Jerusalem Klezmerim against the Jerusalem municipality

Klezmer Festival in Jerusalem is starting shortly, but it turns out that music will not be the only sound to be heard. Casting the artists for the festival has already caused considerable irritation to the Jerusalem Klezmer community, who have been excluded from the festival, resulting in them initiating a petition, and being eager to fight for their music.

The festival is scheduled to begin next weekend, and to last for four days in various locations in Jerusalem. A selection of Klezmer musicians from Israel and abroad are expected to perform. The art director of the festival is the clarinettist Hanan Bar Sela, who has been running the Safed Klezmer Festival for years.

It came to our knowledge that that many local musicians were not invited to perform at the Klezmer festival, an omission which prompted the "Jerusalem Klezmer Association", under the administration of Klezmer Avraham Burstein, to initiate a petition against the decision. The petition states that "in the light of the ongoing failure to include dozens of Jerusalem Klezmer artists for over a decade, in Jerusalem stages and shows (except for a few musicians that had been assigned for the task) and failing to include them in the culture budget of the Municipality, coming to a head in today’s complete exclusion of the Jerusalem Klezmer artists from the Jerusalem Festival next week".

The petition carries on to state that "the members of the Jerusalem Klezmer Association are Klezmer artists, living in Jerusalem and its suburbs, and we will address the petition directly to Mayor Nir Barkat, with the message of "charity begins at home". We may also organize a demonstration on a set date, when we all will assemble at the Safra Square with our instruments and silently protest in front of City Hall. "

Media persons and opinion creators expressed their support inposts on the Association's Facebook page. Media personality Mendy Gruzman wrote, "The Jerusalem municipality marked Burstein and his colleagues as the 14th reason among the 100 reasons for why you should spend the summer in Jerusalem, yet they forgot to invite him the Klezmer festival. Maybe it was done in good faith, maybe they do have personal interests, but to us it does not matter. Burstein and his colleagues must be allowed to perform there. "

Yaakov Grudka, who is a known media personality, wrote that "Burstein is the man who has worked with his very hands for half a century to re-establish this pure culture. Dozens of artists have learned a lot from him, and he, without any assistance or budget, has lifted them to the top. Today he is starting his own fight. The Jerusalem Municipality, financed by OUR money, has forgotten all about him. The Jerusalem Klezmer Festival will host artists from around the world, but not the person who has brought about the Jerusalem Klezmer revolution – why is that so? Because they did not find a budget for him. I understand that the decision makers prefer to listen to the sounds of foreigners’ music and bland notes, rather than the sounds of a pure and authentic Klezmer play. "

Jerusalem Municipality has not responded yet, we will post the response as soon as it is received.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!