Goin’ down to Yasgur’s farm – in Jerusalem

August 1, 2010 - 8:06 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life, Music, Pop Culture 

You’d be surprised how many ex-hippies originally from North America there are around Jerusalem. Granted they’re grayer or balder, and most of them either sport a big kippa if they’re male, or a colorful head covering if they’re female, but they’re still out there.

And you can see them this week, along with hundreds of just plain music fans of all ages, when the second annual Woodstock Revival show kicks off at the capital’s Kraft Stadium.

Joining a stellar lineup of local artists who perform in English taking on a Woodstock-era heavyweight – including Habanot Nechama’s Yael Deckelbaum performing Janis Joplin songs, last year’s favorites Lazer Lloyd and Yood reprising their Jimi Hendrix tribute (complete with a feedback-drenched “Hatikva”), and sets devoted to the Who, Led Zeppelin and Simon & Garfunkel – two special guests will be Abigail Yasgur and Joseph Lipman from California.

Yasgur is the cousin of Max Yasgur, the celebrated Caktskill dairy farmer who offered his land for the original Woodstock festival in 1969, and was immortalized in the Woodstock album, film and in the song “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what it’s all about,” Lipman told me last week about coming to this year’s show in Jerusalem. “There’s a certain tikkun olam/Messianic element to the Woodstock generation and Israel is a place where these ideas are very much alive.

“We understand that there are in the expatriate community a bunch of ex hippies, current hippies and it’s great. There are certainly people in Israel working towards a more beautiful and complete world. And I think it’s very fitting that there be a Jerusalem Woodstock festival.”

Yasgur and Lipman published a children’s book last year called Max Said Yes!, encapsulating the Woodstock story for a child’s point of view. And the couple will be doing a ‘read aloud’ at the Jerusalem show, bringing a little bit of the idealistic magic that marked the original festival 41 years ago.

Last year’s inaugural Woodstock Revival in Jerusalem, to benefit the American Football in Israel association, indeed was full of good vibes, with plenty of Astroturf room, beverages, balloons, frisbees and children freely running around amid the great music. While the Jacob’s Ladder Festival might be the ultimate Anglo musical event of the year, if you want to consolidate the experience into six concise hours, then give the Woodstock Revival a turn.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Jewish soul music

October 16, 2008 - 5:03 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Music, Religion 

beit shemesh.jpgA work assignment brought me last night to the city of Beit Shemesh and the Beit Shemesh Festival, an annual music bash featuring some of the top names in the ‘Jewish soul’ field. Among this year’s performers were Meir Banai, The Moshav Band and Yood.

The central amphitheater in Beit Shemesh, a flowing natural park, boasted a white, cloth mehitza (divider), running up the middle, to separate the male and female attendees. The audience consisted mainly of religiously observant teens, many belonging to youth groups. There were some families and assorted adults there among the thousand or so people, a few not even wearing kippot, but by and large it was a religious crowd. And it looked like they were having a fine time, dancing on shoulders, enjoying a fireworks display, and checking out the other side the mehitza.

Despite some sound problems resulting from a likely blown speaker, the acts I saw performed admirably, and the band I came to see – Yood – put on a smoking set of spiritual blues rock.

There have been tons of events and activities to do during the intermediate days of Sukkot, but those folks who attended the Beit Shemesh Festival certainly got way more than their money’s worth – oh yeah, the festival was free.

Maybe next year, some of the secular crowd will come to see what all the noise was about.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 

© 2012 ISRAELITY | Site by illuminea | Sitemap