In the current climate, when a Middle East war may come from any direction, it's worth sitting back and hearing beauty, the opposite of war and hate. After reading Idan Landau's post (in Hebrew) predicting an imminent "war of choice" by Israel against Hezbollah, I watched the video he featured of the Israeli performer, Karolina, singing an enchanting … [Read more...]
Israeli Defense Minister Demands Media Ban on Famed Israeli Poet for Praising Palestinian Girl
Yesterday, Israeli poet Yonatan Geffen published a poem on Instagram dedicated to the courage of Ahed al-Tamimi. It was a simple poem, not even terribly controversial at first glance. But oh did it rankle the Israeli far right. Avigdor Lieberman in highest dudgeon, immediately called for Geffen and his poetry to be banned from the only media outlet over … [Read more...]
Israeli Rapper, The Shadow, and Fans Celebrate Jewish Dead
In Hebrew, the word for "victim" is korban, which has a strong religious connotation akin to a ritual sacrifice. The term conveys the sense that the victim offered up his or her life on the altar and it's meant to ennoble their suffering and sacrifice. One would expect this term to be used reverently regarding Israelis murdered in the current round of … [Read more...]
Israeli-Palestinian Musician’s Subversive Critique of Mizrahi Politics-Culture
The controversial Israeli-Palestinian performer, Jowan Safadi, produced a new song, It's Hard to Be an Arab, which features a provocative YouTube video. When I first listened to it without knowing anything about Safadi, I thought he might be a Mizrahi Jew satirizing his own ethnic community's prejudices. But after hearing the song's lyrics, it became … [Read more...]
