In the nascent State of Israel, a country fighting for its survival, these cultural heroes reminded the world that civilization is defended with both an army and art.
What a moving tribute to great musicians and to the power of beautiful art. This is why I donate to the Israel Philharmonic. I heard them, under Mehta, in Chicago several years ago. Their Beethoven 5th was like hearing it for the first time. Remarkable. More recently, I and lots of lucky patrons, many of them frail and elderly, braved a pro-Pally protest to hear the Jerusalem Quartet in Vancouver. Although classical music is my thing, and I was lucky enough to hear and even meet many of the greatest musicians of the 60s and 70s, I also want to give a shout out to the popular novelists who introduced Am Yisrael to this young Appalachian then-Presbyterian. Leon Uris, Herman Wouk, and James Michener may not have created high art, but they made a compelling case for respecting Jews, their traditions, and their homeland. When it became apparent that we were losing the media war after Oct. 7th, I kept asking myself, where is Leon Uris when we need him. Then there are the truly magnificent Israeli and Jewish writers whose work has opened many eyes, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to the richness of Torah and of our culture. I am grateful beyond words.
I listened to The Israel Philharmonic play just five days ago, live in Germany! Mahler and Elgar….The Moment of Significance was incalculably Great and is a story which will one day be told. Thus, The Culture of Beauty and Music burns as brightly in Israel, and in Europe, the Americas, and Russia and Asia, and across Africa and the World in fact, as this ever did! Have faith. Civilisation is strong. The Future is as bright as ever. All proven. By the way, the celebration of Beauty is Universal in all races, cultures and classes, and is certainly not limited to High culture.
The difference between then and now is that THEN people were individuals with a shared reality (however disputed) who had all for the most part experienced privation, served in the military, and understood the need to cherish civilization, because of how precarious it is and how much blood was shed to create and uphold it; but NOW people are just deracinated individuals who are slaves to the hivemind and its power to bestow likes and followers while making sure to stay wary of its ability to destroy—if you're an author or actor one wrong word can create an angry mob demanding the destruction of your career, if you in any way contradict mob wisdom you can expect to be hounded at home and at work (same for your family), and things like beauty, talent, wisdom are considered unacceptable affronts to egalitarianism, which means you gain more status by destroying the life of someone who's mastered a craft or instrument for a stray thoughtcrime as opposed to being the one who's devoted thousands of hours to building that skill (who can be discarded in favor of a computer).
In the 21st century, humans and their cultures have been replaced by the MOB and its needs and moods, as managed by our reigning algorithms, and the mob always hates Jews (too smart, too different, too stubbornly singular), and the mob is always wrong but never in doubt. The mob is like a hurricane heading toward each of us (esp if you refuse to cower and join) and we all need a safety plan. You can run or hide or buckle down, but be prepared. It's easy to destroy a civilization and its habits, but almost impossible to recreate one from its ruins.
It brings to mind " the Angel of History", by Walter Benjamin
" This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. The storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress.”
"Progress" is like that carrot they tie in front of donkeys to keep them always moving forward in a straight line. It is another abstraction that sometimes can inspire thinking but that can also inspire the refusal to think.
Either way, humankind cannot bear very much reality and the digital mob in the process of replacing humankind will replace reality with its own simulation, designed to flatter it and feed its delusions. We may be among the last free-range organic humans who think with lumps of matter and not computer programs. Oh well, we had a good run! :))
"There was no separation between the pinnacle of Western civilisation and Jewish sovereignty."
Beautifully put. As the background to this, consider whether European gentiles allowed there to be no separation between the pinnacle of Western civilisation and Jewishness itself. Felix Mendelssohn, the child prodigy praised by Goethe, the rediscoverer of Bach, was almost universally acclaimed in his day and admired by his peers. Although his parents had converted to Christianity, everbody knew that the grandson of Moses Mendelssohn was of Jewish stock. (The Moses Mendelssohn who was friends with Lessing, in those more hopeful times.)
And then, with Wagner and his vile pamphlet, the idea emerged that Mendelssohn's music was not really German, and was counterfeit, because Jews could only mimic. Yes, Wagner and people like him created that separation.
But great Jewish artists would not accept that separation. And they claimed their rightful place at the pinnacle of Western civilisation, a place they had always occupied since Abraham left his tent.
When these greats went to Israel to perform, and played the European music from which others had tried to separate them, they were asserting that claim twice over.
"This nation belongs," they were saying. "No matter who tries to exclude it. This we affirm with our batons and our bows."
You’re a wonderful writer! Thank you for your insights and truth.It’s sad that I believe you are right and so many people are afraid of the consequences of truth! But surely there are many people that are heroes?Still?
Such great artists, who deserve this great praise and silent condemnation of today's artists who refuse to recognize their obligationto sing praise of Israel
Although this is not quite to the same scale as Isaac Stern and Leonard Bernstein, the great—and somewhat reclusive pianist Martha Agerich continues to perform in Israel and solos with the Israel Philharmonic. This past March, with the Philharmonic, she dedicated her encore specifically to pianist and then hostage Alon Ohel, and generally for the release of all the hostages. Her incredibly moving encore can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z719Cx0Rv5E
Thanks for reminding me of the time in 1973, when I happened to be near Stern and Casals in the hotel in Jerusalem where they were also staying and even once had the pleasure of listening to Pablo Casals practicing in his room ... with the door ajar... after I followed my dog down the hallway...
Those were amazing times...
The arts and the music scene are still very vibrant and now include Andalusian melodies and fusions of middle eastern sounds and sacred texts and Ethiopian percussion and so much more... We have not stopped looking to feed our souls...
I can't imagine an Israeli audience showing up in numbers for any of these artists anymore. We have dumbed down culture to such an extent that you'd be lucky to find a handful of Israelis under the age of 40 who even know who any of these people are. Maybe they can get Taylor Swift or Beyonce to perform. Oh, but they're probably wearing kaffiyehs these days. Sign of the times.
You summon up a time of little Israel bravely defending itself against an overwhelming array of Arabic speaking Muslin nations. Who knows what side Bernstein would be on today. Given his love for the Black panthers. But okay...the record is the record and he supported Israel while he was living. The London and Hollywood and New York entertainment big names have all lined up against Israel with a few exceptions. It takes courage to perform in Israel today. It takes courage to stand by Israel without qualifications....oh that horrible Netanyahu...how those horrible settlers, and the gobbling up of all territory Arabs claim for their state. How awful for them.....55 membrers of the Arab league....40 EU members.....one Israel. and for the moment the USA standing with Israel. NYC? about to be delivered to the hate Israel camp.
What a moving tribute to great musicians and to the power of beautiful art. This is why I donate to the Israel Philharmonic. I heard them, under Mehta, in Chicago several years ago. Their Beethoven 5th was like hearing it for the first time. Remarkable. More recently, I and lots of lucky patrons, many of them frail and elderly, braved a pro-Pally protest to hear the Jerusalem Quartet in Vancouver. Although classical music is my thing, and I was lucky enough to hear and even meet many of the greatest musicians of the 60s and 70s, I also want to give a shout out to the popular novelists who introduced Am Yisrael to this young Appalachian then-Presbyterian. Leon Uris, Herman Wouk, and James Michener may not have created high art, but they made a compelling case for respecting Jews, their traditions, and their homeland. When it became apparent that we were losing the media war after Oct. 7th, I kept asking myself, where is Leon Uris when we need him. Then there are the truly magnificent Israeli and Jewish writers whose work has opened many eyes, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to the richness of Torah and of our culture. I am grateful beyond words.
I listened to The Israel Philharmonic play just five days ago, live in Germany! Mahler and Elgar….The Moment of Significance was incalculably Great and is a story which will one day be told. Thus, The Culture of Beauty and Music burns as brightly in Israel, and in Europe, the Americas, and Russia and Asia, and across Africa and the World in fact, as this ever did! Have faith. Civilisation is strong. The Future is as bright as ever. All proven. By the way, the celebration of Beauty is Universal in all races, cultures and classes, and is certainly not limited to High culture.
Jealous!
Not in all cultures.
The difference between then and now is that THEN people were individuals with a shared reality (however disputed) who had all for the most part experienced privation, served in the military, and understood the need to cherish civilization, because of how precarious it is and how much blood was shed to create and uphold it; but NOW people are just deracinated individuals who are slaves to the hivemind and its power to bestow likes and followers while making sure to stay wary of its ability to destroy—if you're an author or actor one wrong word can create an angry mob demanding the destruction of your career, if you in any way contradict mob wisdom you can expect to be hounded at home and at work (same for your family), and things like beauty, talent, wisdom are considered unacceptable affronts to egalitarianism, which means you gain more status by destroying the life of someone who's mastered a craft or instrument for a stray thoughtcrime as opposed to being the one who's devoted thousands of hours to building that skill (who can be discarded in favor of a computer).
In the 21st century, humans and their cultures have been replaced by the MOB and its needs and moods, as managed by our reigning algorithms, and the mob always hates Jews (too smart, too different, too stubbornly singular), and the mob is always wrong but never in doubt. The mob is like a hurricane heading toward each of us (esp if you refuse to cower and join) and we all need a safety plan. You can run or hide or buckle down, but be prepared. It's easy to destroy a civilization and its habits, but almost impossible to recreate one from its ruins.
Wonderfully put, Clever Pseudonym.
It brings to mind " the Angel of History", by Walter Benjamin
" This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. The storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress.”
Thanks! and what a great quote...
"Progress" is like that carrot they tie in front of donkeys to keep them always moving forward in a straight line. It is another abstraction that sometimes can inspire thinking but that can also inspire the refusal to think.
Either way, humankind cannot bear very much reality and the digital mob in the process of replacing humankind will replace reality with its own simulation, designed to flatter it and feed its delusions. We may be among the last free-range organic humans who think with lumps of matter and not computer programs. Oh well, we had a good run! :))
Cheers
You're a very good writer. Do you write for a living?
Thanks! You're very kind.
I work mostly as a fiction editor, but I have written stories and scripts etc.
You smelled the Lit degree on me! :)
Cheers
Indeed. Because I have one of those degrees, too. :-).
"There was no separation between the pinnacle of Western civilisation and Jewish sovereignty."
Beautifully put. As the background to this, consider whether European gentiles allowed there to be no separation between the pinnacle of Western civilisation and Jewishness itself. Felix Mendelssohn, the child prodigy praised by Goethe, the rediscoverer of Bach, was almost universally acclaimed in his day and admired by his peers. Although his parents had converted to Christianity, everbody knew that the grandson of Moses Mendelssohn was of Jewish stock. (The Moses Mendelssohn who was friends with Lessing, in those more hopeful times.)
And then, with Wagner and his vile pamphlet, the idea emerged that Mendelssohn's music was not really German, and was counterfeit, because Jews could only mimic. Yes, Wagner and people like him created that separation.
But great Jewish artists would not accept that separation. And they claimed their rightful place at the pinnacle of Western civilisation, a place they had always occupied since Abraham left his tent.
When these greats went to Israel to perform, and played the European music from which others had tried to separate them, they were asserting that claim twice over.
"This nation belongs," they were saying. "No matter who tries to exclude it. This we affirm with our batons and our bows."
You’re a wonderful writer! Thank you for your insights and truth.It’s sad that I believe you are right and so many people are afraid of the consequences of truth! But surely there are many people that are heroes?Still?
Thank you!
Great article. I had read it already. Those were great times.
Such great artists, who deserve this great praise and silent condemnation of today's artists who refuse to recognize their obligationto sing praise of Israel
Although this is not quite to the same scale as Isaac Stern and Leonard Bernstein, the great—and somewhat reclusive pianist Martha Agerich continues to perform in Israel and solos with the Israel Philharmonic. This past March, with the Philharmonic, she dedicated her encore specifically to pianist and then hostage Alon Ohel, and generally for the release of all the hostages. Her incredibly moving encore can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z719Cx0Rv5E
Truth. (And beautifully argued.)
Incredible. When you mentioned Hatikvah, I cried.
Thanks for sharing! Check out the videos in the original essay on my blog, there's a video of that moment.
https://www.philosophyineedit.com/p/where-are-our-cultural-heroes
Thank you for that. Let me just add that this is such a great topic: interesting and important and I haven't heard anyone else discuss it.
Much appreciated. That’s very nice to hear. Follow me for more!
Thanks for reminding me of the time in 1973, when I happened to be near Stern and Casals in the hotel in Jerusalem where they were also staying and even once had the pleasure of listening to Pablo Casals practicing in his room ... with the door ajar... after I followed my dog down the hallway...
Those were amazing times...
The arts and the music scene are still very vibrant and now include Andalusian melodies and fusions of middle eastern sounds and sacred texts and Ethiopian percussion and so much more... We have not stopped looking to feed our souls...
What a special memory! Thanks for sharing!
I can't imagine an Israeli audience showing up in numbers for any of these artists anymore. We have dumbed down culture to such an extent that you'd be lucky to find a handful of Israelis under the age of 40 who even know who any of these people are. Maybe they can get Taylor Swift or Beyonce to perform. Oh, but they're probably wearing kaffiyehs these days. Sign of the times.
Almost all the philharmonic concerts I go to in Tel-Aviv are sold out.
Anybody there under 60?
Yes. Many
Appears they have the wrong followers and the wrong approach to create the wrong followers. 😉🙂🇺🇸🦅
Bernstein was a socialist--if not a communist. Talented but not exactly what Israel or the world needs.
You summon up a time of little Israel bravely defending itself against an overwhelming array of Arabic speaking Muslin nations. Who knows what side Bernstein would be on today. Given his love for the Black panthers. But okay...the record is the record and he supported Israel while he was living. The London and Hollywood and New York entertainment big names have all lined up against Israel with a few exceptions. It takes courage to perform in Israel today. It takes courage to stand by Israel without qualifications....oh that horrible Netanyahu...how those horrible settlers, and the gobbling up of all territory Arabs claim for their state. How awful for them.....55 membrers of the Arab league....40 EU members.....one Israel. and for the moment the USA standing with Israel. NYC? about to be delivered to the hate Israel camp.
He would be on the moral side. Our side. The black panther thing happened long ago after which he still supported Israel.
Nobody in Gaza is starving