish. We
became close friends, and as I was staying with her, she offered me an
evening with the Arab intellectuals of Berlin (an old boy friend, a
German/Syrian, had contacted her). She was very reluctant but I insisted, I
was curious. As we were ready to go to the evening (there would be food,
speeches, poetry and music), he asked me not to say I was Jewish (I "pass":
Sylvie sounds French, and after all Braitman can be German!). I was almost
ready to decline the invitation, but I AM curious. Once there, I had very
confusing feelings. Here I was in Berlin (a town my father
liberated/occupied when he was 18 in the Red Army) , among people who were
educated, lovely, intense and looked so much like my Jewish Tunisian
husband.... There was plenty of litterature on the Palestinians rights to
Jihad. The music was superb, so was the poetry. I could hear the beautiful
sounds of Arabic. I loved it, but what were they saying, any Jew bashing?
That did come too. As I was eating a falafel, a man told me: You see the
Jews even took that from us. Falafel is Palestinian, not Jewish". To which
my guest responded: I wish we would only fight on falafel.
Here I was undercover, or in my Jewish closet, when a lovely chubby man said
that he heard I was a singer, and would I honor them with a song? I accepted
and for a few minutes I was torn between revealing my identity and singing
Sapozhkelekh with a sing along. Or keeping on hiding but sending on love
message. I played it safe with the love message. I sang "La Vie en Rose". My
friend tranlated the words into German (although many among the audience
spoke French). This was a very emotional experienc for me and for her. And I
am not sure I have totally come to terms with it. On my point of view, I was
sincerely delivering a love message, hidden under the shmaltsy lyrics and
melody. On their point of view, what did they see: a singer with huge eyes
and a plunging nose, dressed o so French!?
I have been wanting to write them a letter, telling who I was.
Still not done it.

Sylvie


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