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| Five questions to…. Moni Ovadia
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Moni Ovadia
Photo: Maurizio Buscarino, courtesy of Moni Ovadia's web site
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EJP spoke to Moni Ovadia, a Bulgarian-born Italian musician, writer and actor, famous in Italy, Germany, Poland and Slovenia for his cabarets on Yiddish culture as well as for his political commitment. Ovadia is touring Italy with “Es iz Amerike!”, a cabaret show that explores the Jewish roots of contemporary American musicians and composers, such as George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Dylan and Irving Berlin, the author of “White Christmas”.
What inspired you for “Es iz Amerike!”?
I started working on my last show after reading “Not only Woody Allen”, a book on Jewish-American cinema by Guido Fink, a professor of Anglo-American literature at the University of Florence. After presenting Fink’s book at a lecture, my dreams were haunted by the idea of a new show. I then set up this performance on the influence of Jewish culture on American music. Music has always been my favourite means of expression.
What is the idea behind this cabaret show?
By following the life of the Jewish immigrants in the US, my show contains both happy and bitter elements. The idea was not only to illustrate the history of music, but also to tackle misconceptions that exist today. Thus I looked at discrimination suffered by Jews in the US. Few people know that there was also anti-Semitism in the US: McCarthyism was anti-Communist and anti-Semitic, and so was one of the most powerful economic leaders in the US during WWII, Henry Ford.
Where do you think the future of contemporary Jewish culture lies: Europe, Israel or the US?
Well, it is not really a geographic matter. I think that Jewish culture depends on the conditions that the Jews choose for themselves and on the ability to keep alive the sensors of our souls. Whether they are American, European or Israeli, Jewish communities today are certainly less dedicated to spirituality. However, I believe that in recent years the Diaspora has become culturally poorer as it focused more on the Arab-Israeli conflict, corrupting itself with a political ideology.
On the other hand, Israeli society has proved its ability to fly higher and go over the political contingency. The intellectuals over there seem aware that the state of Israel is only the most recent episode of 6,000 of culture, and it is not by chance that the some of the greatest contemporary writers – such as A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, David Grossmann and Shalev – are Israeli.
What are your plans for the future?
I will be touring Italy with “Es iz Amerike!” until next spring. However, in February I will be in Poland with my show “Canti della Pace – Songs for Peace”. I am working with Italian, Serbian and Moroccan musicians as well as the Palestinian singer Faisal Taher, who left Jenin for Sicily long ago. We shall be performing in ancient Spanish, Judeo-Spanish and Judeo-Arab.
How come a stand of the Italian humanitarian agency “Emergency” regularly follows your shows?
Regardless of any political view, I have the greatest respect for these volunteers, who bring medical assistance to war victims all over the world. Theirs is the greatest deed of civilisation.
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