Israeli culture showcased in upcoming talks by Brandeis scholar Shayna Weiss
"Israeli pop culture is a way to connect to Israel and learn more about Israel in a little lighter way at a time when the focus is on difficult, challenging topics."
Israel’s vibrant popular culture will be highlighted in a series of talks by Brandeis University scholar Shayna Weiss Nov. 21-24.
As senior associate director of the Schusterman Center for Israeli Studies, Weiss will speak at the University of Pittsburgh about religion and gender in Israeli pop music on Nov. 21 at 9:30 a.m. She will speak at Congregation Beth Shalom about Israel’s participation in Eurovision on Nov. 22 at 7:45 p.m., and will discuss recent trends in Israeli religious music at Congregation Poale Zedeck on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.. On Nov. 24, a presentation at Temple Emanuel of South Hills will take a look at Orthodox Jews on Israeli television at 9:30 a.m.
Her visit is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Jewish Studies Program and Panim Collective, a newly-formed coalition whose mission is to unite diverse elements of the local Jewish community through learning opportunities.
Weiss is Panim’s first guest scholar, chosen because her topics have broad appeal and her presentations are engaging, said Amitai Bin-Nun, who founded Panim with Chana Fuhrman Greenspan. Other Panim members include Rabbi Danny Schiff, the Gefsky Community Scholar at Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh; Rachel Kranson, director of Jewish studies at Pitt; and Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
“Israeli pop culture is a way to connect to Israel and learn more about Israel in a little lighter way at a time when the focus is on difficult, challenging topics,” Bin-Nun said. “It’s a welcome opportunity to look at what’s going on from a cultural perspective.”
Weiss’ talks are open to the public, with free admission.
“I’m really excited to be coming to Pittsburgh,” said Weiss, 39, of Somerville, Massachusetts. “I love that the university and the broader Jewish community are working together to bring scholars from the ivory tower to interact with the general public.”
Although discussions about Israel often center on people in power and peace-making efforts, “we can also learn a lot from its music and pop culture,” Weiss said. “A three-minute music video can open the door to a conversation about bigger issues.”
Weiss first developed an interest in Israeli culture as a Brandeis undergrad double-majoring in Near Eastern and Judaic studies and international and global studies.
Although she was preparing for a life in academia focused on the Talmud and ancient Jewish text, her junior year abroad at Hebrew University of Jerusalem prompted her to change course.
“I became really fascinated with Israel’s contemporary realities and its people,” said Weiss, who grew up in a Conservative Jewish family in Jacksonville, Florida. “Jews in Israel were different than the American Jews I knew. Most of the Jews I knew were Ashkenazi. There weren’t many Mizrahi Jews in Jacksonville.”
She polished her Hebrew language skills by watching Israeli television and reading magazines, which led to her immersion in all aspects of pop culture, from social media to music videos.
One of Israel’s most revered traditions is its participation in Eurovision, an annual music extravaganza that some call the Olympics of pop, in which the best singers from about 40 countries compete.
“It’s campy, fun and popular with the queer community,” said Weiss, noting that Israel has won Eurovision four times.
Israel has hosted Eurovision three times, most recently in 2019.
Its participation this year was questionable when its initial entry, “October Rain” — perceived as a reference to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel — was deemed too political for the Eurovision platform.
Eurovision was founded after World War II to promote peace by building cultural bonds among nations, Weiss said. “It’s supposed to be apolitical but politics often find a way in. There are huge debates about Russia and Ukraine taking part.”
It was only after Israel agreed to tone down the lyrics of “October Rain” and give it a new title, “Hurricane,” that the song was accepted, Weiss said. It placed fifth overall.
Israeli music represents a spectrum of genres ranging from Mizrachi rock to hip hop.
Religious influences in pop music have become a strong trend.
“We tend to think of religious and secular as two separate worlds. But it’s more slippery than that,” said Weiss, adding that a number of Israeli singer-songwriters, including Narkis, a Yemini-Persian Orthodox Jew, blur the lines between spiritual and secular.
In her hit, “I Go with You,” about longing and missing someone, Narkis could be talking about God or a boyfriend, Weiss said. “Is this religious or secular?”
Despite kol isha, which, in some circles, forbids women from singing in front of men, a growing number of female Orthodox artists, like Narkis, are performing for mixed audiences, Weiss said.
“What’s going on there? What does that tell us about trends in Israeli music and what the boundaries are in what counts as Jewish music? Who decides what the rules are?”
Israeli Orthodox Jews also are becoming a major presence in mainstream television, with the airing of hit shows like “Shtisel,” a Netflix drama about a fictional, tight-knit Haredi family living in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Others include “Fire Dance,” about a charismatic Haredi rabbi, available on ChaiFlicks, a streaming platform dedicated to Jewish content.
“I’ve watched every show about Orthodox Jews and counted 20,” Weiss said. “There is growing interest in religion and Orthodoxy in Israel, and a large percentage of the population is Haredi. It’s interesting to think about why these shows are popular and why this group that has shunned pop culture is now interested in the creative arts and in exploring things they hadn’t before.”
Whether it is perhaps because the shows’ producers are ex-Orthodox or Haredi on the modern side, “more and more Haredi Jews are becoming involved in the creative arts and in portraying their community in an interesting and popular way,” Weiss said.
For more information, email panimcollective@gmail.com. PJC
Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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