Thursday, April 07, 2011

Mer-Khamis/ Carmina Burana

The assassination of Juliano Mer-Khamis in Jenin on Monday has been condemned by leading Palestinian moderates, including PA PM Fayyad. On Tues the PA police arrested several suspects, including a former member of the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin known to be involved in violent activities.

Mer-Khamis was an unusual man, with a Jewish mother and a Christian Arab father. He grew up in Israel and served in the IDF paratroopers brigade. But, more recently he had become what is popularly known as a "peace activist" which is often shorthand for being pro-Palestinian. He claimed that he was 100% Israeli and 100% Palestinian. He was an actor who founded a theater in Jenin, the Peace Theater, and used it to help educate Palestinian children towards peace. He was shot dead while sitting outside his theater in his car.

Why would someone murder such a popular and peaceful man? The former commander of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin, Zakariya Zubeidi, one of Mer-Kahmis's friends and supporters called his murder "a despicable and cowardly crime." Speculation is that because of the extreme viewpoint of many Muslim activists they looked with scorn and concern on the influence of Mer-Khamis upon Muslim children. Their solution to the problem was to assassinate him. That violence is endemic in Palestinian, and indeed Arab culture, is a known fact. One has only to look at the current situation around the Arab world to see violence everywhere. Is this endemic or inevitable, of course not. People like Mer-Khamis who try to act as a bridge for peace may be the first casualties of this violence. But, if Egypt can manage to pass thru this period of intense change without further bloodshed there may be chance for hope.

On a different topic, while Mer-Khamis was trying to bring culture to the Palestinians, we have plenty here in Israel. Last night Naomi and I went to a concert in Herzliya given by the Ihud 50-member choir from the kibbutz movement. They performed "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff. It was a great experience. I never realized how much percussion was involved and it was just great watching the three percussionists hitting the kettle drums and the huge bass drum. What an experience, I tell you if you have never seen it performed live you should try to go see it, we were bowled over by the level of the music and the performance.

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