Shabbat, Shalva Band and A More Jewish Israel

I see the entire Shalva Band, Shabbat and Eurovision saga as a wonderful example of how I see Israel as becoming more proudly Jewish than ever before.

It would have been impossible to imagine Israelis falling in love with anything resembling the Shalva Band a decade or two or more ago. And the suggestion that Israeli entertainment moguls and stars would be praising them and suggesting that they represent Israel in something as prestigious as Eurovision blows my mind.

A few decades ago, there was more separation between the Torah observant performers and all the others. A number of popular performers have become strictly Torah observant, but then they'd either stop performing or change their style and audience and ambitions.

When someone (I haven't a clue who) suggested that the Shalva Band compete for the chance to represent Israel in Eurovision, I wonder if the person thought it would be chosen, or just figured the exposure would be good publicity. Or were they naive enough to think that since Israel was the host country a solution could be found for allowing the Shalva Band to observe Shabbat and also compete.

We all know what happened. Shalva Band, which is an amazing band, was chosen to represent Israel, but since the Eurovision management refused to be flexible and allow the band to honor and obey/observe Shabbat, Shalva Band dropped out of the competition. In the end, Kan-Israeli TV has included the Shalva Band as part of the local entertainment the host country provides during the contest. So, anyone watching Eurovision will see them. Honestly, I think this solution is much better than competing. As far as I'm concerned it's a win, for Shalva and Shabbat. It's also a win for Israel as a Jewish country.

The growing popularity of the Shalva Band is also a win for people with disabilities. In a sense, we all have some sort of disability, some more limiting than others. I'm proud of my country Israel and fellow Israelis for how this is being handled. And I'm glad that the Shalva Band isn't part of the competition. I'd hate to have those wonderful, talented singers and musicians in the Shalva Band have to suffer being judged by viewer/voters all over Europe and beyond.

They are Number One and don't need the confirmation of Eurovision.

And if one of the reasons the Shalva Band had been chosen to represent Israel, was the "novelty," then they got the "last laugh." Performing without the stress of competition is much better.

The Land of Israel is Central to Judaism, Not a "Yetzer Haraa"

I got some very peculiar reactions to my blog post about Israel's Eurovision win. Someone even called me on my home phone to tell me how objectionable he found that article. He kept referring to Netta Barzalai as "an abomination." I honestly don't understand how he can say that.

As female performers go, Netta was rather covered up. She used a costume, rather than her skin to get people's attention. This caller and some of them who commented on my blog had the gall to insist that as a religious person, I should condemn her and the song. Also they suggested that I have nothing to do with Eurovision. You can check the comments on the post if you're curious.

All I can say is that they are not my rabbi, and I didn't ask their opinion. I mentioned how Rav Kook had even seen the good in the chalutzim, pioneers who worked the Land, even if they considered themselves secular. The caller was horrified when I said that, claiming that Rav Kook would side with today's chareidim, which I consider rather unlikely.

One of those who commented said something I consider awful:

"...I'm not "condemning" anyone, I'm criticizing. Not Neta B and other non-observant Israelis, but members of the religious public that have made love of the land into a form of avoda zara."  Emphasis mine. 

Honestly, it goes against the very basic principles of Judaism to remove/ignore the Land of Israel. First of all I don't see us as "worshiping it." What we do is recognize the centrality of the Land of Israel to Judaism.

Judaism is not like any other religion. Judaism is Land-based. Christianity, for instance, isn't; it has no diaspora. The moslem calendar is a simple lunar one which makes the holidays float from season to season. Those religions can be observed equally anywhere.

The Jewish Calendar is the only which is both lunar and solar. This guarantees that our holidays will fall in the correct season. Jews all over the world pray for rain and dew when they are best needed in the Holyland, in ארץ ישראל the Land of Israel. There are many mitzvot that can only be performed the Land of Israel. We are supposed to live here in the Holyland.

Remember that the baal teshuva phenomenon began after the Establishment of the State of Israel, especially after the phenomenally miraculous 1967 Six Days War victory. Before then, the trend was to reduce religious observance, not to increase it. Our return to the Land and sovereignty, even as imperfect as it presently is, has rejuvenated Torah living.

We must keep looking for the good in what is being done and do our best to make things better, not to criticize and look for the faults.

Thank Gd for the miracles and wonders He performs for us. And we mustn't forget that it is our responsibility to do our best for Judaism, The Jewish People and the Land of Israel.

When I look back on the half a century I've lived here in the Land of Israel, I see such phenomenal improvement in so many aspects of Jewish Life and Nationhood, Baruch Hashem!

Eurovision: Israel's "Toy" Not to be Pushed Around

Please don't think I posted this on Shiloh Musings, my "political/serious blog" by mistake. If you'll read the post, you'll understand.

Not everyone in Israel stayed up all night to follow the Eurovision final including the count which gave Israel's Netta first place. I woke up to the exciting news.





I got a real kick out of the costume Israel's Netta Barzalai chose to wear to sing her song "Toy" at Eurovision. Once I saw that she was wearing a Japanese style Geisha* girl outfit in the "semi-final," I saw more than a flaky, clucking, attention-getting performer. You shouldn't be surprised to know that I had never heard of Netta Barzalai before reading all sorts of negative things on news sites and social media. And it has also been years since I had paid any attention to to Eurovision or Israel's songs for it. Honestly I don't like this modern "music," which is more performance than anything I can sing and dance to.

Israel's first two Eurovision wins, which were consecutive, were lovely clean-cut, singable and dance-able tunes, Abanibi and Halleluya. Both suited the classic Israeli folk song/dance genre perfectly, including the chosen costumes. In the following years, Israel got a few good results, but didn't win again until Dana International, the most well-known transgender in the country pulled off first place. Since then nothing until last night.

It had been considered impossible with the anti-Israel sentiment/policy in Europe for Israel to get enough top votes to win, no matter how good the song/performance.

Apparently the "show" and lyrics of "Toy" broke the hold of the BDS and other anti-Israel groups.



I don't know if Netta and whoever is responsible for the lyrics and geisha get-up intended the extra/additional meaning I hear in her song.

*gei·shaˈɡāSHə/
noun

noun: geisha; plural noun: geishas; plural noun: geisha; noun: geisha girl; plural noun: geisha girls

a Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song.

The role of a geisha is to be a toy to entertain men who pay for their time and services, so the costume is brilliantly ironic. Add that to the obvious fact that Netta is a "big woman," plus size to put it mildly. It's clear that she won't starve herself into submission.

Davka, the timing of Eurovision this year is so siyata d'Shmaya, Hand of Gd. We in Israel are celebrating seventy  70 years of Independence and a half a century of our miraculous 1967 Six Days War victory which left us with all of Jerusalem in our hands.

Most of the world thinks of Israel as a "toy" of its making, because the United Nations voted its approval of the establishment of the state November 29, 1947. The declarations and policies against Israel, including the refusal to recognize Jerusalem as our Capital City are unprecedented, something that never happens to any other country.

The State of Israel is nobody's "toy." Today we are truly a world power, yes, little Israel. Tomorrow the United States of America is finally opening its Embassy in Jerusalem. US President Trump has defied precedent and the State Department. He is the first American President to follow through on a very popular campaign promise. Many of his predecessors campaigned that they'd move the embassy, but they didn't.

Today is Jerusalem Day, the date on the Jewish Calendar when a large part of our Historic, Biblical Homeland was liberated in the 1967 Six Days War after thousands of years of occupation, most recently by Jordan.

Chag Jerusalem and Shiloh Sameach!!! 

"There Must Be Another Way"

No doubt it's part of the rebranding, that Israel is sending extreme Left singer, Achinoam NOA Nini and Arab-Israeli Mira Awad as a duo to Eurovision. Apparently, they're good friends, off-stage, too. I wonder if Nini could find room in her heart for a YESHA Jew... just curious.

Both women are extremely talented. I wouldn't deny that. Awad doesn't look Arab, but If I'm not mistaken, I caught on one of the TV promos that her mother is Bulgarian.

Israel's latest way of choosing its entry to Eurovision is for a "committee" to choose the performer/s and then the performer/s present/s a choice of songs on TV for live voting. This year everything about the choice was political to paint us as lovey-dovey Left, and that includes the songs themselves. Nini and Awad, apparently, were involved in the writing.

The last time Israel won Eurovision was when the formerly male Dana International represented us. Let me suffice to say that when I taught my male Israeli students high school EFL students the linguistic meaning of "it," they understood perfectly when I used that performer as an example.

There are lots of youtubes of Achinoam Nini and Mira Awad singing; I took this one from Israellycool.

Censored!

It was obvious. Either the Europeans would either love it or hate it. In the middle of Israel's anti-war song, Push de Button, the sound went off. It was censored.


TeaPacks did not make it into the Eurovision final. They put on a uniquely great show, but politics rules.