In restless dreams I walked alone

Last week we went to see a performance by an Israeli duo, Larry and Muni,
who sounded exactly like Simon and Garfunkel. They were very good, but I
was struck by the fact that most of the S & G songs that were popular in the
60's and 70's, were quite dark in mood (for example "hullo darkness my old
friend," "bridge over troubled waters," "where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, a
lonely nation turns it eyes to you," etc., etc.) and many of their songs
were about poor, lonely boys. At that time the two Jewish middle class boys
were rich and famous, but they "spoke" for the underclass. Similarly with
Bob Dylan, or Robert Zimmerman, who sang for the cause of civil rights and
the blacks ("blowin' in the wind"). Apparently the blacks needed middle
class Jewish boys to sing for them.
A separate event, the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri,
probably attributable to the Syrian secret service. Hariri was becoming too
popular, too independent of Syrian power in Lebanon, so he had to be removed
in the classical way, as Bashir Gemayel (1982) and Kamal Jumblatt (1977)
were before him, by a massive car bomb. The Syrians are equal opportunity
assassins, Hariri was Sunni Muslim, Gemayel was Maronite Christian and
Jumblatt was Druze, they don't care as long as their following gets the
message.
This event comes at a time when Syria is under pressure from the US, for
allowing Iraqi insurgents to cross the Syrian border, for hosting terrorist
groups in Damascus, for supporting Hizbollah in Lebanon, and for occupying
Lebanon with 20,000 troops. So the Bush Administration recalled its
Ambassador to Syria. All over the world the Palestinians are the cause
celebre of the Left, but have you ever heard one advocate of human rights
and anti-colonialism ever raise their voice on behalf of the freedom of
Lebanon, that until quite recently was a sovereign, independent state.
Paul Simon went to South Africa in 1985 during the apartheid regime and made
a record called "Graceland" with the black band there Ladysmith Black
Mambazo. In this, the songs he wrote again reflect the "poor boy" image.
The music is great, but the words (when they make sense) are liberal,
left-wing sentiment. But, what happened, when he returned to the US he was
criticized by the American liberal establishment for "exploiting" the S.
African performers by paying them Union wages. As he said in his defense,
he did not know it would be a success, and they wanted cash up front. But,
the liberal-left who criticized him, did not care that he was providing a
commercial outlet for black S. African performers, they repudiated him
because he was Jewish.
When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, the Lebanese, Shi'ites and Christians,
welcomed the IDF with cheering and sweets as liberators. However, the
Shi'ites soon turned around, and the Christians who were supposed to be
Israel's allies had second thoughts, especially when their leader and
Lebanon's President-to-be, Bashir Gemayel, was blown up by the Syrians.
So what is the message of both of these set of events, that Jews and
Israelis should not believe that any action that is taken to help others
will either be appreciated or will elicit a positive response. As I see the
growth of anti-Semitism in Britain, that I experienced in full force when I
was growing up there, I am glad that I no longer live there. Maybe this
generation of Jewish kids growing up in the diaspora will have learnt the
hard lesson of the previous generations. The Black Americans and Christian
Lebanese and the like will take your help but will give nothing in return.
In the final analysis, we can depend on ourselves alone.