Summer 2024 | Kayitz 5784 Am Yisrael Chai! The Canadian Jewish News
EVENING MIRACLES
THECJN.CA 3
What’s inside
22
THE FRONT PAGES 10
16
The new antisemitism coming a er Barbie and Ken SAM MARGOLIS
16
Alan Zweig gets podcast tips from Ralph Benmergui
FEATURES 22 How can religious Jewish music take you higher? AVI FINEGOLD 28
15
COVER STORY: Summer sounds from northern stars
36
Going between the covers of where wokeness went PHOEBE MALTZ BOVY
36
THE BACK PAGES 42
Canadian cottage lifers are grateful for Bernard Wolf KATHERINE LAIDLAW
48
Michael Fraiman on writing a Holocaust zombie drama
42
54
From a meet-cute in Israel to creating Midnight Cookie
4
Contributors
Ralph Benmergui (p.16) is a veteran broadcaster and spiritual director who hosts the podcast Not That Kind of Rabbi from his home studio in Hamilton, Ont., and sometimes before an audience. Previously, he did audio tours of Jewish Canadian communities on Yehupetzville for The CJN Podcast Network. I Thought He Was Dead is the name of his memoir, published in 2021. She’s currently a Toronto- based writer at The Hustle , investigating quirky business stories like whether a girl really turned orange a er drinking Sunny Delight. Katherine Laidlaw (p.42) is a journalist whose feature stories include tales of a notorious romance scammer and a duplicitous money manager for Toronto Life , along with pieces in The Atlantic , Chatelaine , Outside , The Walrus and Wired . Daniel Sulzberg (cover and p.28) is an illustrator based in Santa Barbara, Calif., whose portfolio includes Hanukkah packaging for cosmetics brand Lush, a set of Negro Leagues baseball cards for Topps, drawings of hockey mascots for the NHL’s social media accounts, a concert poster for Dead & Company, and a stint as the in-house cartoonist for Red Bull. Find his work at danvillage.com.
54
THECJN.CA 5
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is a Crown Corporation committed to fighting racism in Canada. We work to strengthen the social fabric of our society by supporting, enabling and convening community groups and organizations through our grants, services and network of public, research and community partners.
We support communities through funding projects and events • Over the past two years, the CRRF supported the powerful anti-racism work of more than 300 organizations across Canada with just over $5 million. We help municipalities develop anti-racism programs • Working with municipalities to support best practices to address racism locally • Widening access to public service for future generations with fellowships for racialized youth We elevate public discourse through partnerships and education • Hosting public webinars to increase awareness of emerging issues • Researching racialized communities’ experiences of racism, hate, and discrimination
We move public policy • Co-chairing a National Task Force on Hate Crimes to create Canada-wide standards • Connecting with communities to better understand issues related to racism in Canada
• Providing policy recommendations to government on anti-racism initiatives
Learn more about our work and how we can weave a strong, equitable Canada together
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is a Crown Corporation born from the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement and now part of the Department of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada.
CRRF respectfully acknowledges that its head oice is located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 and CRRF sta and Board members reside on the traditional lands of many First Nations, Métis and Inuit across this country.
Summer greetings from CEO Michael Weisdorf
The Canadian Jewish News
T here’s something truly magical about the start of summer in Canada. The days are longer, the nights are warmer, and it comes with an unmistakable buzz of anticipation as families, friends, neighbours and strangers come together for BBQs, concerts, sporting events and street parties. And nothing resonates like a festival that blends music, art and culture in one lively space. With a thousand or more of these events scheduled across Canada between May and October, you’re likely just a short commute from seeing stages come alive, food stalls tempting your taste buds, and the excitement of a roaring midway. Whether it’s the Toronto Caribbean Carnival or the Calgary Stampede drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors, or smaller community events like the Bathurst Hospitality Days in New Brunswick or Dauphin’s Countryfest in Manitoba, everyone is drawn together with a sense of cama- raderie—no matter who they are or where they’re from. But as we head into a hopefully spectacular season, I also pause to reflect on how the world has changed since Oct. 7. The tragedy that sparked a worldwide wave of antisemitism began just outside Kibbutz Re’im in Israel, at the Nova Music Festival, which was billed as a “celebration of friends, love and infinite freedom.” I imagine how, when the event kicked off on Oct. 6, festival-goers were feeling the sense of excitement, happiness and wonderment that comes with being among thousands of others feeling the same way. It’s a familiar feeling to all of us. I also think of how the lives of those young people— who were full of life and hope for the future—were unimaginably and horrifically changed forever. The rest of the Jewish community has also felt the reverberations ever since, watching the world go down a rabbit hole of hate and ignorance on the heels of pan- demic lockdowns, travel restrictions, and
social distancing rules that curbed many celebrations for two years. Six months into my perch at this publication, I’m observing a lot of ignorance and generalizations, along with the condemnation of anyone who doesn’t share their views. My hope for this summer is that every- one can reset, reconnect, and revisit their priorities. Festival events provide an
Michael Weisdorf Chief Executive Officer Marc Weisblott Managing Editor
Ronit Novak Art Director Phoebe Maltz Bovy Senior Editor Etery Podolsky Designer Michael Fraiman Podcast Director Lila Sarick News Editor Grace Zweig Sales Director Kathy Meitz General Manager
Board of Directors : Bryan Borzykowski President Sam Reitman Treasurer and Secretary Ira Gluskin
opportunity to celebrate diversity, engage in experiences, and foster connections within and across communities. We can embrace our differences by appreci- ating the tapestry of cultures that make our country so great. The warmth will hopefully provide a softening of perspec- tives, encouraging people to stay open for dialogue, and help us return to feeling connected to each other. Maybe you find your summertime bliss at a cottage or campground, maybe it involves an overseas flight or hitting the highway nearby. Maybe it’s as simple as reading on a beach or catching up with friends on a patio. No matter what you do, remember to cherish each moment, and embrace joy however you can.
Jacob Smolack Elizabeth Wolfe
For all inquiries info @ thecjn.ca
Cover: Illustration by Daniel Sulzberg exclusively for The Canadian Jewish News
Printed in Winnipeg by Prolific Group With the participation of the Government of Canada.
MICHAEL WEISDORF, MBA Chief Executive Officer The Canadian Jewish News
THECJN.CA 7
Thank you for supporting The CJN! With the generous support of our donors, The CJN can continue to provide quality Jewish journalism at no cost to our community.
Sharon Abel • Jay Aber • Arianne Aberman • Arlene Abitan • Lanning J. Abramson • Frances Ackerman • Murray Ages • Arnold Agulnik • Dawne B. Albert • Stephen Altbaum • Paul Anderson • John Anthony • Bernard Anzarouth • Philip Anzarut • Aubrie Appel • Gwen Appleby • Marilyn Appleton • Jack Arbus • Rhoda Arnold • Nadine Arrobas • Steve Arshinoff • Sidney Aster • Jerry Babbin • Georgi and Jerry Bagelman • Larry Banack • Benjamin Barankin • Howard Bargman • Dan Baruch • Sheldon & Janice Baryshnik • Sylvie Barzilay • Bernard Basil • Ellen Beglaubter • Ezra Beinhaker • Lisa Belzowski • Charlotte Bendayan • Maurice Benzacar • Phyllis Berck • Ruth Berger • Allan R. Berger • Julie & Rodney Bergman • Cindy Berk Goelman • Myrna Berlin • Elliot Berlin • Rosalee Berlin • Shira Bernholtz • Michael Bernstein • William Bernstein • Marie Bickof • Frances Binder • Marilyn Binder • Martin Binstock • Helen Black • Howard Black • Michael Black • Rachelle Blaichman • Murray E. Blankstein • Aaron Bleiwas • Kathy Bloom • Pearl Bloom • Elaine Bloomberg • Ron & Ann Bobker • Robert Bohbot • David Boniwell • James Boritz • Norman Borofsky • Jack Botbol • Arliene Botnick • Moses Brachfeld • June Brant • Janis Breslin • Harold Bricks • Ron Britt • Paul Bronfman • Stephen Brothman • Sam Broverman • Avrom Brown • Gary and Gail Brown • Vivien Brown • Robert Brym • Howard Budd • Robert Burke • Thomas Burko • Joyce Burns • Lillian Butovsky • Gary Byer • Eric Caplan • Michael Carin • Joel Carman • Janice Carolin • Suzanne Carson • Joseph Cass • Stephen D. Casselman • Ellen Chaikof • Leboff Family Charitable Foundation • Adele Vicki Charness • Jaffa Charny • Frances Chesney • Gail Chippin • Alexander Ciocilteu • Harvey Citron • Jeffrey Citron • Jeff Clayman • Sherry Clodman • Éric A. Cohen • Mark Cohen • Robert & Joyce Cohen • Esther Cohen • Paula Cohen • Sam Cohen • Stephen Cohen • Warren Cohen • Michael Cole • John Colomby • Sydney Conn • Bruria Cooperman • Lottie Copoloff • Ron Csillag • Ron Cuperfain • Adam Cutler • Lynn Cutler • Simmons Da Silva Llp • Brenda Dales • Shulamit Dalume • Leslie Dan • Andrea Dan-Hytman • Eva Danon • Murray Davidson • Marilyn Davis • Karen Davis • Roger De Freitas • Michael Leon Deitcher • Joan Dessau • Debbie Dessler • Pam Diamond • Marc Dolgin • Stephen Dreezer • Mel Druker • Marvin Dryer • Gary Dvorkin • Irving Dylewski • Howard Dyment • Bernice Eckler • Franklin Edelberg • Ari Eisen • Joyce Eisen • Rifka Eisenstat • Ruth Ekstein • Dori Ekstein • Fredric Engle • Diane Ennis • Raquel Epand • Ralph Epstein • Robert Escoe • Shirley Evans • Maxanne Ezer • Martin Ezrin • Ronald Factor • Barbara Farber • Moïse Fefer • Edith Feiger • Brian Feldman • Shim Felsen • Mark Fenson • Gail and Joel Fenwick • Harry Figov • Norm Finkelberg • Bernice Finkelstein • David Finkelstein • Mark Finkelstein • Marie Finkelstein • Marilyn Finkelstein • Bernard Fishbein • Shelley Fisher • Michael Flatt • Joel Flatt • Louis Fleischer • Julius Fortis • Beverley Fox • Edward Frank • Judith Frankfort • Judy Franklin • Howard Freed • Rodney & Evelyn Freedman • Samuel Freedman • Ian Freedman • Abraham (Bram) Freedman • David Freeman • Elayne Freeman • Bernie Fried • Laurel Friedberg • Tom and Jacqueline Friedland • Aviyam Friedman • Harvey Frisch • Hugh Furneaux • Melvyn Fuss • Gale & Allan Garber • Nessim Garzon • Miriam Gasee • Penny Geffen • Leon Genesove • Emmy Gershon • Geraldine Gershon • Brenda Gewurz • Fran Giddens • Marcia Gilbert • Amy Gilbert • Sheldon Gilbert • Matthew Gillman • Rina Gilmore • Susan Ginsberg • Brian Ginsler • Faye Gitter • Dr. Dafna Gladman • Michael Gladstone • Samuel Glazer • Shirley Glazier • Shirley Glick • Marilynne Glick • John Glicksman • Norman Godfrey • Rena Godfrey • Steven Gold • Alan Gold • Allan Gold • Sheldon Gold • Elaine Goldbach • Robert Goldberg • Rick Goldberg • Sharon and Marty Goldberg • Rahma Goldberg • Carolyn Goldberg • Celia Goldberg • Sara Goldberg • Sharyn Goldberg • Steven Goldberg • Robert Goldberger • Nancy Golden • Stanley Goldfarb • Jeffrey Goldfard • Ralph Goldfinger • Lorie Goldfinger • Richard Goldhar • Sheldon Goldhar • Rita Goldkind • Barry Goldlist • Helen Goldlist • Jay Goldman • Donna Goldman • Gerry Goldman • David Goltzman • Diana Goodman • Ellen Gordon • Andrew Gordon • Michael Gossack • Joseph Gottdenker • Abe Gottesman • Helen Gould • Peter Graben • Marya Grad • David Grad • Bruce Gram • David Grant • M Leon Graub • Anne Green • David Green • Bernard Green • Doreen Green • Irving Green • Rochelle Green • Louis Greenbaum • Paul Greenberg • Lewis Greenberg • Irwin Greenblatt • Dr. Samuel Greenspan • Bernie and Elise Gropper • Gail Grossman • Harvey Grossman • Suzan Grossman • Vera Grossman • Michael Grubsztajn • Irving Gurau • Allan Gutenberg • Stephen Gutfreund • Barb Gutstein • Hymie Guttman • David Guttman • Julia Guttmann • Sorrell Gwartzman • Charlotte Haber • Michele Haber • Alex Halpern • Sam & Rebecca Halpern • Mark Hammerschlag • Stephen & Carol Handelman • Shirley Hanick • Linda Hannon • Robert Harlang • Jay Harris • Mark Harris • Joyce Harris • Sandra Heitner • Frances Hellen • Molly Hellen • Bernard Henneman • Marilyn Herbert • Maryellen Herman • Marilyn Herman • Zev Hershtal • S. Jeffrey Hertz • Arthur Herzig • Lawrence Hildebrand • Irving Himel • Ken Hitzig • Ronna Hoffer • Ilana Hoffer • Rochelle Hoffman • Jack Holtzman • Bonnie Hoppe • Janet Horowitz • Fern Horowitz • Este Hughes • Martin Isaif • Jeffrey Itcush • Selina Itzkowitz • Martha James • Evelyn Jesin • Sam Joseph • Janice L. Joseph • Paul Joseph • Arlene Jubé • Ian Kady • Michael Kamien • Roslyn Kanigsberg • Jonathan Kantor • Gary Kapelus • Lawrie Kaplan • Alan Kaplan • Margaret Kardish • Martin Karp • Suzanne Karr • Brian Kasner • Henry Kates • Renee Katz • Reuben Katz • Sydney Katzman • Joy D Kaufman • Howard Kaufman • Steven G Kelman • Robert Kerzner • Paula Keyfitz • Dora Kichler •
Give now: thecjn.ca/donate
scan me
J.A. Halpern Finance Services Ltd. Seyglor Consultants Inc Cd Dr Jason Retter Inc Alan Greenspan Investments The Atid Charitable Foundation, Toddy Granovsky Daron Financial Inc Riffs Ltd. Jarell Development Inc Temins & Kroll Medicine Professional Corporation PJ Draper Professional Corporation Scout Holdings 3757960 Canada Inc. Chimp Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada) E & A Hollinger Friedberg Charitable Foundation GCI Gaming Consultants Corp Individual Investment Corporation The Schulich Foundation Mrs. Murphy’s Door Films Inc.
Debbie Kimel • Brian Kimmel • Patti Kirk • Joel Kirsh • Kenny Kirsh • Nathan Kirsh • Felice and Wayne Kirsh • Marion Kirsh • Rev. A Eliezer Kirshblum • Jack Kivenko • Ken Kivenko • Richard Kizell • Irina Kleiman • Susan Klein • Agnes V Klein • Francie Klein • Marsha Klerer • Irvin Klinghofer • Sharon Klug • Tom Kolin • Ellie Korenblum • Clifford Korman • Jack Kornblum • Stuart Korne • Saul Koschitzky • Alan Koval • Martin Koven • Rob Krakauer • Sarah Kranc • Larry Krauss • Ruth Krieger • Gerald Krigstin • Stanley Kugelmass • Esther Kulman • Eva Kuper • Brian Lack • Myrna Lambert • Barry Landsberg • Jacob Langer • Carlos and Cecile Laredo • Brian Lass • Myrna Lass • William and Nan Lassner • Allan Lax • Dr. Steven Lax • Miriam Lazarovits • Marvin Lean • Brian Lechem • Sandi Leibovici • Bonnie Leiner • Nathan Leipciger • Fred Leitner • Naomi Lerman • Molyn and Bonny Leszcz • Harvey Levenson • Bailey Levenson • Bernice Levin • Irwin & Kathy Levine • Lauren Levine • Saul Levine • Jacqueline Levine • Larry Levine • Holly Levinter • Richard Levy • Barbara Levy • L Levy • Sarah Libfeld • Alan Lieff • Marcia Lightman • Sheryl Lipton • Dr. Jeffrey Lipton • Selma Lis • Dr Bluma Litner Rosenstein • Allan Litovitz • Madeline Lobel • David Louis • Sidney Lubelsky • Ruthann Lubin • Gertrude Ludwig • Olga Luftig • Noel Lurie • Sherwin Lyman • Desre M Kramer • Neal & Joyce Madras • Elaine Mancini • Harvey Mandel • Lionel and Nancy Mandell • Arnold Marcus • Esther Margolian • Ellen Markin • David Markowitz • Chuck Markowitz • Helen Marks • Joel Maser • Gerald Mazin • James Mccrady • Myra Mechanic • Marni Mednick • Ronald Medoff • Sheldon Meingarten • Tom Meisels • Dr. Calvin Melmed • Leonard Melunsky • Doreen Menaker • Jeffrey Mendelsohn • Robert Mendelsohn • Roslyn Mendelson • Audrey Mercer • Mark Michaels • Joseph Michaelson • Lawrence Miller • Farrel Miller • Henza Miller • Leah Miller • Leonard Miller • Michael Millman • Aaron Milrad • Karen Minden • Gary Mintz • Susan Mintz • Brian Mirsky • Jason Monas • Sharon Moncarz • D. Todd Morganstein • Ron Morgenthal • Sandra Morris • John Morrissey • Peter Mortensen • Eric Moses • Ezra Moses • Lionel Moses • Maurice Moss • David Moyse • Bill Muller • Susan Munk • Emy Nahman • Gloria Naken • Marilyn Nayer • Queenie Nayman • Francine Nelson • Greg Newman • Reesa Newman • Cathy Newman • Howard Nightingale • Marlene Nirenberg • Morris Norman • Vita Novick • Sidney Nusinowitz • Ethne Nussbaum • Edythe Nussbaum • Annettte Oelbaum • Beverley Ogus • Economy Optical Optical • Susan Orenstein Little • Roslyn Ornstein • Simone Oziel • Avery Palevsky • Aaron Paul • Sharon Pearlstein • Lynn Pearson • Gerald Pearson • Sylvia Peck • Bernice Penciner • Deanna Peranson • Nancy Peressotti • Dennis Perlin • Gerry Pernica • Susan Pinchuk • Sheila Pinkus • Jonathan Plens • Nina Politzer • Mindy C Pollishuke • Gary Posen • Mark A. Potechin • Steven Potoker • Robert Presser • Gerald Pressman • Howard Price • Helen Price • Jonas Prince • Beverley Pulver Shaw • Joel Raby • Steven Rakoff • Reissa Rapkin • Barry Rashkovan • Marlene Rattner • Stuart Rechnitzer • Reuben & Beverly Redlick • Edward/Harriet Rice • Marlene Richardson • Diane Richler • Cynthia Richter • Ruth Ricki Gallen • Martin Risen • Matthew Ritter • Joe Rivietz • Annette Robicsek • Morris Robinson • Ira Robinson • Rammy Rochman • Brenda Rodier • Lewis Rose • Ellen Roseman • Barry Rosen • Dawn Rosen • Jacob Rosenberg • Frank Rosenberg • Gordon Rosenberg • Marvin Rosenblatt • Mark Rosenhek • Gerald Rosenstein • Deanna Rosenswig • Estelle Rosenthal • Judith Ross • Joyce Ross • Tammy Ross • Judi Ross • Judith Rossdeutscher • Lorraine Rotbard • Meir Rotenberg • Sheila Roth • Millard Roth • Sherryn Roth • Susan Roth • Alice Roth • Gella Rothstein • Roslyn Rotin • Coleman Rotstein • Robert Rottapel • Deborah Ruben • Honey Rubenstein • Bruce Rubin • Anthony Rubin • Robert Rubinoff • Perry Rush • Anthony Rustin • Rosette Rutman • Carolee Sadavoy • Mark Saffer • Stanley Sager • Elliot Salmons • Frances Saltzman • Shelah Saltzman • Esther Salve-Hindel • Keith Samitt • Dorothy Samson • Gary Samuel • Howard Sandler • Alan Sandler • Ian Sandler • Les Saperia • Rebecca Satov • Jack Schachter • Beverly Schaeffer • Melissa Schafer • Michael Schelew • Helen Scherer • Lionel Schipper • Bernard Schneider • Kayla Schneiderman • Debra Schneiderman • Selma Schneiderman • Ian Schnoor • Jacques Schoenberg • Tanna Schulich • Pearl Schusheim • Inessa Schwartz • Earl Schwartz • Alison Schwartz • Caryl Schwartz • Seymour Schwartz • Neil Schwartzbein • Avron Seetner • Brian Segal • Mary Seldon • Cindy Seligman • Hart Sernick • Dorothy Shaffer • Brenda Shamash • Heather Shapero • Robert Shapiro • Alvin Shapiro • Annette Shapiro • Bernard J. Shapiro • David Shapiro • Alan Lerman Sharon Cohen • Ricki Sharpe • Allan Sheff • Ann Shendroff • Todd Sheriff • Marvin Sherkin • Philip Sherman • Francine Sherman • Jeffrey Sherman • Janet Sherman • Victor & Rhoda Shields • Stanley Shier • Aviva Shiff • Gary Shiff • Diane Shiffman • Chull-Ho Shin • Benjamin Shinewald • Jack Shore • Eric Shostak • Suzanne Shuchat • Thelma Shulman • Jonathan Siegel • Jonathan Sigler • Allan Silber • Dr Brian Silver • Rochelle Silverberg • Evelyn Simon • Arthur Simon • Charles Simon • Michael Sinclair • Sharon Singer • Sueann Singer • Morley Sirlin • Eric Slavens • Dr. Leonard Slepchik • Howard Slepkov • Rita Small • Peter Small • Michel Socha • Lorne Sokol • Anne Sokoloff • Jeffrey Sole • Karen Solomon • Renata Somers • Hana Sommers • A Sorkin • Rebecca Sorokin • Walter Sowa • Sean Spector • Albert Speisman • Julius Spivack • Esther Spring • Hannah Springer • Hope Springman Norwich • Laura Stambler • Gordon Starkman • Rita Starkman • Wendy Steinberg • Evelyn Steinberg • Debbie Steinberg • Leesa Steinberg • Norman Steinberg • Melvin Steinhart • Maurice H. Stekel • Howard Sterling • Dr. Martin Sterling • Lilly Stern • Mona Strasberg • Louis Strauss • Etta Sugarman • Carol Sussman • Leonard Sussman • Martin Sversky • Howard Szalavetz • Barbara Szeicz • Dr Julio Szmuilowicz • Irene Szylinger • Claire Tabak • Bella Tamir • Howard Tanenbaum • Helen Tannenbaum • Stephen Tanny • Beverley Tarshis Lengyel • Mark Teitelbaum • Frances Telch • Suzanne Tepper • Ruth Toplitsky • Renee Topper • Jane Trachtenberg • Marshall Train • Rosalyn Train • Cyrel Troster • Karen Truster • Harry Turk • Annabel Turner • Richard Uditsky • David Urbach • Robert Urback • Murray Urowitz • Anthony Usher • Dora Usher • John Uster • Carol Mitchell Richa Venn • Elaine Vininsky • Leonard E. Vis • Michael Wagman • Debbie Waks • Mark Waldman • Susan Walsh • Ashley Waltman • Marla Waltman • Rayla Wasserman • Gary Waters • Stanley Wax • Louis Waxman • Charles Weinberg • Edward Weinberg • Joe Weinberg • Sheryl Weinberger • Phil Weinstein • Russell Weiss • Anne & Randolph Weisz • Daniel Weisz • Edward Weisz • Ann Weiszmann • George Weitzenfeld • Graham Wells • Sol Werb • Bradley Wiener • Lawrence Wiener • Mark Wiltzer • Edward Wiltzer • Libby and Charles Winograd • Pauline Wintraub • Maxine Wintre • Ralph Wintrob • Linda Wise • Lee Wise • Phyllis Wiseman • Michael Wiseman • Nan and Jack Wiseman • Lilly Wisenberg • Rita Witkin • Beverly Wohl • Sheila Wolf • Barbara Wolfe • Harry Wolle • Irwin Wortsman • Avi Wurman • Rafi Yablonsky • Terry Yanowski • Charles Yolleck • Zvi Zaffir • Morty Zafran • Cheryl Zale • Samuel Zaltz • Toby Zarnett • Martin Zarnett • Lorne Zeiler • Sharon Zeiler • Stephen Zener • Mila Zigelman • Mark Zigler • Carole Herman Zucker • Howard and Diane Zweig
Shaymar Holdings Inc Zwiebel & Associates
The Binah Charitable Foundation The Morris & Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation Sharp Foundation UJA Federation Philanthropic Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto The Jewish Community Foundation, Jack and Diane Altman Fund The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal, Daniel Frajman Fund The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal, Peter Veres Fund The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal, Simon Rossdeutscher Family Foundation The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal, Polachek Family Foundation
THECJN.CA 3
Conquering cancellation
How an uninvited series of Barbie and Ken photo tableaux led Vancouver artist Dina Goldstein to confront antisemitism
BY SAM MARGOLIS
“ It was a show about toys. There was no reason to remove me because of the context of the work. It was not a platform for a conversation about the war.” Dina Goldstein, a Canadian photographer born in Tel Aviv, is talking about how her work was pulled from Toy Story . The thematic group exhibition was scheduled from May 9 to June 29 at the Center of International Contemporary Art (CICA) in Vancouver—the city where her family moved in 1975, when she was five years old, and where she still lives today. Moving out on her own to the bohemian neighbourhood of Gastown inspired her to pursue a creative career. “In the art world it was accepted and required that you need to have your own voice,” Goldstein told The CJN in the wake of her being told her work wasn’t welcome by CICA in late April. “Now they are trying to shut down those voices for no reason.” The photographs kept from display are a series of tableaux from 2012 involving Barbie and Ken, over a decade before the blond characters were reborn as Hollywood icons. In the Dollhouse is a satire of situations in domestic life, sometimes with a risqué approach to social commentary. Musée d’Orsay in Paris requested to include one of its images in its Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera catalogue: “Haircut” was directly inspired by Khalo’s Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair . But in the heated discussions surrounding the removal of works by an Israeli-born artist at a Vancouver gallery, which she claimed was due to voicing support for her homeland, many were unaware
10
THECJN.CA 11
“Bathroom Mirror”, 2012
a scuffle that involved rocks being hurled at journalists. “That was probably the scariest thing I have ever been through as a photographer,” recounted Goldstein. “By the end, we were all so thirsty. Somebody from Palestinian television gave us some water. An Israeli soldier was there too, and we were all drinking from the same water.
that Goldstein would have been the only artist in the show—which ultimately became an all-male lineup of nine artists whose work was similarly inspired by toys—to have ever visited Gaza. National news coverage for the CICA exhibition, including a detailed recap of her abrupt cancellation on The CJN’s daily news website, only managed to sidetrack Goldstein for a few days. She’s been busy with several concurrent projects, which include
“I was thinking, if we could all just sit down and drink from the same water, this thing could be resolved.” After that frightening moment, the trip to the Middle East evolved into a portrait series that proved more interesting to Goldstein than what she saw on the battleground. It’s a series that covers everyday life in the region: children laughing, girls in a classroom, a young boy selling candy apples on the street and a man riding in a donkey-drawn cart, among other images. “I was always interested in the Palestinian people and what life was like for them there. I wanted to know who these people are, and what I discovered is that most people are very nice and welcom-
being part of a summer exhib- ition in Stöckelkeller, Germany, a television show based on another of her photographic series, Fallen Princesses , and a book project chronicling the first 30 years of her career. It was at the Jewish Western Bulletin (now the Jewish Independ- ent ) where Goldstein started her career in the early 1990s, captur- ing the community for black-and- white newspaper pages. Later that decade, as Canadian print media still had significant travel budgets, she picked up assignments for The Globe and Mail and Saturday Night . One of those journeys involved
Goldstein’s photos from Gaza and West Bank, 1999
ing. I think because I am friendly and approachable that people invited me into their homes,” says Goldstein, who also went to the Jabalia refugee camp created by the United Nations in 1948—that was a target for Israel during the war of 2024.
photographing life in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, during which she spent a week-and-a-half in the Palestinian areas, including a stay at the storied Windmill Hotel in Gaza City. On her first day in Gaza, she went directly to Rafah, and found herself in the middle of
12
Goldstein in Gaza, 1999
elected figures ( The 10 Commandments , 2019). Like many artists, the pandemic lockdown gave Goldstein a win- dow to focus on archiving her past work, and the resulting publica- tion of the pieces she cherishes most will be titled XXX . Now, she’s working on Mistresspieces , that will shed a different
To assess the tensions properly, she believes one needs critical thinking abilities and a knowledge of history: “You have to come to it with an understanding and an openness to understand what is really happening.” Back in Vancouver in the early 2000s, with her mother diagnosed
light on how women were portrayed in some of the most famous paintings ever, such as The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, and the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Her aim is to shift the spotlight to recognize the subjects more than the artists. And that’s also how Goldstein has increasingly come to see herself after the Toy Story incident, as a “hybrid” who feels too Israeli for Canada, yet also too Canadian for Israel. Playing with percep- tions was already a central theme in her work. Now her own legacy includes the experience of being sidelined for what she considered antisemitism, even if the CICA gallery told her some contradictory
with cancer and a young daughter enamoured with fairy-tale heroines, Goldstein began work on Fallen Princesses. The 10-piece series, created from 2007 to 2009, features humanized ver- sions of characters like Snow White, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood confronting scourges like cancer, addiction, obesity, war and environ- mental degradation. It also gave her a taste of viral internet attention. “It was recognized for many reasons, not only the artwork. It was a time when a lot of parents were asking questions of Disney. For example, why are their female characters always victims? This is not the world our girls are being born into, and it was just really outdated.” ( Grimm Lane is the title of a video adaptation that Goldstein hopes can be sold to a major streaming platform.)
Goldstein would have been the only woman artist in the show, as well as the only to have ever visited Gaza.
technical and artistic reasons were behind its decision. “We see these characters in storytelling, and how storytelling is important yet deceiving,” says Goldstein. “I try to say that with my alternate realities.” Sam Margolis is a Victoria-based contributor to The CJN who has written for The Globe and Mail , National Post , United Press International, MSNBC, and the Jewish Independent .
In the Dollhouse followed three years later, and then her 20 years of professional work were marked in her own studio with a retrospective of 20 pieces. The past decade found Goldstein cre- ating series exploring both mainstream and fringe religions ( Gods of Suburbia , 2014), a reconceptualization of 1930s illustrated advertising posters ( Modern Girl , 2016), a series drawing from Jewish folklore ( Snapshots from the Garden of Eden, 2017) and an examination of the socio-political fabric of the U.S. through its
THECJN.CA 13
14
THECJN.CA 15
16
Alan Zweig talks to Ralph Benmergui about trading his
What’s the worst that could happen?
documentary camera for a podcast microphone— to ask celebrities terrible personal questions
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NAOMI HARRIS EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
W hile widely recognized for looking in the mirror to capture himself as the narrator of several documentary films—that started with his compulsive record-col- lecting confessions in the 2000 release Vinyl —a new chapter in Alan Zweig’s career begins in September as host of The Worst Podcast produced by Canadaland, the media company founded a decade ago by Jesse Brown. The task of getting celebrities to disclose their most loathsome behaviour alternated with the making of a movie in which he retraces the steps of friends who died by
suicide, a production that has taken him as far as Cambodia. Confessions have long been a fixture of his work, from talking to naysayers in I, Curmudgeon, to probing the romantically challenged in Lovable . Later films had greater emotional intensity: the saga of one-legged cancer fundraiser Steve Fonyo, ex-convicts readjusting to society, and former police officers recounting their traumas. Zweig was also behind When Jews Were Funny , an exploration of how the ethnic hu- mour he grew up with faded from fashion. It’s a topic aligned with the passions of
Ralph Benmergui, who was initially known in Toronto as a stand-up comedian— but that came after he got some seminal screen time, thanks to a slightly older friend trying to find his own way with a camera. Now, as Benmergui settles into steadily hosting Not That Kind of Rabbi for The CJN Podcast Network, he paid a visit to Zweig’s house in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, to catch up and contemplate how their paths are still crossing, 50 years after a deal involving a waterbed. This interview is edited and condensed from a dialogue that took place hours
THECJN.CA 17
dining on those stories for the rest of your life. He never said a word about it besides, “I never shot a man in anger.” This was six months of my life when I was 21. And I know it changed my life. I was on the Jewish route to law school. In Grade 13 I read Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and I thought I’ve got to get off this road to law school. When I got into Osgoode Hall I said, OK, give me a year to travel. And had I gone to England and Switzerland
the coolest people you’ve ever met. I didn’t have to pay any price in Forest Hill by hav- ing long hair and smoking dope and trying to be cool—there was nothing pushing back against that. But they had a big pushback, you can imagine. And they accepted me in some way that made me think I could make a meal of this story. But why did I need that acceptance? Why didn’t I have that accept- ance? I didn’t think I was allowed to be this version of myself.
before the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. Listen to more conversations with Ralph Benmergui at thecjn.ca/ntkr. —Michael Fraiman, director, The CJN Podcast Network Ralph Benmergui: The first time we were ever in the same room together was in 1974, in the first place I lived outside of my parents’ house in Toronto: 312 Avenue Rd. I get there and see a guy sitting on a futon bed. There’s a Hindu tapestry thing on the wall, and he’s smoking a beedi cigarette from India. I’m at an age where if I’m 19 and you’re 22, 23, 24 years old it’s like— wow, this is a guy from another generation. Alan Zweig: What I remember is that I was going on a trip to Boulder, Colorado, to sit in at Naropa University. I took poetry classes with Allen Ginsberg. I was going to be gone for a couple weeks and my room was going to be free. And I had a waterbed, which I thought you and your then-girlfriend would enjoy spending a couple weeks on. That’s how I remember how we met. RB: OK, now I remember too, but I also recall you were sitting there in a very South Asian pose.
AZ: It was a moment when I seemed older and wiser—it was a moment that didn’t last.
RB: But do you think there’s any residue from all of those India experiences in your life today? AZ: It was 50 years ago this past fall, and I’m still in touch with the people I went there with, including two girls from Texas who were very important to my coming of age story, and the two guys who are cur- rently in Vancouver and Salt Spring Island. I suggested the five of us get together again because you could easily make a movie about it. One of us ended up in prison in Iran for trying to smuggle hash. One of us had a kid. One of us had a schizophrenic breakdown on the beach in Goa, and I put them on a plane back to Toronto. And one of them just said, “A long time ago I knew you for a very short time.” Lots of things have happened to all of us since. I compare it to my father who was in the Second World War. How did he deal with friends who died while flying in planes over Germany? You would have PTSD, but also
and Amsterdam instead of India, I think I would’ve come home and gotten the law degree. Somehow on the road in India I was like, OK, I don’t have to do what’s being expected of me for the rest of my life. RB: You had a Dharma Bum thing going on. We can look at life differently than the way we do. AZ: And that’s what happened. These two ladies from Texas I mentioned, Lisa and Jenny, were like older sisters to me. I’ve found that people from repressive places, if they escaped those places, they’d be
I went to India again the next year because I didn’t know what to do. I figured I’d go to York University for filmmaking, then a guy there told me Sheridan College in Oakville had more of what I wanted. York people made Hollywood films, narrative films. The teachers at Sheridan were experimental. RB: And that’s where we intersected again, your student movie called The Boys , which was about four friends hanging out togeth- er. But why did you choose me to play one of them?
AZ: I was just casting—I didn’t know how much
18
didn’t really know me. Don’t pretend. When I won the 2013 award for Best Canadian Feature—not the best documen- tary, the best film overall—at the Toronto International Film Festival for When Jews Were Funny , I said to my then-wife: I guess I can’t use that narrative anymore. I’m now trying to write a one-man show, and I wanted it to be all about failure. My girlfriend, who’s a theatre director, tells me a little goes a long way. And it’s like, really? I could do hours about failure, I’ll never stop remembering it.
makes people feel good is feeling that somebody else has the same issues. You’re not alone. And yeah, it also relates to the fact that I have a persona. I even made a docu- mentary called I, Curmudgeon , although that was meant to be an ironic joke. But you know how your Not That Kind of Rabbi podcast is about spirituality? This part of my life is also spiritual. I’ve seen people affected by sad things in my films, espe- cially the one about ex-cons, A Hard Name . People told me that it changed their heart. I didn’t get that before, but now it’s an article of faith for me. Now, if I ask you to be in my films, you can say no. But I really want to encourage you to tell your sad story, because it’ll be good for other people. That’s what people need in a way. They need to hear about something specific, rather than general. My spiritual feeling is that we exist in the world to tell each other our stories, to make us feel like we’re connected. That’s why I make documentaries about people’s lives, and not about a baseball game or a famous person. RB: You know that Pixar animated movie Inside Out ? I showed it to my youngest son, because I wanted him to see that you don’t have to keep telling people that you’re OK and everything’s fine, because you need sadness to have a full life. You can’t just be, pull up your socks, go get them. And that’s a really important lesson for kids because otherwise we just take our sadness out to the backyard, bury it, and pretend we’re not that—because those people are not suc- ceeding in life, right? So when I think of how that can be part of a spiritual journey, the spiritual part for you, the sharing moment where we’re vulnerable? Because in some of the work I do as a spiritual director, you have to move people toward sadness, and toward death. AZ: That’s part of the reason I wanted to make a documentary about suicide. I was hoping my fear of death might mitigate a little if I made a film about death. The other thing in my identity is that I’m an old dad. I was almost 59 when my daughter was born. So, part of the thing is to put as much into her as you can, pack it in so that if I die when she’s 18 or something, she will be full of you. And unfortunately, one of the things I packed in during her childhood was sarcasm.
you would dominate. There was no such thing as docudrama back then, but that’s what it was. I had a final cut I really liked, and that’s where I caught the bug, you guys being bored together at Mister Donut at the corner of St. Clair and Vaughan, which had just opened at the time. There was a shot I had of all four of you sitting there waiting, and I thought that was the perfect ending.
RB: Years later, I saw you through the window at a coffee shop right after they
announced the Hot Docs film festival lineup. You were part of the press confer- ence, but you looked like you’d just run over your own dog. I remember telling you to be happier about everything. Like, you’re Alan Zweig now, people think you’re great at this, you know? AZ: But I always defined my life and my career in terms of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. When I made Vinyl , I was 48, and that was the first tiny bit of success I had after 25 years of utter struggle. If some- body met me from that point on, I felt like if you didn’t know me when I was a failure, you
RB: And you’re doing a podcast where you ask other people about their darkest moments too. AZ: That’s part of my thinking that there are things nobody talks about, and it would be good if they had a chance to. You ask a friend how they’re doing and they’ll respond that their life is going great. I know people who stopped being friends because this guy told him how great life was going and he was like, “I can’t be your friend any- more.” So, the idea is based on how what
THECJN.CA 19
RB: I also do sarcasm. But you know, I have two sets of kids, and the second set were born when I was 50 and 53—they’re now 14 and 18, the other two are 34 and 37. People keep telling me the same thing: it keeps you young. And I always say no, it doesn’t keep you young. It makes you not want to die. When I had cancer, my young- est was two-and-a-half, and I’m reading I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch to him. And I’m thinking, if this doesn’t work out, I’m just nothing to him, I evaporate. I’m just someone they tell him about, and he has no actual understanding or mem- ory of me. It does bring an urgency to life. But I think that’s a good thing. AZ: It keeps you young only in the sense that by age 65 or 66, you could possibly walk around less. But in my one-man show I have a story about playing a game with my daughter where you chase her and she runs ahead of you laughing, and then you run up behind her and she hears you and she laughs and she runs ahead. She has gears that I don’t have anymore. She’s running towards the road, cack- ling—and now I have to actually run, or my version of running, which means pounding the pavement: Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! And I grab her before she gets to the road. At that age, I’d have never run. It doesn’t keep you young. I always wanted a kid, but when you talk about my dyspeptic nature, it’s still there. I can’t get rid of it. But because of my daugh-
his name. But then I saw his name and I was like: Oh, I know who you are. I’ve been completely in control of all my films, I don’t use anything that I don’t want to use. I don’t think about the theme, I don’t think about the message, I don’t think about metaphors. I just think about not being boring and throwing balls in the air, keeping them there to the end. That’s my whole gig. So, I don’t know if I can be good for half an hour, pointed. Then again, I find a lot of nice podcasts are boring, and I’m afraid mine will also be boring—but they’ll be happy with my boring podcast. RB: Different people work in different ways. Like, if I’m going to go out and talk to an audience or a group, my wife will say, “Well, what are you going to say?” And I’m not being disingenuous in admitting I have no idea. “How could you have no idea?” I say, because it’ll have to happen. I’ll be in front of them. I just can’t stand there. I have faith in the fact that something will happen. AZ: Well, that might be true. You know, the first one was OK, I’m doing four more, but they’re not even ordering a whole season. I’ll be recording five episodes and they’re gonna put them out there. The thing is, if it doesn’t work and they don’t want it, I’ll feel like I gave it a shot. RB: You could always do another one, and you could call that show I Should’ve Been a Lawyer. n
ter and my girlfriend and my career, I can say I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
RB: Given your ambivalence about pro- jects, what are you hoping for with The Worst Podcast ? I can probably get Ralph Benmergui to talk to me like this, I wouldn’t be nervous. But it’s a concept you have to work towards if you’ve never met the guest before. AZ: Well, I’m ambivalent because when I went to the producers at Canadaland, I wanted to do something like This Amer- ican Life . It turned out they wanted me to do an interview show instead of audio documentaries. And rather than plugging their book, I’ll ask a celebrity about the worst thing they ever said to their mother. I can probably get Ralph Benmergui to talk to me like this, I wouldn’t be nerv- ous. But it’s a concept you have to work towards if you’ve never met the guest before. I was nervous about the first one, but I said not to tell me who it is, I didn’t look at
20
Advertorial
Looking back on our first year at the Toronto Holocaust Museum
Students explore the Toronto Holocaust Museum.
through traditions and culture while also exploring the Holocaust through thematic lenses with community partners and experts.
Since opening a year ago, the Toronto Holocaust Museum (THM) has become an essential space for dialogue and reflection, fostering understanding and remembrance during these challenging times. The Museum is proud to be a place where people of all backgrounds, from across Toronto reflect on this difficult past, how it contributes to our present, and informs our collective future. At the core of the museum experience are the voices of Holocaust survivors sharing their stories. Their unique insight provides visitors with a view into individual experiences, deep trauma, and admirable resilience. now more than ever, it is important to visit the museum anD learn from the experiences of holocaust survivors. Over the past year we have welcomed nearly 50,000 visitors to the Museum, including thousands of students. We hope that when people visit the museum, they find a way to see themselves reflected in this history and connect with its legacy as Canadians who each play a role in protecting and promoting civil society. More than ever, education is needed to promote understanding and empathy.
It was an amazing, inspiring, anD honouring experience to view the holocaust through the eyes of those affecteD, but also by following them after the holocaust anD learning about how canaDa playeD a role in their postwar survival.
During a perioD of unpreceDenteD
antisemitism, the toronto holocaust museum stanDs as a beacon for learning, civil Discourse, anD reflection. The legacy of the Holocaust and its vital lessons are in each of our hands. While we persevere through this challenging time, it is incumbent on all of us to examine and remember our shared past to consider our resilience, strength, and commitment to a Jewish future.
— TDSB Student
Throughout the year, the THM has trained hundreds of educators providing them with tools and resources for foundational teaching, extending the learning into the classroom. Through our dynamic public programs, we have explored the beauty and depth of Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. We have brought generations together to learn from a shared past
We look forward to welcoming you to the THM.
Plan Your Visit Today
MUSEUM HOURS
As a supporter of the CJN, the THM is pleased to offer you 25% off your next visit to the Museum until August 29. Use the promo code CJN2024 to apply the discount to your ticket at checkout.
Sunday-Tuesday & Thursday | 10am – 5pm Wednesday | 10am – 8pm Closed on Sundays and Mondays of long weekends in the summer.
torontoholocaustmuseum.org
What is Jewish music, anyway?
Avi Finegold scales the sounds of Niggun MiSinai
M ost people have some idea of what Jewish food is—or, at least, they think they do. They probably even have some opinions about it: which versions of certain recipes they prefer, which are more authentic. But the truth is there is hardly any food that is natively, inherently Jewish. Whether you think of Ashkenazi classics like matzah balls, smoked meat, or bagels, or staples of Israeli cuisine like falafel and hummus, the foods we think of as Jewish have all come from the lived environments Jews found themselves in. These foods be- came incorporated into Jewish culture sim- ply by being there at the right moments in
We still, typically, hear artists grafting Jewish lyrics onto existing musical genres. Thus we have Matisyahu performing middling reggae with lyrics pulled from Hasidic teachings, or Nefesh Mountain, an ace bluegrass band with Jewish summer-camp vibes. Does it matter that a casual listener of the music might not even be aware that it is Jewish? The very fact that we can ask the question highlights the reality that lyrics and intent aren’t enough to make music Jewish. Zale Newman, a Toronto hedge fund manager with deep roots as a Jewish music performer and producer, argues that the way music is used—the context in which it
time and hanging around for long enough. The same argument can be made for Jewish music. When we tend to think of klezmer or the Middle Eastern modes that typify Jewish music, it is not a far leap to point to existing sounds in the folk or art music of whatever milieu that music was made in. The inherently Jewish aspects of “Jewish” music are generally related to the lyrics rather than the music itself, that are borrowed from prayer or psalms. But the rest of it—what the music actually sounds like—is influenced by our surroundings. Much of what is described as Jewish music today is a continuation of this trend.
22
Mordechai Ben David
Lipa Schmeltzer
Bracha Jaffe
Yaakov Shwekey
THECJN.CA 23
Haredi music is a soundtrack for people’s lives—the sonic wallpaper in many Jewish stores and homes. I like to imagine the writers of these songs as they pen what they hope will be the next big hit, wondering if it will sound good at a wedding or during The Musaf service—but also if a 14-year-old will connect with it alone in their bedroom, or a middle-aged parent will feel impelled to turn it on while driving their kids to school. Contemporary Haredi music is a soundtrack for people’s lives—the sonic wallpaper in many Jewish stores and homes.
we have music that melodically is firmly rooted in the arena-rock and power ballads of the 1990s and early 2000s. This feels simultaneously current enough (in that it isn’t ‘60s folk music) but also retro enough to not be too contemporary and, by extension, “goyish.” With its emphasis on strong melodic hooks, it’s also very singable: someone leading Mussaf or a group at a Shabbat table can really get into it. Interestingly, Jewish versions of this sub- genre sound remarkably similar to Christian Evangelical worship music. Haredi Jews and Evangelicals are generally not aware of this, but are quick to hear the similarities if you play each a sample of the other’s music. The similarities make sense: both have origins in late-20th century popular music and share the goal of inspiring people to worship. Then we have music for weddings and other joyous occasions. This has been heavily influenced by electronic dance music (EDM) and other genres originally
is played—defines its Jewishness. “We only use music at very particular occasions,” he said to me recently. “So we use it for dancing, for a wedding, and things like that. We use it for serious times, like parts of the davening… we want to reflect happiness or sadness or seriousness.” As someone who has had headphones of some kind of another firmly planted onto my skull long before iPods existed, I wonder about what this means about all the other music that we listen to. Most Jews nowa- days, even those who “do Jewish” in much of their lives, do not exclusively listen to Jewish music; this, I would argue, says something about how integrated the sound of music has become both inside and out- side the Jewish community. Which brings me, perhaps surprisingly, to the matter of haredi music. Here are some truths about contemporary haredi music: it is one of the only genres of music that has listeners who listen to it ex- clusively, it has managed to create a specif- ic sound that is immediately recognizable, and it can be irresistibly catchy despite its unrefined melodies and lyrics that are often beyond trite. All of which makes it a great lens through with to examine some of the questions raised above, about what makes music not just incidentally, but characteris- tically Jewish. If you’re unfamiliar with the genre I’m calling Contemporary Haredi, it is a distinct sound that has been building momentum for over 30 years. As with other genres, it has its superstars: Mordechai Ben David, Yaakov Shwekey, and Lipa Schmelczer are some of the biggest names. Lyrically, the music draws primarily on biblical and litur- gical sources, layered with original lyrics in English that are begging for a rewrite. Con- temporary Haredi has its origins in cantorial music and Hassidic songs, blended with the folk and rock sounds of the 1970s and ‘80s. As time passed, technology became more advanced, and synthesizers became both more complex and less expensive, the sound evolved. Today it has not only be- come ubiquitous in the haredi community but has often crossed over into the general Jewish population (you know if you’ve ever danced to “Mashiach” at a hora) and occa- sionally gone globally viral as well (look up the Miami Boys Choir on TikTok). This is, decidedly, not just music that is reserved for simchas and prayer; it has crossed into everyday life. Contemporary
Lipa Schmeltzer and Avraham Fried
intended as club music. This is music engineered to be danceable and viscer- al, and its translation to the haredi world makes a certain amount of practical sense. It is often producer driven and created at a computer and keyboard rather than with a full band in a studio. In a world where cost-effectiveness is a virtue, having music that can be created by one person and per- formed at a wedding without requiring a full band (or any band at all) has its merits. A certain amount of sense—but not entire- ly. In the non-Jewish world, EDM is the last
This is a good example of creating a framework for the idea of Jewish music as such. For many Jews, much of the time, when they listen to Jewish (or “Jew-ish”) music, they are doing so more out of a sense of nostalgia and tradition, or a sense of obligation, or in virtue of circumstance. This doesn’t negate the Jewishness of that music, but it doesn’t bode well for it as a living, evolving part of culture, either. What I’ve been calling Haredi Contem- porary includes a couple of different sub-genres, as it were. On the one hand
24
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator