Page 23 - Jewish News_May-June-2020

JEWISH INTEREST May/June 2020 23

Interested in Your Music in the time

Family’s History? of the COVID-19 virus

By Arlene Stolnitz
am writing this while under self- The lyrics of this song speak to the
imposed house quarantine follow- situation today of COVID-19, which
I the suggestion of officials to has affected everyone on this planet.
ing
avoid contact with others. It feels so You may have already guessed the
strange! We have always been blessed song she heard: “Bashana Haba’ah”
with a freedom of movement, which by the beloved songwriter and com-
makes this so different for Americans poser, Ehud Manor. I had written about
as we recalibrate Manor’s song back in February 2017,
for a new normal. and I wrote about how he created a new
However, it genre for Israeli music which had pre-
is a beautiful sun- viously been related to “the land, war
ny Florida day in and heroism.” Now he emphasized a
March, and the more personal and hopeful experience
deadline for ar- focusing on “pain, love and joy, repre-
ticles for publica- senting the feelings of contemporary
tion is more than Israel.”
a month ahead; Bashana, haba’ah/ Neishev al
Arlene Stolnitz so write, I must. hamipeset/ V’nispor ziporim nod’dot….
By the time this article reaches print, I Next year/ We’ll sit on the porch/
lash, led by conservative activist Phyl- can’t help but wonder what the state of And count migrating birds/
lis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett). A number matters will be in this country. Children on vacation/ Will play
of “real life” Jewish women are main I really did have an extraordinary tag/ Between the house and the fields.
cast characters: Congresswoman and topic for my May article, which I was Next year/ We will spread out our
feminist icon BELLA ABZUG (1920- very excited about. However, I decided hands/ Toward the radiant light./ A
1998); pioneering feminist writer and to set it aside for a future month. In- white heron/ Like a light will spread
activist GLORIA STEINEM, now stead, a comment from a friend visiting her wings/ And within them the sun
86; and feminist activist and author in Israel prompted me to rethink my will rise.
BETTY FRIEDAN (1921-2006). subject for the month of May. Chorus: Od tir’eh, od tir’eh/ Kama
They are played by, respectively, Mar- You see, my friend has been vol- tov yihyeh/ Bashana bashana haba’ah
go Martindale, Rose Byrne and Tracey unteering in the Israel Defense Forces You will see, you will see/ How Seventy-one years
Ullman. ARI GRAYNOR, 36, appears (IDF) in a program which aids the army good it will be/ Next year.
in a recurring role as BRENDA FEI- in performing non-combat support Ehud Manor died in 2005, but
GEN, now 76, an important attorney in tasks such as packing medical supplies, in his words, “The song ‘Next Year’ after Israel fought for
the women’s rights movement. repairing machinery and equipment, (Bashana) is one of the most personal
In Memoriam and all sorts of jobs that can be done songs I composed. Every detail in this
As I write this, three Jewish entertain- by civilians. I know several people song is connected to the environment
ment figures have died as result of the who have volunteered in this program, where I grew up. The porch is in fact its independence,
COVID-19 virus. Please Google their known as Sar-El, and it is a wonderful part of my parent’s house in… Bin-
names for more info: Busy character and important service to the IDF. yamina… the people sitting on the
actor MARK BLUM, 69; Tony and My friend had an experience while porch are my parents and brothers who Magen David Adom
Grammy-winning composer/musician staying with her family on her week- passed away... who built the porch with
ADAM SCHLESINGER, 52; and ends off which really touched me. I their own hands…”
character actor ALLEN GARFIELD, knew I would have to write about it. As I listen to the words, I too feel is helping the
80. I have always thought of music as the hope Ehud Manor wrote about in
the “great uniter.” In my experience in this song, which touched my friend
choral singing, I have seen many in- and so many others during this dif-
stances of how music brings people to- ficult time. You can watch it online country battle a
gether under extreme, sometimes even at timesofisrael.com/stuck-at-home-
adverse, situations. In fact, I have writ- jerusalem-neighbors-join-in-balcony-
ten about this extensively in many of sing-a-long/. different enemy.
my articles for this newspaper. Arlene Stolnitz, founder of the Sara-
In her blog, which she wrote from sota Jewish Chorale, is a member of
Israel, my friend told a story of hear- the Jewish Congregation of Venice. A
ing a group of people singing as in a retired educator from Rochester, New
chorus from their individual balconies. York, she has sung in choral groups The coronavirus pandemic is indeed a war.
As they sang a favorite song of the Is- for over 25 years and also sings in
raeli people, she reminisced in her blog The Venice Chorale. Her interest in Even if Israel can keep mortality rates for
of the effect it had on the mood of the the preservation of Jewish music of all
people as everyone joined in enthusi- kinds has led to this series of articles those infected to 1 percent, it will still mean
astically. The euphoria it created in the on Jewish Folk Music in the Diaspora.
crowd was instantly infectious! the death of more than 30,000 people —
more than all of Israel’s wars combined.

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