Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 22 January 2003 — Page 24

NAT 12 January 22. 2003

As I Heard It Art music so oid it’s new again

Book Reviews A clouded mirror reflects grim perceptions

By MORTON GOLD The cassette under review in this space was produced in 1990. Its title is "A New Hebrew Art Music - Sacred Song."

This is the third volume of Series Two, Russian Jewish composers. As such, alas, it is not destined to appeal to a wide audience as yet another klezmer CD might. The composers whose music is performed include: Ephraim Schklar 1871-1943(?); Michael Gnessin 1883-1957; Lazare Saminsky 1882-1959; David Nowakowski 1848-1952; Leo Low 1878-1952; and Zavel Zilberts 1881-1952. That these composers are not exactly household names these days is in itself unfortunate. The word new, as in "New Hebrew Art Music," is not exactly accurate. The music of these composers may have been new in the 1920s or oven the 1930s but is not new today. Yet it boasts some novelty, thanks to being newly known to so many of us. Surely it's unknown because of being rarely performed. (Which came first, the chicken or the egg?) Either way, this old music may thus be regarded as new. As a community, we are not interested in art music in general, judging by the sale of various CDs as one measure of popularity. If this is so, then we are even less interested in Jewish art music in particular. One could readily expect to fill a concert hall or temple auditorium with some folk singer or group, especially one that featured electric guitar and percussion players. One could normally expect a lot of empty

seats for events featuring a singer, instrumentalist, or choral group performing anything that smacked of art. The sad inference is that art is dull, tedious, especially so since the music may be unfamiliar. That this genre of music takes some effort as well as education to acquire a taste for — this acquired patina of culture — makes it doubly difficult to sell. On top of that, the audience is not expected to participate except bv actually being there and listening to the music. That is a tall order these days! The soloist in the "Sacred Songs" is tenor David Levine, ably accompanied by pianist Robert Wallace. Levine has served as cantor at several (unidentified) "leading" congregations in the New York area, the blurb accompanying the cassette says. He has a sweet lyric voice that he uses intelligently. His renditions are all musically done, and he sings as if he understands what he is singing about. His voice is even in quality from low to high and from soft to loud. While I enjoyed all the performances, I must single out the "Kol Dodi" by Nowakowski particularly from the standpoint of performance and the two works by Leo Low for their originality in harmony and for the beautiful singing by Levine. Most of these selections were recorded in Cami Hall and the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City. The precise dates are omitted, but they must have taken place in the late 1980s or early 1990, since the cassette was not copyrighted until 1990. To buy the cassette, write to Barry Serota, Musique Internationale, 3111 W. Chase Avenue, Chicago, IL 60634. This cassette is a class act, and I highly recommend it. Dr. Geld nun/ best be reached In/ writing to him at: 12 Avenue B, Rutland, VT 05701-4503 or eventualh/ by e-mail at [email protected].

Thoughts Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy. —Abraham Joshua Heschel

By MORTON I. THICKER The Ascent of Eli Israel. By Jon Papernick. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2002. 192 pages. $23.95. This uncommon collection of seven noteworthy short stories is the first book written by Jon Papernick, an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn who spent several years as a reporter in Israel. He was there in November, 1995 when Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, an infamous crime that reverberates as a horrendous backdrop to all of Israel's subsequent history. Except for the first story, Papernick concentrates on the contemporary scene in Israel, presenting a bizarre picture which reflects the unusual events that characterize present-day life in that troubled land. The title of the story that gives the book its name, "The Ascent of Eli Israel," is a play on the term for those who move to Israel: they make aliyah; they ascend. Eli Haller responds to a voice that tells him to leave his wife and child in Brooklyn in order to go to Israel. There, he hooks up with an old friend, Zev, who is living in Hebron, having joined its ultra-Orthodox residents. After a mysterious episode in the Judean hills where he tends sheep, Eli winds up back in Hebron where he visits the grave of Baruch Goldstein, the killer of 29 Arabs at the Cave of the Patriarchs. Eventually, he borrows Zev's car and drives to Jerusalem, only to be stoned en route by a group of Arab boys. He kills one of them, places the body in the trunk of the car, and continues his journey. As he drives on, he muses, "These things happen on the road to redemption, on the road to Jerusalem. But God forgives you for what you do, and I love Him." The other stories are equally cryptic and abstruse. "Malchyk" opens the book with an account of a young boy seeking his father in the old city of Jerusalem just after the State of Israel was declared in 1948. Somewhat clearer in its effort to convey the depth of hatred between Arabs and Jews is "An Unwelcome Guest," also set in Jerusalem, although some time later. A spectral Arab appears in the Muslim quarter home of Yossi, a settler from America, and insists that

they play backgammon. He tells Yossi that that this was once his home, and other Arabs appear as though to substantiate his claim. The ghostly visitor also talks about the Arab villages that were over-run by the Israelis, making a special point about the killings at Deir Yassin. As Yossi's unwelcome visitors leave, one comes out of the bedroom where Yossi's wife slept, carrying a broken and bloodied bottle. He reassures Yossi that she is not dead but that she is weeping for both Jewish and Arab children. A somewhat less somber mood prevails in "The King of the King of Falafel," which tells about the deadly competition between two Jerusalem falafel shops and the resulting mayhem. Even this story, however, which does not deal with Arab-Jewish hostility, features destruction and devastation. Each of Papernick's

strange stories is a disquieting effort to explore the human aspects of the conflict in the Middle East. The author provides no clarity in his somewhat inconclusive yet magnetic tales, almost as though he wants to mirror the perplexing picture of life in that harrowing part of the world. If that is indeed his objective, then he has succeeded, since readers come away feeling in some inchoate way that they have a slightly better understanding of what lies behind the daily headlines. The black humor and the grim perceptions of these stories convey a muddled message that calls for thoughtful pondering to match the author’s intense imagery. Dr. Morton I. Teicher is the Founding Dean of the Wurzweilcr School of Social Work, Yeshiva University and Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chayel Hill.

Bit Of Wit

The rabbi of the shul ran into an occasional congregant and challenged him: "You need to join the Army of God!" The congregant responded, "But Rabbi, I'm al-

ready in the Army of God." "Then why is it I only see you on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?" The congregant confided in a whisper, "I'm in the secret service!"

ANNOUNCING PUBLICATION

WHAT JEWS KNOW ABOUT Salvation by Rabbi Elliot B. Gcrtel In times of fear, people seek comfort, purpose, and direction. We leel sadness and depression. We think about such issues as responsibility, error, guilt, forgiveness. We explore spiritual recourses such as prayer and sacred scripture. This book deals with such issues and concerns These pages draw upon the world's longest continuous discussion of salvation, the precious traditions of Judaism, as preserved in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the Midrash, and the Zohar (Kabbalistic commentary on the Bible). This t>ook will inspire, comfort, and challenge readers of all faiths and backgrounds and show how "old-time religion" can help individuals and nations face both personal and social problems in order to build on the salvations which God

lias given us. —I

.rfcrfi //, iu. -j .1 uaimiion

Price: $19.95 Iru hide.s shippityj and lax ISBN 1-57168-679-7 Size; 6 by 9, 113 pages

SoluiifioM from.. ♦Fear ♦Mistakes ♦ Depression

Sdftuitiori tor..

♦ Chiliiren ♦ The Earth

Siitunfion flirough . ♦ IVopiehood ♦ Prayers about Ran ♦ Comfort ♦ f orgivcncss ♦ T he Right Time ♦ Sanctuary ♦ Peacemaking

Rabbi Gertel is an innovator in synagogue programming, author, historian, media critic, and spiritual leader f Congregation Rodfei Zedek, the distinguished Conservative synagogue on the South Side of Chicago.

To Order, contact Tom Messer at: EAKIN PRESS * P.O. Box901S9 • Austin, TX 78709 OR CALL: 1-800-880-8642 FAX 512-288-1813 OR E-MAIL: [email protected]