Rembetiko, Music of My Heart

Pictured Above: Semsis, Eskenazi and Tomboulis

One of my favorite musical genres is Rembetiko, the soulful, inventive music of the Greeks of Anatolia (Asia Minor). This style is rich with Ottoman, Persian and Arabic influences, both musical and cultural and many of its great performers were Ottoman Jews and Armenians. A study of the Ottoman Empire highlights the wonderful and destructive power of multiculturalism and diversity. On one hand the incredibly rich mix of cultures, races, religions and languages produced some of the most amazing music, architecture, poetry and cuisine that has graced the world. On the other hand, it bred conflict, instability and the first Genocide of the century, ultimately leading Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria to undertake a massive population exchange, with the goal of creating more homogeneous, stable and peaceful nations. If I had to derive a one line line lesson from the Ottoman Experience for the United States, it would be as follows: enjoy the cultural blessings that diversity bring, but tread carefully, for human beings are flawed creatures of conflict. Here is a wonderful song performed in 1929 by Andonis Dalgas and one performed by the prodigious Roza Eskenazi.

The CFF Salutes: Taner Akçam

Taner Akçam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taner_Akcam) is part of a small but growing number of Turkish intellectuals who recognize the Armenian Genocide. For this Mr. Akçam has faced death threats and constant harassment. In the following clip he discusses "A Shameful Act", which is an clear and well cited exploration of the cultural, political and historic forces that led to the Armenian Genocide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL3WF7f1WWA&feature=related

Armenian Genocide

Today (April 24, 1915) was the 95th Anniversary of the commencement of the Armenian Genocide.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide). On this day 240 of the leading cultural and commercial figures of the Armenian community were arrested in the city of Constantinople, most whom were later massacred. From there, at least 1,000,000 Armenians died from massacres, hunger and thirst in the cold mountains of Anatolia and the burning deserts of Syria. Countless women and children were kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam. Since then the Turkish government has destroyed 100's if not 1000's of monasteries, churches and architectural treasures that attest to the 3,000 year Armenian presence in Anatolia.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJhTgT0xqw)

As a Jew who lost countless members of my family in the Holocaust, my heart goes out to the Armenian Community. An added element to the Armenian tragedy is that the Turkish government and majority of Turkish people do not recognize the genocide. I can only imagine the rage I would feel if the German government and people denied the holocaust. In addition, several world governments have failed to publicly recognize the Armenian Genocide. Most shamefully, the United States and Israel fall under this category. While I understand the strategic value of Turkey, this flight from moral responsibility is incomprehensible, especially in the case of Israel. Thankfully most Israeli historians and intellectuals do not share their government's position (http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/04/20/sassounian/).