Hi SummerWorks Friends.
This is first in a short series of videos called “Around the House with Michael Rubenfeld”, in which SummerWorks Participants hang around with me … at my house.
The first person to stop by was Njo Kong Kie, composer for La Señorita Mundo – an operatic allegory
Thanks for coming by Kong Kie!
xoMichael
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I’ve thought about this for a bit after watching this video and I have to say it really bothers me.
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי or “Am Yisrael Chai” does not mean “the land of israel alive.” And I wouldn’t say it’s an Israeli song either. It more accurately means the people or community or nation of Israel lives–referring to the Jewish people as a whole, everywhere. It does NOT refer to the modern nation-state of Israel unless you appropriate it for that purpose (the song and phrase predates the modern nation-state by quite a bit I’m pretty sure). It’s a song about a community connected to it’s past and history that still lives and survives in the present — the second phrase sung is Od Avinu Chai (Our forefathers still live on).
That being said, it’s already a problem that you frame the song in such a way that it’s okay to sing in general but not in front of Palestinians — which by extensions excludes a whole group of people from being members of the community to whom you’re addressing this video. Also, it ascribes a particular reaction to an entire group of people — it assumes their politics and feelings, and it also assumes they are as ignorant as you are about the meaning of the song. There is no reason for Palestinians to react very negatively to the song unless it’s appropriated for a particular purpose or sung to spite them. Unless, of course, you’re assuming Palestinians are automatically anti-semites as well (which is just wrong, obviously). Either way, you’re really sticking it to a whole group of people and misinforming everyone in the process.
I’m not saying you intended to offend anyone with what you said or how you said it, but the way you just threw away those few statements at the end as if they were trivial and humourous, makes me feel this video is even more insidious.
Just thought you should know.
I agree with Isabelle 100%
Mandarin or Vietnamese?
Not sure about your pinyin spelling of the name kong kie.
I suspect the first part (given name) might be ‘gong’.
With a family name of Njo isn’t that Vietnamese?
I would love to learn learn the words, tune and meaning to his song, though.
Actually, Kong Kie was singing a Cantonese song, the Moon is ligting the Land…., If I remember he was borned in Indonesia! However the pronounciation of his family name is strange, so it could be named under Hok Kien, where is one of a Chinese Province near by Canton where Hongkong located. Njo if pronounced by Cantonese , it would be Yong! Kong Kie is my high-school classmate and I did not see him around 30years! since we graduated!