The Work of Her Hands

Channels of Rage: While I was reading this article I couldn’t help thinking about the Jewish singer Matisyahu. He set this large trend in the United States about promoting peace and bringing about a Jewish Reggae/rap genre. Like Kobi wearing a Star of David, he makes singing about peace “cool.” Matisyahu sings about the one day that no one will be fighting anymore and that all the children will be playing together.  Also like Kobi, Matisyahu brought about a new/modern Zionist message. His name means “gift of God.” He mixes hip-hop, rap, beat boxing and the Judaism’s hazzan style of songful prayer.

Israeli hip-hop: All flow, no edge: It is very interesting how politics shape music and culture of a country. Hip-hop and rap emerged in Israel after a handshake between enemies whereas rap and hip-hop became popular in the United States due influential African American roots.  Although I listened to Subliminal and I decided that I am not a huge fan, I think his lyrics and message can really have an effect on Israel’s youth.  From personal experience, Music can really shape the way that someone looks at something.

Hip-hop and the Palestinians: “Rap is CNN for us.” This small quote is loaded with a powerful meaning. For the Palestinians, rap is a way of communicating events, emotions, and thoughts. Rap became a way to peacefully resist, just like music in the 60’s during the civil rights/Vietnam era.

The Work of Her Hands: Until reading this article I have never really heard or learned about the Mizrahi culture. I know about the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish culture but I honestly have never learned about the Mizrahi culture. However, I do listen to a lot of Israeli, Middle Eastern, and religiously Jewish music. I would argue that every song in a way is a “religious poem.” Most music is written out of emotion. Whether the song is about the religion of love or the religion of heartbreak or the religion of god, every song is written for a purpose- to spread a message of some sort.

I thought it was very interested that a class about religious poem songs was created and became widely popular. I think this definitely illustrates the strong connection that Israel has with religion as well as the connection that religion has with music. Religion has definitely also shaped Israel’s secular culture.