Generally an adored musician, Ashdot has found himself in the center of a controversy that is rocking Israeli society in a different way than he is used to. This week the Director of Galatz גל”צ, one of the two nationwide radio stations operated by the IDF, ruled that Ashdot’s latest song עניין של הרגל “A Matter of Habit” could not be performed or played on the station.

While Galatz is an army radio station run by the Ministry of Defense, this has not stopped it being a voice of free expression and a lynchpin in the cultural development of the State of Israel. For Galatz to censor or ban a song is almost unheard of. And banning an Izhar Ashdot song… unthinkable.

I had already heard rumors on the blogosphere as to the problematic nature of the song including a couple of open letters from would-be politicians/minor celebrities questioning Ashdot’s thinking; but until Galatz banned the song I hadn’t taken the time to listen to it.

With a fellow Israeli in my office I pulled the song up on YouTube and we watched the official music video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There is no doubt this is a painful song which sets its sights on Israeli society and in particular the Army for creating a culture of fear and hatred which make killing “a matter of habit”. This exaggerated and one-sided criticism tempers a deeper message in the song, as Ashdot really seems to be saying that we have backed ourselves into a corner, convinced ourselves that it is us against the World and placed our existential threats on a pedestal that has become identity defining.

Ashdot claimed in an interview that, “A song becomes political when it is treated in that way.” But some might argue that a song becomes political when it contains the line, “Patrolling all night in the Kasbah of Shechem. Hey what here is ours and what is yours?”

We have a habit in Israel of making valid points in such strong words, sometimes even extremist, that the original message is lost. (As an aside, in America I have found the exact opposite: valid points made in such weak, consensual language that I can no longer identify the original message.) Peace Now is against Settling the West Bank, a legitimate opinion, yet they often portray Settlers as the enemy and use overly painful terms in describing their opponents.

Likud often questions the validity of biased human rights organizations run by Israelis who are funded by foreign governments, again a legitimate opinion, but by framing these organizations as traitors, the argument loses its own validity. Ashdot has fallen in this trap.

He ends the song with the words, “To learn how to love, is a matter of delicacy”, and it’s a shame that he hasn’t heeded his own advice. For, with all the delicacy of a hammer Ashdot has saddened and angered mainstream Israel with an apparent attack on the most beloved institution (the IDF), when he could have artistically side-stepped naming names and had a deeper effect. We can’t really blame him, it’s all a matter of habit.

The writer is Makom’s Community Shaliach and Israel Engager in Greater Washington

The post A Matter of Habit appeared first on Makom Israel.

A combination of fear at what clear-eyed critique might reveal, and a general moral laziness was leading people to kick back, hang out, and enjoy a vacuous kind of dance music. The song was performed in a virtuoso replica of the very genre HaDag Nachash were critiquing. Namely, party-mood, bazooki-tinged clap-fest Mediterranean music. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

So what happened since Consolation Song named the beast? How has Israeli music addressed the ongoing political, economic, and moral morass we find ourselves as ensconced in as we were two years ago?

In two different extreme directions.

Ivri Lider and Mook E went hyper-political, and Benny Bashan went escapist parody.

Mazal Tov Israel is one of those political-chic songs that remind you of how amazing it was that somehow rock’n’roll was able to be both anti-establishment and hyper-capitalist at the same time.

This is a song whose clip was filmed in the news studios of Channel 2, and as such gained a mention on the news itself – a shameless plug from the ‘man’ if ever there was one.

The clip is another example of one of those cute and cool videos that Lider and his side-kick Jonny Goldstein are becoming known for. Turning stone-throwing mobs, out-of-control MKs, and oppressed Palestinian women into clubbing dancers is simple genius, and the music is great.

At the same time one’s left with a feeling that the whole package lacks a punch. As if the forces of evil have just been tickled with a feather. We aren’t left with the impression that the bad guys have been laughed at or ridiculed, but that a few kids have giggled behind their hands.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m always excited when a new protest song emerges in Israel, or at least a song that in some way refers to Israeli existence. But here the critique feels a little too sneering, too condescending and too hip to buzz anyone other than a small clique.

By contrast, Israel’s Mediterranean music stars have been working hard at reducing our brain cells bit by bit. The lyrics to your average (brilliantly sung and performed) Mediterranean song seems to be carefully designed not to get in the way of the beat. Or thought. The rhymes are so banal even I could have written them, and Hebrew writing is not my strongpoint. (Let’s face it, bearing in mind every plural word in Hebrew ends in either “im” or “ot”, one needs to work a little harder than a rhyme to create poetry.) As yet another woman is compared to stars, sky, or royalty, I am sometimes reminded of the section in Orwell’s 1984 where he describes a computer that churns out love songs for the proles to sing…

Benny Bashan didn’t go the way of HaDag Nachash and Shaanan Streett. Streett’s lyrics in Consolation Song are some of the most sophisticated I’ve seen, endlessly playing in and out of sounds and meaning. The penultimate verse needs to be heard to be believed. He manages to say “Take the lid off the pan/Take the morals out of the ministers/Take the messages out of the songs” (1:48) in such intense rhythmic alliterative Hebrew that at first it’s difficult to realise they are separate words.

Benny Bashan’s critique went in the way of parody. And there it got sucked into another dimension altogether.

Click here to view the embedded video.

His lyrics and singing are so basic, so primitive, so downright ungrammatical – they are almost funny. In fact, most people are of the opinion that his intention was to be funny.

The thing is that as well as being funny, the song’s kind of cute.

And it does, as it mock-exhorts, make you want to clap your hands. As a result, it’s become a huge hit.

And everyone has forgotten that it was supposed to be a parody.

A parody of what? Who knows any more?

When our politics are so underwhelming, the surrounding neighborhood so unstable, social justice protests so horrific, and even the Olympics are against us – maybe the world has just turned inside out.

Pass the Campari. Crazy!

The post Clap Your Hands! Campari! – from protest to parody and back appeared first on Makom Israel.

What happens to a small close-knit community when 11 of its members are buried in one day?

What forms of mourning and meaning are available to this community, when religion is foresworn? And when the 11 young men all died fighting for Israel in the Yom Kippur war, how should their secular kibbutz now relate to Yom Kippur?

The DVD with English subtitles is available from Makom for a fee of $50, which includes shipping and rights for one public screening – makom@jafi.org

Full Guide

The post Unetane Tokef – A film to screen for Selichot appeared first on Makom Israel.

We believe that one of the most beautiful expressions of להיות עם חופשי בארצנו (To be a Free People in Our Land) is the flourishing of Jewish culture and art that has come as a natural progression from the Jewish people building a thriving society in their ancestral homeland.

 Click here for the downloadable pdf.

 Goals:

Reaching intimacy with Israeli popular culture.

Our identity is enriched and informed by many aspects of popular culture, yet Israeli popular culture often remains distant from us due to language. Thankfully, technology and our own creativity can now act as a bridging tool.

In this activity, we will look at the way videos of several popular Israeli rock songs  communicate – through visuals and through translations. We will then make our own interpretive music videos, and share our finished products with one another.

In this way, through creative interpretation, we will ‘own’ Israeli songs that tell fascinating and different stories about Israel today.

Part one – what does a video do?

In class, explore three songs and their video representations.

In this way the class will gain a language and an appreciation of the potential of this form.

1. “Hebrewman”, by Ehud Banai

 An interpretative music video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Speak up, the language of the Hebrewman 
Loud and clear! the language of the Hebrewman!.

It is the language of the prophets
of the sign up on the wall
it is old and sacred
It will open up your soul.
Speak up, the language of the Hebrewman 
Loud and clear! the language of the Hebrewman.

From the deepest mess of downtown Babylon 
it will take you to the next train to Mount Zion
It will get you up, it will make you fly
the language of the Hebrewman will take you high

You know Abraham spoke the language of the hebrewman
And also Jesus from Nazareth and Maria Magdalene 
Einstein, Jeremiah the Dylan and the Cohen
They know something about the language of the Hebrew man…

And when the Lord said let there be Light
it was in the language of the Hebrewman
and when Moses said: let my people go
it was in the language of the Hebrewman
speak the language of the Hebrewman.

והיה ביום ההוא אור חדש גדול יאיר                      [And on that  day a great new  light will shine]
לאט נפתח הסדק לאט נופל הקיר                         [The crack will open slowly, slowly will fall the wall]
וכשתגיע השעה יבוא אחד בשם אחד                    [And when the time comes on will come in the name of the One]
יכירו וידעו כל העולם שפה אחת                            [All the whole world will know one language]
speak the language of the Hebrewman.

והיה ביום ההוא יבוא אחד בשם אחד                    [And when the time comes on will come in the name of the One]
יכירו וידעו כל העולם שפה אחת                            [All the whole world will know one language]
לאט נבנה הבית קו לקו ואות לאות                        [Slowly we’ll build the Temple, line by line & letter by letter]
אל נא תאמר לי ביי ביי, אמור רק להתראות.        [Don’t say bye-bye to me, just say “Lehitra’ot”]
speak the language of the Hebrewman.

and let us all say halleluya
Let us all say : amen
a day will come and everybody
will speak the language of the Hebrewman.

Guiding questions:

• Which aspects of the video enhanced the song, which aspects got in the way?
• Which images helped you understand something, and which images pulled you further from understanding?
• Were there any moments when you felt the video was flowing with the song?
• Were there any moments when you felt the video was trying to say something different from the song?
• What do you think about the way the song praises Hebrew, but is mostly in English?

2. Yetziat Mitzrayim (Exodus from Egypt), by Etti Ankri

Watch here: 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 English Translation:

Guiding questions:

• Which images in the video enhanced the song, which images got in the way?
• Which images helped you understand something, and which images pulled you further from understanding?
• Were there any moments when you felt the video was flowing with the song?
• Were there any moments when you felt the video was trying to say something different from the song?

• Can you imagine a Bible song ever getting major mainstream airplay in the States? What do you think it tells you about Israel, that this song did?

3. Nothing at all – Knisiyat HaSechel

 Play the video clip of the song by Knisiyat HaSechel without translation.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What is the video saying to you?

[Here you should allow for a free-ranging conversation. If opinions are not forthcoming, throw out some observations: the fact that all the actors are children, that at first the kids are at an army exhibition, that there are kids from all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Why/what is the child climbing? What of the over-sized army uniform, stripping off the uniform? And what of the fetus-shaped gathering of bodies?]

There are no wrong answers for this conversation, personal interpretations and individual responses are welcome.

Now play the clip with the subtitles included.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The words to this song come from a poem written by a young soldier, Erez Shtark. He died in a notorious military helicopter crash in February 1997. The poem was read out at his funeral, and eventually turned into a rock song by Knisiyat HaSechel.

How does seeing the translation affect your understanding of the video?

Part Two – make your own!

After this introductory lesson, send the students home with a clear assignment:

Create your own interpretive video to an Israeli song. The video must include a simultaneous translation, and some form of additional imagery – stills, animation, or video – that for you expresses/enhances the meaning of the song.

Students may choose the song from the three offered in Part One, or from the three songs presented below. They can work with any computer program they wish – you might want to gather wisdom from the class, suggesting programs to work with.

The next meeting, they must present their music videos to the class.

Part three – the screening

If more than one student has made a video of the same song, we recommend screening all videos of the same song in one batch, so that the students can experience how the same song can be interpreted in multiple ways. [This multi-vocality, you may point out, is a crucial tool for meeting Israel in its full complexity.]

After each video, or set of videos, lead a short discussion on the songs and on their interpretations.

Some other recommended songs:

 Da (Alma Zohar)דע – עלמה זוהר –

Listen here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Guiding questions:

• The words of this song are taken from Pirkei Avot- Ethics of the Fathers.
• Who do you think the “you” in the song is/ who is she talking to?
• What’s the song about? (knowing yourself, not hiding, being accountable, taking initiative)

Shma – Sarit Hadad שמע ישראל – שרית חדד

Listen here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

 Guiding questions:

• This song is most commonly played on national days of mourning in Israel
• Is the pain described in this song only relevant to tragedy in Israel, or any pain in the world?
• The singer turns to God for strength, who do you turn to for help in tough times?

The post Make Your Own Israeli Music Video appeared first on Makom Israel.

Why am I aiming to book this Israeli act and not a different Israeli act?

What are my criteria for choosing?

Bearing in mind the amount of time and money you are about to invest in this band, it’s important to remember that the impact of the live event should be measured by more than how many people came through the door.

Did the show get them thinking?

Did anyone leave with an additional insight into Israel?

Did the gig leave them wanting more?

We’d suggest that in addition to choosing a band according to its musical appeal to your audience, it would be worth assessing what more they can bring. It’s true – there is great benefit in having people realize that there are rappers in Israel. It makes Israel more human, more accessible in people’s minds.

But what if there was more?

If one band raps about exactly the same topics as non-Israeli rappers, and a second band raps about specifically Israeli issues – then go for the second band!

If there are two bands that play world music, but the first band sings plain love songs and the second sings about the connection between Jewish liturgy and the modern world – then go for the second band!

Clearly you have to listen to your gut, and what you think will connect to your audience. But relevant content doesn’t need to come at the expense of a great show – you can aim for both!

There are many ways to find out about Israeli act. We can recommend our good friend GOOGLE.COM to do a search, and of course his younger but wiser sister, WIKIPEDIA.COM. All you need to do is type in the keywords: Israeli Rock or Israeli Popular Music- and you should begin to find lists of options. Also – feel free to browse Makom’s recommendations, and to visit ISRAELMUSICEXPORT.COM for more ideas.

The post Selecting the Artist appeared first on Makom Israel.

This is a kind of ‘spot the difference’ unit. Before presenting this unit, we’d advise that you yourself run through your own answers to the questions suggested below.

Play and screen the original version, released in 1985.

Look through the lyrics afterwards, and share general responses to the song and to its content. Then tell them to listen carefully to the song’s remake, paying careful attention to the differences. Do not yet hand out the lyrics to the newer version – allow them to refer to the original lyrics.

Play and screen the Metropolin version, released 20 years later.

Some leading questions:

• “And here he is, going back to war” – how does the weight and meaning of this line change from original to remake? [Our opinion: Metropolin's version would seem to reduce the importance of this line so that 'going back to war' sounds metaphorical, not literal. And if this rings true, then what does this suggest about the place of war and army in current Israeli consciousness?]
• The remake includes the voice of a woman. What affect does this have on your experience of the song?

Suggested activities:

• Visual arts: Provide paints and crayons, and suggest the participants draw/paint the scene described by the song. Or provide Israeli magazines, newspapers, etc and give them scissors and glue to create a collage inspired by the song.
• Creative writing: Have participants write the letter the man writes to the woman before going into battle. Or the letter she writes to him after he has left.
• Drama: stage various scenes, such as: Their first meeting. What would have been said, were they to have spoken when he left?
• Video: make a video clip of either of the two versions.

The post 4) Without Saying a Word – Bli Lomar Milah – בלי לומר מילה appeared first on Makom Israel.

What is the theme song for Israel’s Tent Protests? Although there are some brand new candidates (Mosh Ben Ari’s Look Me In The Eyes, and the unplugged version of a new song The Good Guys Will Win, that HaDag Nachash wrote specially for the Tent Protests), Israelis are rediscovering popular songs from the recent past that would seem to have been written with the current protests in mind. Tallkbackers and youtube uploaders are hailing them as prophecies finally coming to pass…

My top five are as follows:

1. The hands-down winner for the funksters has to be from HaDag Nachash, whose entire back catalog reads like a manifesto for today’s protesters. Lo Frayyerim – Not Suckers – is the band’s early attempt to both describe and ridicule a situation that the middle classes would seem to have finally chosen to reject. “Until when?” they ask with a great Sisters Sledgy rhythm guitar, kicking bassline, and lyrics of disbelief and yearning. “We’ll serve reserve duty, pay our taxes, stand in traffic, no one screws with us…” Below is the clip with a translation, but this is the best version I’ve heard, where the lament for h-a-r-m-o-n-y rings out in brass celebration.

2. If we’re going more easy-listening, then Eti Ankri’s soft reggae tribute to No Woman No Cry called Millions, would make it to the top. This song takes the personal route, exploring the terrible sense of humiliation one undergoes when judged only on one’s income. Eti warns sweetly yet pointedly: “There are millions like me, of all shapes and sizes, with no money, not worth a dime.” Her sign-off sent shivers down everyone’s spine, though it took another seven years for us to try to do something about it: “Today it’s me, tomorrow it could be you…”

3. Following the flow of faux-reggae protest, who can forget Mook E’s Israeli take on a more Jamaican original: Everyone’s Talking About Peace (click on “interactive transcript” for translation)? A classic that won best song of 2002 (so long ago?), resonates even more today as protesters work hard to separate their demands from security and defence issues. As the chorus points out: “Everyone’s talking about Peace, but no one is talking about Justice…” Maybe now they are, Mook E, maybe now they are.

4. Though the video clip that accompanies Kobi Oz’ powerful rendition of the liturgical cry for the poor, Shavat Aniim, offers a shocking picture of Israel’s poor, and Sitting in a Café is a classic, it would have to be his Rolled up in a Newspaper, with his band Teapacks, that makes number four for me. Set to a traditional Moroccan tune (recently sung by the Star is Born winner, Hagit Yaso), Teapacks take us on a surreal ride through a dysfunctional society that now, 18 years later, protesters are attempting to fix. (I have it on good authority that Kobi Oz has now written an extra verse, for the tent protests. Watch this space.)

5. Apologies to others – Micha Shitreet’s Inti Omri is strong, I Have No Other Land always polls high, and Numbers by HaDag Nachash is a financial classic – but I have to grant the final place to another more recent HaDag Nachash cracker, I Believe. With jaunty brass and falsetto, the guys make a list of all of Israel’s ongoing craziness, and carelessly dance: “Ain’t no one around who gives a rat’s ass” (or translations to that effect). Thankfully, when the the activist hero of the song goes on to recount his fall into despair, we find an example of where the current protests may be proving the FishSnakes wrong.

The post The top 5 tent protest songs appeared first on Makom Israel.

Ehud Banai is a leading Israeli singer-songwriter.

This piece first appeared in Hebrew on http://www.ehudbanai.co.il/

Sometimes I ask myself why the sages determined that the days commemorating the destruction of the Temples should be days of mourning and fasting. After all, it was the Babylonians and the Romans after them who caused all the exile and destruction, so why aren’t they fasting?

But the gaze of the sages is as always directed internally. They ask in the Gemara: For what reason was the land destroyed?

And they bring a collection of stories that recall a society with no mercy, no justice, eaten up with senseless hatred, with violent nationalist fanaticism, with a corrupt and patronizing government, and they state very clearly: This is why the land was destroyed.

The social protest that is breaking out now is important, fundamental, and unavoidable.

I’m not sure if it’s right to follow its every step and stride with cameras and the media. I’m not convinced that it’s right to turn it into another summer festival. You have to give it time. Real things permeate slowly and deeply and only then can a fundamental change occur, rather than a superficial change that passes just as soon as it came.

On the other hand, all attempts to belittle it, to declare it null and void, to say that it is political and only connected to one specific group is not right. It is a true cry that comes from the heart of the people onto the streets, and it crosses boundaries and sectors.

Right now I can’t perform at the tents, because these are the nine days of mourning leading up to Tisha b’Av when it’s not customary to play music. There are those who say that it’s permissible to sing without accompaniment, but I’m afraid I can’t really do that without a guitar…

Beyond that, I want to say that I’m really not comfortable with all the media pressure about who’s performing and who is not performing. Which singer is behind the revolution and which isn’t. That isn’t really what is important.

I’ve been asked to come to support the tent-dwellers, in places far from the center of the country and far from the cameras, like Tel Hai and Katzrin.

I wanted to tell them: My heart is completely with you. If you’re still around after Tisha b’Av, I’ll come over and sing you “City of Sanctuary.”

The post Tisha B’Av and the Protests appeared first on Makom Israel.

Hagit Yaso won A Star is Born last night.

I don’t think even she was all that surprised. While tens of thousands demonstrated in the streets of Tel Aviv for fair housing prices, and others mourned the loss of Norway’s security and Amy Winehouse, the rest of us were watching cute Hagit win A Star is Born.

This Israeli version of American Idol is a fascinating combination of the cheap and the deep. It is, of course, a member of that reality TV family that makes huge amounts of money out of the talented and the talentless. But at the same time a mass appeal program that encourages and promotes Hebrew songs in the face of globalised radio waves, has something going for it beyond ratings. Unlike X Factor, this program did not develop from the mind of a twisted svengali, but rather from the more innocent realms of Shira b’Tzibbur – Public Singalongs.

Lo Nafsik LaShir – We’ll Not Stop Singing – was the nostalgic progenitor of A Star is Born. It emerged from the despair of the 2nd Intifada, drawing audiences into a singalong competition named after a song of the crooning nostalmeister, Yehoram Gaon. In this sense, the show both cheapens and enriches Hebrew culture. It’s pop ratings stuff, but it’s also a regenerator of Hebrew language song.

The other fascinating aspect of the show is the way in which it reveals the political and tribal nature of Israel’s society. It was Ian McEwan who warned that “when politics enters every corner of existence, then something has gone profoundly wrong.” He is probably right, but it doesn’t half make the trivial feel portentous…

Last year was the big turn-up for the books. The handsome Mizrachi soldier hero Idan Amedi didn’t win. Although his ability to tick off the requisite boxes did make him an undeserved finalist, the Russian rocker Diana Golbey took the title.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This year the guy who deserved to win was lacking a tribe. Formerly religious, in a tolerant pluralist family, the only thing David Lavi had going for him was his outstanding musical talent. Unlike a previous winner, his parents had cruelly deprived him of the anti-religious sympathy vote by refusing to cut him off for ‘taking off his kippa’, nor had they apparently abused him in any way. The poor kid was left crushingly well-adjusted.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Contrast this with Hagit Yaso. She comes from Sderot – home to Israeli sympathies since it has been the main receptacle for Hamas Kassam rockets throughout the years, home of the fierce loyalty and support only an impoverished peripheral town can offer, home of such Israeli music luminaries as Tippex and Knisiyat HaSechel – and Hagit is born to Ethiopian immigrants.

She does have a lovely voice and a delightful presence, but she symbolizes so much more than she can sing. As veteran Radio DJ pointed out, when she sang a song in Moroccan, there was no stopping her. “An Ethiopian girl from Sderot singing a song in Moroccan with an Israeli accent… You can’t get more Israeli than that.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

And it is along with Didi Harari that I also rejoice in Hagit Yaso’s victory (Note her Hebrew first name and Ethiopian family name). What would once have been seen as a double whammy of outsiderness has become a badge of honor and the ultimate sign of consensus.

It’s not a Barack Obama moment for Israel, but it’s still something to sing about.

The post A new Star is Born appeared first on Makom Israel.

Dear Mr. Waters,

I was deeply disappointed to learn that you have decided to build a wall between yourself and your Israeli fans. We love you here in Israel. Surely, you must know that from the warm reception you received when you performed here five years ago at the Jewish-Arab village of Neve Shalom.

What you may not realize is that most Israelis believe in a two-state solution. But this vision is not as easy to turn into a reality as you may think. Instead of recognizing the situation’s complexity, you have joined the campaign to boycott Israel, appointing yourself as a judge in a conflict between Middle Eastern tribes. (How British of you!)

I’m surprised that you would choose to side with the extremists who don’t believe in dialogue. I come from a small town in Israel called Sderot. My hometown is frequently bombarded with missiles from Gaza — eight years of children living in fear, eight years of running to bomb shelters. Yet I meet and play music with my Palestinian colleagues. When there is bad news, we do not boycott each other; we argue. Even when it’s hard, we try to keep in touch, because we know that peace starts with musicians playing together, with the two peoples getting to know each other.

Unfortunately, the Middle East isn’t the most stable place, so Israelis know we have to be very careful as we pursue peace. We could sign an agreement with a moderate regime and suddenly find ourselves confronted with a fundamentalist enemy. We withdrew from Gaza and got Hamas. We pulled out of southern Lebanon, and now Hezbollah dominates the Lebanese government. We gave back the Sinai, and now Egypt is a great unknown.

Still, we yearn for peace. We try to talk with our neighbors in the Palestinian Authority, where life is getting better for ordinary Palestinians. If Hamas’s leaders would stop the bombardment of Israeli civilians and stop calling for our destruction and start having a normal relationship with their brothers in Ramallah, I’m sure that most Israelis would want to talk to them, too. And our wall, which you want to see dismantled, will fall when we have lasting quiet. Insha’Allah.

But in the meantime there are events like the murders in Itamar. Terrorists sneaked into a family’s home while they were sleeping and cut their throats. That settlement was outside of our security fence — they did not have this “appalling edifice,” as you called it, to protect them. A father, a mother and three kids — one a 4-month-old infant — paid the price.

Should we give up the fence that has made the last few years mostly free of suicide bombers? If we did, would you stand by our soldiers when they go out to intercept terrorists, or would you continue tying our hands while we fight to protect our citizens’ lives? I didn’t hear your voice, or the voices of your friends in the BDS movement, when thousands of Qassam rockets were being launched at my hometown and neighboring communities after we got out of Gaza. We only heard the world’s voice when we fought back.

Lastly, I want to ask, when you demand that we “promote” the right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel, do you understand that this means Israel would no longer be a Jewish state? If so, why should the Jews not be allowed to have their one state, while the Palestinians get four states? (Let me count them for you: the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, the Hamas state in Gaza, Jordan with its Palestinian majority ruled over by a Hashemite king and an Israel that would have a majority of Palestinian citizens after millions of refugees’ descendants move here.)

Jews have come home to Israel after centuries of living under Christian and Muslim “hospitality.” My own parents immigrated to Israel from Tunisia; they had to give up all their property and start their lives over. Jews from around the world came to Israel to fulfill our ancient dream of returning to our homeland, and to bring an end to our long nightmare of having no country to call our own.

Now you, in effect, are demanding that we forget all our dreams and become a minority in our own homeland. Are you serious? Have you not seen how the Coptic minority is treated in Egypt? Have you not seen how the Kurds have suffered in Turkey and Iraq? We won’t share their fate — we have had enough of that already.

At your age you ought to be suspicious of open-and-shut narratives of the sort embraced by the BDS movement, and be willing to look more deeply at the other side. Of course, we Israelis have plenty of room for improvement and could do more to pursue peace. But you should understand that if we are cautious, it is because our very survival is at stake.

If you truly want to be helpful in bringing about peace, embrace the power of dialogue, not boycotts. Music is for breaking down walls, not for building new ones.

— Kobi Oz

First appeared in www.forward.com

The post Roger Waters and BDS appeared first on Makom Israel.