JERUSALEM — From Britney Spears in the United States to Sarit Hadad in Israel to the Bendaly Family in Lebanon, everyone seems to like cheesy, pop music. It might be the only thing that these three countries have in common.
In a recent episode of the Israeli version of “American Idol,” pop singer Sarit Hadad performed a Hebrew-English cover of “Do You Love Me?” — a Lebanese pop song from 1978:
Here is the Arabic-English original (I cannot help but picture a Mediterranean version of the Starland Vocal Band — I think I see some bellbottom jeans). Remember, Beirut was considered the Paris of the Middle East before the civil war(s) began:
Yes, it might be confusing. Why would someone perform a cover of a song from a country that is a purported, sworn enemy? Would it not be like an American Idol contestant in the United States performing an Russian song for a nationwide audience in the midst of the Cold War?
Well, as with everything in the Middle East, the answer is complicated — and it goes back centuries.
As I wrote in a prior essay, the Jewish people were flung into exile after the Roman Empire destroyed Judea in the first century. Some ended up in Europe (and later America); others went to the nearby countries in the Middle East and elsewhere. And they stayed for centuries, partially adopting the cultures of their host countries before many began returning to what would become Israel in 1948. There were also varying degrees of assimilation and intermarriage.
Now, as a result, Israelis can be generally divided into two cultures: Ashkenazi and Mizrahi. The former resemble Europeans and Americans in appearance and culture; the latter, Arabs. Predictably, and unfortunately, this has resulted in attitudes that resemble those between whites and minorities in the United States. Ashkenazi Jews here tend to be more educated and affluent; Mizrahi Jews, less so. But that is a topic for another time.
Sarit Hadad’s family came from the Middle East, so her musical style is Mizrahi — which can be indistinguishable from Arabic music except for the fact that it is sung in Hebrew. Here is her second most-recent hit (“Life is a Race”):
Of course, everything is political in the Middle East — even music. In the past three years that I have lived here, I have heard countless Ashkenazi Jews (who prefer guitar-driven rock music like that of Hayehudim) insult Mizrahi music like that of Hadad. But it is more than that. Many Ashkenazi Jews here stereotype Mizrahi Jews as low-class arsim (men) and frechot (women) who start fights and cause trouble. (And some Mizrahi Jews joke that Ashkenazi Jews are not real Jews because those like the ultra-Orthodox haredim have European customs like speaking Yiddish and wearing black-hat fedoras and furry hats even though they now live in the hot desert.)
In the conversations I have had with various (Ashkenazi) bar owners and managers in different Israeli cities, many have told me that they refuse to play Mizrahi music in their establishments because they do not want Mizrahi clientele. (I suppose the American equivalent would be for a bar not to play rap because they do not want “ghetto thugs” to come in.) As a result, the different communities have their own bars and hang-out places.
Unfortunately, it seems that it is human nature for people — anyone, in any country — to subdivide themselves.
Earlier: Letter from Israel: The Spectacle of the Eurovision. Hat tip: Lisa Goldman
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