Do you hate nationalism? You'll be even more disgusted by it after you watch  artist Natali Cohen Vaxberg's "Shit Instead of Blood" video where she poos on over 50 world flags. It's one of her many outrageous and controversial videos. You might hate her work or think it's disgusting or hate the message, (you may also find it hysterical and important), but did she deserve to be arrested for her art? The Israeli government thinks so.

Cohen Vaxberg's work is anti-fascist, anti-racist and feminist.  There are no sacred cows and she aims her black humour (and her screaming) at everything from Israel's pleas to the French Jews to move en-masse in The Promised Cake, to refugee issues, the separation wall between Israel and Palestine, Gaza, and probably most controversial is her work about the Holocaust.

In a Passover video "Only Israelites Are Kosher" we join a fascist middle-aged woman and her guests (all dolls) for a seder that never ends.  Her most recent video "Flag and Cop" , a response to being arrested for showing disrespect to the Israeli flag, has her playing a loyal cop who gives head to his little flag when he comes home, and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifices to please his master.

Cohen Vaxberg is the guest on this episode of Shtetl Middle East.  Her videos laugh and scream in the face of almost every serious issue facing Israel in particular and the Western world in general. But the Israeli government is not laughing.

What do you think of her work?

Music on this episode by:  Kid Loco, Lederhosen Lucil, Mozart, KRS-One, Louis Armstrong, Benny Bell, Peaches, South Parc, SoCalled and Solomon.

Tune in to hear this episode of Shtetl Middle East on Friday, May 20th at 11AM on CKUT 90.3FM in Montreal. Or stream/download the show right here.

Dear listener,  please scroll down to play this show.

On this episode of Shtetl Middle East:

Tel Aviv and Istanbul dance simultaneously at Sound Ports Music Fest .  Artist Joseph Dadoune  talks about South Tel Aviv, a desert border town called Ofakim, Jerusalem and the spiritual healing power of hemorrhoid cream! Choreographer  Aharona Israel brings a dance Marathon to Montreal,  and we visit ultra-Orthodox musician Avrum Burstein in a basement in Jerusalem where everyone is invited and the klezmer comes with kugel and vodka.

Music playlist for this episode

Krista Muir (Shtetl theme song)

Dudu Tassa and the Al-Kuwaitis ft Riff Cohen

Burstein Klezmer Basement Band

Gaya Su Akyol

Eyn Sof

Omar Suleiman

Background music by Dave Tarras, Eyn Sof and Istanbul Oriental Ensemble & Burhan Öçal

Happy Purim les amis!!

Who are the Hebrew Israelites? Meet Etai Darway. He left the community and works as a DJ in Tel Aviv. Etai gives us the lowdown on a community that followed their leader from the U.S. to Africa and then to the desert of the "Promised Land". What do they believe? Are they Jewish? Christian? African American? African?  And check out  the gospel music from the Israelites here in Dimona which Etai often plays during his set at clubs in Tel Aviv.

Dearest radio lover, please click here to stream this episode of Shtetl Middle East! Or, listen live at 11AM in Montreal on CKUT 90.3 FM.

All music on this episode by the Hebrew Israelites of Dimona, plus Kid Loco, and the Shtetl theme song by Lederhosen Lucil/Krista Muir.

Celebrate Hanuka with a radio roadtrip to the hamam in Ramallah. Plus an interview with Persian Israeli director Yuval Delshad about his award-winning Farsi drama Baba Joon.

Tune in and hear what happens when Jews, Palestinians, Israelis and Iranians meet in a very hot steamy room and are surrounded by marble alters.

Lots of good music too. On this episode: Kid Loco, Krista Muir/Lederhosen Lucil, Muna Zul, Johnette Napolitano & Danny Lohner, Milky Way, Eran Baron Cohen, Marjan Farsad.

Happy holidays, peace, love, money, sex...Whatever you desire in 2016, may it be yours. Most especially, may your soul be soothed by good radio, lots of podcasts and great music.

With love from the Middle East,

Shtetl

Listen live at 11AM on CKUT 90.3FM in Montreal or stream/download the podcast right here or from Shtetl's iTunes. And to keep up to date with Shtetl's audio adventures, like us on Facebook!

Yuval Ben Ami wanted to do a simple tribute album to Lorde- one of his favourite musicians. But in the Holy Land even pop covers are political. Tune in to Shtetl to find out about The Lorde Diaries; a musical pop journey in Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, Yiddish and French.

 

If you missed the live broadcast on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal,  stream the show right here by clicking the play icon below, or download this and all the Shtetl podcasts on iTunes .

 

Music playlist on this episode of Shtetl Middle East:

Lorde

Lederhosen Lucil (Shtetl theme song)

Mira Awad

The Technicalities

The Djamchid Sisters

Yuval Ben Ami

Rasha Nahas

Diane Gern

David Bowie & Freddie Mercury

Today on Shtetl we hear from Gershon Baskin in Jerusalem. Baskin is a household name in negotiations for peace between Israel and Palestine and an advocate for strengthening Jewish/Arab relations.  Baskin gives context to the current wave of violence in Israel and Palestine.

Thanks for tuning in to Shtetl on CKUT 90.3FM in Montreal. You can listen to the podcast right here or download it from Shtetl's iTunes.

Music on this episode:   Kid Loco, David Broza ft Wyclef Jean: East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem,  The Angelcy: The Call,  Nai Barghouti: “Yumma Mweil Al-Hawa” (“Oh Mama, the Breeze Bends”), Sinead O'Connor: Jerusalem.

To listen to this episode of Shtetl on the Shortwave please scroll down and press on the play icon below. Enjoy!

Listen to the sounds of Yom Kippur with the unique singer and performer Victoria Hanna in Jerusalem. Sit with Sudanese refugee Anwar Suliman in a park in Tel Aviv and hear about his experience as an asylum seeker in Israel.

And, of course, lots of great music to get you in the Jewish New Year/atonement mood.

(Music in this episode: Lederhosen Lucil: the Shtetl theme song, Victoria Hanna, Raggabund, and Johnny Mathis: the Kol Nidre).

Shana Tova. A sweet sweet year full of courage, beauty and a shitload of Jewish arts and culture podcasts!

xox Shtetl in the Middle-East

Shazam Fest is the creation of  Ziv Przytyk. At 10 years old this quirky eco-conscious  fest in the Eastern Townships of Quebec brings you music, circus, burlesque, wrestling and more. Find out who Przytyk is and how his Jewish roots contributed to founding this whimsical community building summer fest.

And, sexpert Cory Silverberg, author of the new progressive comic book for kids "Sex is a Funny Word",  gives us the lowdown on how to talk sex with kids. Wish I'd had this book growing up!

Picture to left courtesy of ShazamFest featuring Miss BonBon Bombay and The Great Leviticus.

Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos! It's the Shtetl summer music show. Tune in for Yiddish mambo, Yemenite funk, African American-Yiddish crossover music, Ethiopian reggae, Emily Dickinson music poetry, Davendra Bandhart's Shabop Shalom love song to Natalie Portman, a Jewish wife's trip to Cuba, and the live music of young Montrealer Ali Levy with her big bass and sweet jazzy Dylan covers.

If you like this show, please share. Gracias mis amigos, and happy listening!

Music on this episode (in this order) by Kid Loco (theme music), Krista Muir/Lederhosen Lucil (Shtetl theme song), Davendra Banhardt, Zvulon Dub System, Efrat ben Tsur, Ali Levy, Slim Gaillard, Bint el Funk, Juan Calle and his Latin Lantsmen, The Barry Sisters and Amy Winehouse.

For the past 25 years beloved author Sayed Kashua has written in Hebrew about his experience as an Arab Palestinian living in Israel. Through his column in Ha'aretz newpsaper, his many novels and his hit TV sitcom Avoda Aravit (Arab Labour), he expresses the story of being Arab and trying to fit in to a Jewish state.

Stream this episode here or download it from iTunes  to hear about Kashua's experience- especially now that he has spent the last year in the United States. 

And, Check out Sayed Kashua's talk this June 15th at 7PM at Moyse Hall Theatre, on Mcgill Campus in Montreal.  You can register in advance for tickets by going to www.nifcan.org

Music on this episode by Leonard Cohen, Haya Zaayat, Kid Loco and Krista Muir.