Gilad Atzmon is a jazz & world music artist, a novelist and an author focusing on ID politics.
Welcome to Gilad Atzmon's webpage. This site provides information about Gilad's musical and intellectual activity.
"God is dead!" Nietzsche. "God never existed!" Hitchens. "Nietzsche and Hitchens are both dead!" God.
(Variation of an old joke by Aaron Barsehak)
Gilad Atzmon's New Book: The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics is available on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble at Black Mountain Jazz - 27th November 2011
Black Mountain Jazz
In September 2010, 16-year-old Palestinian refugee Mohamad Fahed arrives at London's Heathrow airport and is taken to Britain's most prestigious private school, Eton College. Here, thanks to an all-expenses paid scholarship, he will spend the next two years, adopting the mantle of a public schoolboy in an environment that is largely unknown, even to the British.
Mohamad is a charismatic and thoughtful boy whose life so far has been spent in the Al Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Mohamad's dream is to become a genetic engineer, but as the third generation of his family to be born in exile, with few educational or job opportunities guaranteed, this dream seemed destined to remain unfulfilled. Winning the scholarship, however, will open up his life in ways he cannot yet imagine.
Now more than ever, Jews need to self-reflect. Maybe, this is the beginning.
Between Two Worlds (trailer)
Gilad Atzmon's New Book: The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics is available on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
It was a few years ago that I grasped that Zionism was just one manifestation of Jewish political power in the West. But at the time, hardly anyone was either brave or stupid enough to tackle the topic. In spite of Israel defining itself as the ‘Jewish State’, despite the fact that the warplanes that dropped their bombs on Palestinian civilians were covered in Jewish symbols, still no one was willing to openly ask exactly what Jewishness was all about or what it stood for – and those few who did dare to raise the question were subject to total abuse until they took cover or just faded away.
It’s also been clear for quite a while that many Palestinian solidarity activists, intellectuals and academics have been begging for recognition from mainstream Western institutions. For obvious reasons, many of us have been fearful of open confrontation with exponents of Zionist power, whether mainstream Zionist media organisations or even those AZZ (Anti Zionist Zionists) who have managed to lodge themselves so comfortably within our ranks.
But recently things have changed and the popularity of my book ‘The Wandering Who’ (TWW) is just one example of that clear shift in consciousness. Somehow, we have lost our fear, somehow we have found the courage to say what we know to be the truth.
By Jay R. Crook, PhD Salem-News.com
The song is an expression of Jamal’s wish to encourage others to join with him and the whole TJP movement to work to build a more truthful, more just, and more peaceful world. It is a big step for a man, an even bigger step for a boy.
(BOSTON) - Oliver Goldsmith! Look out! Jamal Belica’s latest song, World Citizen: Giving It My All,
 |
is articulating a new view of the world citizen: bold and aggressive; quite the opposite of the genteel Chinese traveler Lien Chi sojourning in London two and a half centuries ago whom Goldsmith used to satirize the follies and foibles of 17th-century British society in his The Citizen of the World. Instead, Jamal’s world citizen has muscles and faces the unpleasant realities of the world we live in unflinchingly.
Jamal’s track is dedicated to Ken O’Keefe and Tim King. It draws its inspiration from the works and words the two dedicatees as well as other activists in the TJP (Truth-Justice-Peace) movement among them Gilad Atzmon and his influential book The Wandering Who and, of course, the views of his father’s activist musical output.
Ken O’Keefe, who has said “aloha!” to narrow nationalism in his own life has articulated the principles and aims of the TJP on his website and, moreover, practices what he preaches. As for Tim and Bonnie King, they have worked very hard and sacrificed much to spread the message of the ideals and goals of TJP.
Jamal Belica with Gilad Atzmon's new book, The Wandering Who? |
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/28811.Banksy
Introduction by Gilad Atzmon: once again Nhida Izzat exposes the destructive role of some of the so called Jewish 'anti' Zionists within our movement. Enough is enough. If Sam Semoff or any other Jewish 'anti' Zionists AKA AZZ (Anti Zionist Zionists) are really interested in controlling the discourse, they better join the ADL and leave us alone!!!
http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/
On the 14 December I received this email from Sam S. one of the founders of our local group of "Jews for Peace and Justice".
I am sharing his email with my readership to give people the opportunity to see an example of the dishonourable methods of ad hominem attacks and character assassination, used (in this case against me) to stifle the debate. Pursuing their objectives, they stop at nothing; in this incident, they even try to exploit my personal pain and sorrow for the loss of my late beloved husband as a way to intimidate me into silence. All I can say is that I find their tricks nauseating and sick to the core.
Please read my comment following Sam S. email (Emphasis mine):
Laura Stuart considers the use of defamation and disinformation by the Board of Deputies of British Jews – Britain’s leading Israel lobby group – as tools in its rear-guard defence of Zionism and the apartheid state of Israel.
An article in the Jewish Chronicle last week trumpets a great victory by the Board of Deputies of British Jews over the envoy of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the UK, Manuel Hassassian. The Board of Deputies boasts of the pressure they brought on Hassassian which caused him to remove links to an article written by Gilad Atzmon on Israelis who were caught organ trafficking.
The article in question is hardly an unsubstantiated or new story about Israeli involvement in organ trafficking. In fact, Atzmon provided a link in his article to the Israeli news website Ynet, which also reported the story. Anyone who wishes to investigate further the involvement of Israelis in organ trafficking need only search the words “Israelis” and “organ trafficking" on a search engine to find a wealth of reports about various cases in the Middle East and America.
|
So, why the outrage by the Board of Deputies of British Jews for what is an established fact? Well, the Jewish Chronicle article provides us with the views of the Board’s senior vice-president, Jonathon Arkush, on Gilad Atzmon, defaming him as an "anti-Semite" and a "deeply controversial and distasteful figure".
Here we are again, a perfect example of the “anti-Semite” label being used against someone who some Jews hate rather than someone who hates Jews. As is well known, Atzmon, who is a renowned International jazz musician, has Jewish members in his jazz band. Furthermore, I hardly think that Gilad Atzmon's recent book The Wandering Who? a study of Jewish identity politics, would have been endorsed by leading academics and humanists if there was any “anti-Semitism” in it.
I spoke with Scott Horton about Newt Gingrich, the Palestinians, and Israel on Antiwar Radio recently. Here’s the audio.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year (i post it now because i am touring from today)
Here is the last nine minutes of our Xmas concert at the Bonington Theatre, Nottingham UK.
We had a great time, we played ‘Wonderful World’ hoping that soon our planet will be a wonderful place again- a bit of music and a fair amount of stand up.
I hope you like it.
Peace & Love
Gilad
http://leftwing-christian.net/
You could almost, with a few minor modifications, imagine the same irate conversation taking place 2,000 years ago in the Jerusalem Sanhedrin:
“He hates anybody who’s Jewish or who has anything to do with being Jewish.”
“But he is a Jew! He was born in Israel!”
“He says he hates the Jew in him, and that he would like to get rid of anything that relates to his Jewish background. Nobody would take it seriously except that two prominent professors (a great many average people) have endorsed the book (his message) and told everybody to think about it, to reflect on it, to widely discuss it!”
“John Mearshimer (the Baptist) says, ‘Of course I do not agree with everything that he says (said) in the book (his speech that day on the mount)—what blurber (desert sage) does?’—he liked parts!”
“But there’s nothing in this book (that speech) that deserves to be liked!”
Clutching a copy of Gilad Atzmon’s The Wandering Who, Professor Alan Dershowitz recently did an interview with the abundantly-respected Fox News in which he referred to the book’s author as “some obscure saxophonist from England who nobody takes particularly seriously.” In fact, not once but twice during the interview we see a visibly upset Dershowitz classifying Atzmon as an “obscure saxophonist” while attacking two American professors who gave favorable comments about his book.
The BBC reported today that PM David Cameron has said that the UK is a Christian country "and we should not be afraid to say so".
In a speech in Oxford on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the prime minister called for a revival of traditional Christian values to counter Britain's "moral collapse".
"We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so, Cameron told the audience at Christ Church.
However, Cameron failed to explain the bizarre fact that 80% of his Tory MPs are actually Conservative Friends of Israel (CFOI). Cameron also failed to explain why a ‘Christian country’ abolishes its precious universal jurisdiction law just to appease the Jewish lobby. Cameron also should open our eyes and explain to us why exactly a Christian country followed orders from a Jewish Lobby group and arrested Sheikh Raed Salah.
If we are a Christian country, why did we launch a criminal war based on a ‘dossier’ that was compiled in Tel Aviv? Also, is the fact that Lord Levy was chief fundraiser for the Labour Government a mere coincidence?
If we are a Christian country, as Cameron suggests, someone better explain to us all how is it, that we have succumbed to ‘eye for an eye’ political doctrine instead of self search for compassion and empathy in the spirit of Christ.
Link to the full version of the panel event featuring Alan Hart, Gilad Atzmon, Karl Sabbagh and Sameh A.Habeeb (London, May 2011):
http://vimeo.com/23539189
Combining jazz/cabaret music with social justice, this anti-Zionist activist sings about Palestine, peace and justice, and a better world for our children. Includes the hit “In Palestine” (link to video below).
New CD release by pianist/vocalist/songwriter Rich Siegel, featuring Gilad Atzmon (woodwinds), Eugene Moye (cello), Gary Ciuci (guitar), Cameron Brown (bass), and Anthony Pinciotti (drums). This CD features vocals in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Hebrew and features a new cello arrangement of “In Palestine.”
“I sought a marriage of spirituality and peace activism, combining my originals with some extraordinary cover material, notably by New York composer Kirk Nurock and Lebanese composer Ahmad Kaabour, as well as others.”
Release Date: December 12th, 2011
Pre-order now and receive it by December 15th in the USA and by Dec. 24th elsewhere.
Track Listing:
1. This Moment
2. I’ll Meet You There
3. The Way to Peace
4. One Truth Many Paths/The Shema
5. How Do We Teach the Children?
6. Help Is On the Way/Nuestra Ayuda Llegara
7. Shams el Aghani
8. In Palestine (click for video)
9. You Are the Stars
10. Lo Yissa Goy
11. What a Wonderful World
12. Row Row Row Your Boat
Related Links:
Video: Rich Siegel and Dave Lippman speak about their support for Palestinian rights
Cover art by Rich’s daughter, Emily Gu Siegel, age 6.
http://www.fistfulofpoetry.com/
Palestine lost a great friend this week. Richard Jones passed away two days ago. Richard was a close friend of mine. He was one of my favourite poets and a devoted advocate of Palestinian rights and Justice. Richard AKA RedRej was one of the very few intellectuals who struggled to maintain socialist thinking as a dynamic discourse and subject to constant changes.
His latest poetry book, Fistful of Poetry was dedicated to the Palestinian plight.
Richard will be missed by many of us.
Rest in peace dear friend.
Gilad
Haaretz reported today that French National Front heads to Israel to stump for support ahead of election
Islamophob Louis Aliot, partner of rightist presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, is in Israel to persuade those eligible to vote in the French presidential election to give their vote this spring.Louis Aliot, the partner of National Front presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, visits Israel trying to persuade those eligible to vote in the French presidential election to give her their vote in this spring's balloting and to boost her image en route to the Elysee Palace.
"For us this visit is a precedent," Aliot told Haaretz. "This is the first time a National Front leader has visited Israel. It's true that relations were tense for a time, but it's time to warm up the atmosphere."
"They invited me so they could hear our worldview and Marine Le Pen's platform, particularly in the face of the Arab Spring," Aliot said. The group comprised "Frenchmen who live in Israel, many of them of Algerian origin."
