Working in Concert, Together

I took my youngest daughter to a concert for her 9th birthday. Because we are both big fans of Israeli recording artist Din Din Aviv, we jumped at the opportunity to see her in person when she came to South Florida on her first American tour. Our local Jewish Federation (Broward) sponsored the event as part of the ongoing Israel at 60 celebrations around the county.

We had a great time at the concert, sat in the third row and sang our hearts out. Unfortunately we were only part of a handful of people who knew who Din Din Aviv was and were actually familiar with her music. There were very few other Israelis in the audience. There were very few people, period. The small auditorium was only partially filled with mostly an older Jewish group who are very loyal to events sponsored by the Federation.

When I first found out about the concert, from a local Hebrew weekly newspaper, I was so excited and expected the place to be packed – with young Israelis, but also young Jewish Americans too. I was also very impressed that the Federation had chosen Din Din Aviv, as their previous norm for such concerts is what I call the “Hallelujah” or “Oseh Shalom” kind of performers. To me this signaled a bold attempt to show the face of a more modern, younger Israel.

And as I said, the concert was great. I was only very sad about the low turnout and lack of Israeli representation. And I kept wondering, what went wrong?

Here’s one theory:

For the most part, I do believe the Federation did an ok job in advertising the event. However, ever since I moved here, I have felt distinct differences in how Israeli Jews and American Jews relate to each other, here in the United States.

And I am hazarding a wild guess that this may be the root of the problem.

The American side of me generally appreciates what my Federation does to help the local Jewish community. They are great when it comes to raising awareness about needy Jewish families, the elderly, hungry, etc.

But when it comes to Israel, I have always felt slightly uncomfortable, because I feel that they JUST DON”T GET IT. Most of our Jewish leaders are Americans, many have never lived in Israel other then spending limited time on a group mission, and their constituents within the community only ever see the mirrored image of Israel through the eyes of these leaders. Feeling a bit like a traitor, I have shared these thoughts with other Israelis who often agree.

In our first few years here, I loyally went to a couple of community wide, Israel events (i.e. Yom HaAtzmaut), but stopped after awhile. They were just so….American and, attended primarily by American Jews. I’d rather organize a mangal (BBQ) on the actual day of Yom HaAtzmaut with friends. Play some Israeli music and eat a lot. NO speeches or posturing by any community leaders.

It’s not their fault. The American Jewish organizers do what they are comfortable doing and present events that they feel will attract others to attend and give the attendees a sense of familiarity and a comfort level.

So, I often find that the Israelis stay with the Israelis. They enthusiastically go to Israeli sponsored events in droves. I don’t know exactly who organizes what, but based on the Idan Reichel concert we went to last year (packed…about 75% Israelis) and some of the other concerts and events I either went to or heard about, there is probably an Israeli organizer or organization somewhere behind the scenes.

There are small pockets of Israelis who faithfully turn up at Federation sponsored events again and again. Most of them seem to already have an affiliation with local Jewish organizations. But the vast majority of Israelis just don’t seem to show up.

Since we all live in the same community, it would be so nice if the Israeli and American Jews came together for more shared events. I believe that it will take more of an effort by the American Jewish side reaching out to the Israeli side to see what makes us (Israelis) tick. Israeli organizations need to included, so the word can be spread to a wider audience. I think, in the short run at least, that Israelis need to hear about these events, from other Israelis.

As for the American Jews who don’t show up at these events, I believe that many American Jews are ready and willing to learn about and celebrate Israel in ways that might be new, different and interesting to them. The key is probably through our kids. But getting them there (and their parents), is going to take some creativity which goes beyond the standard public relations methods currently used.

Conceptually, the Federation got it right when they decided to bring Din Din Aviv to our community. Especially for the younger Jewish generation who will not stick around for another round of “Hallelujah.” Now they just have to figure out how to work with their Israeli counterparts, so that younger generations on both sides will actually show up to pack concert halls together.