ס׳וועט אַ פּויק טאָן אונדזער טראָט

[sovay]

I didn't realize we shut down traffic. Good for us.

It was a crowd, a thousand by the Globe's estimate; we marched from the New England Holocaust Memorial to the Suffolk County House of Correction, chanting "Close the camps," "Abolish ICE," "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," "Never again means—" close the camps or abolish ICE or now, and often singing the refrain introduced by the organizers during the prefatory speeches: "We've got ancestors at our back / We've got generations forward / We've got land and spirit in our bones / Never again para nadie." Some of the speakers at the memorial were Jewish, some Latinx, some Jewish and Latinx. They spoke about generational trauma, about community and responsibility, about the mitzvah of remembering. There was a Jamaican minister and a rabbi in what I really hope was an ace flag tallis. They said Kaddish for the murdered children of the border camps; they recited Tefilat Haderech, the traveler's prayer. Someone else led the nign I'd heard the night of the vigil for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. The march itself was inaugurated with the blast of two shofars. The temperatures were in the high eighties; I had packed the largest bottle of water I could fit into my dragonfly backpack, but I am deeply grateful to the fellow ABV soprano who not only shared her sunscreen but lent me her white baseball cap which was labeled in small black capitals "FUCK THE SUN." I also appreciate the street medics who were handing out free bottles of water and packages of vitally salty snacks. No one I was marching with begrudged the activist brass band which played "Which Side Are You On?" and at one point jammed on the Ghostbusters theme to encourage the surrounding marchers to yell, "ICE Busters!" but we still agreed that what we really need for these occasions is activist klezmer. A clarinet in the right hands is not easily ignored. Never having been to the detention facility before, I had not realized that when we reached it we would see the hands and sometimes the faces of the detained behind the sunset-reflecting windows, flattening their palms against the thick glass, raising fists, writing their names or messages on manila folders or pieces of paper: "LOCK DOWN HELP." (Or the one person who filled their window with the letters "GO HOME.") We shouted to them; we waved; we raised fists in return; a chant started in the crowd of "We see you." It turned into "We love you." That's the only piece of sign language I know, so I signed it. I was not one of the eighteen protesters arrested on the steps of the jail.

I was one of di yugnt fun A Besere Velt captured on phone singing "Zog nit keyn mol." The best part is that some of our fellow marchers—who were not members of the chorus or the Workmen's Circle—sang with us. I hope I did not freak out the busker who goes by Home Despot by repeating my appreciation for their performance of the "Arbetsloser Marsh" and formally requesting "Daloy Politsey," but I didn't expect to run across them in the crowd (I don't know why, this march was extremely on brand for people who sing Mordechai Gebirtig on street corners) and I was standing next to skygiants at the time and really, I need all the Yiddish socialist-anarchist street music I can get. I'm not sure what about my singing of a descant to the never again para nadie refrain caused another marcher to shout at me, "You should be in a metal band!" but it seemed intended as a compliment. I did have my fist raised at the time.

I am very tired and somewhat dehydrated even after dinner and my afternoon immediately preceding the march was deeply stressful; I am not at all sorry that I went. That famous line by Rabbi Heschel, praying with one's feet. I hope the action has its desired effect. If not, we'll repeat it, not like madness, but determination. It is unspeakable that we have to protest these things. It is unthinkable not to. So, we're here.

Comments

[sara]

Hey: thank you for being part of what's right with this country.

Activist klezmer would be fantastic.

[sovay]

Hey: thank you for being part of what's right with this country.

You're welcome. I would like what's right with this country to be what changes it.

Activist klezmer would be fantastic.

I know it exists! I've got recordings of it! I just don't know how to get it to march in the Boston area.

[sara]

Locally we have a marching brass protest band but they don't know a lot of songs, and we have a Peace Chorus which is pretty good but hard to hear (although I sang with them the week after the 2016 election at a Standing Rock solidarity thing...that was good, to go do the old songs, although I think they were surprised that someone my age KNEW the old songs!)

And we get tribal singers and drums, sometimes, but that isn't always something that lends itself well to marching-and-singing -- that's more of an open-the-rally thing, and also people who aren't indigenous often do not get what offering a song really means so they talk through it. :-/

Basically, the Left needs more brass and a better sense of its own heritage.

[sovay]

a Peace Chorus which is pretty good but hard to hear (although I sang with them the week after the 2016 election at a Standing Rock solidarity thing...that was good, to go do the old songs, although I think they were surprised that someone my age KNEW the old songs!)

I get that with the older members of A Besere Velt. I side-eye it internally, but have taken to pointing out that my professional training involved pop culture from two and three thousand years before my birth; pop culture from the rest of the twentieth century shouldn't surprise anyone.

Basically, the Left needs more brass and a better sense of its own heritage.

I'll just leave this album here.

[sara]

Fie, they have built their weblinks badly and so the "buy on Amazon" link circles around to where you started.

Although one can stream it at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/cd_rhythm-jews_the-klezmatics_0/disc1/01.+The+Klezmatics+-+Fun+tashlikh.flac

Dammit I take that back, it's samples only.

[sovay]

Fie, they have built their weblinks badly and so the "buy on Amazon" link circles around to where you started.

Oh, dear. I didn't check the link.

Dammit I take that back, it's samples only.

You can stream two of the tracks via a compilation on Bandcamp! Otherwise, I guess it is clips only. Phooey.

[sara]

Oh, they've got a record on Bandcamp...I went all-non-iThing a few years ago, so I either buy CDs or I do Bandcamp or Internet Archive or, before it died, Classics Online.

[julian]

It's kind of irrelevant, but I found Home Despot's given name. Or perhaps it's their previous stage name. Anyway. An interview.

My morning/afternoon was also pretty stressful, but I am very glad I went. Because, yes. We're here. And "never again" doesn't mean "People 75 years ago died."

[sovay]

It's kind of irrelevant, but I found Home Despot's given name. Or perhaps it's their previous stage name. Anyway. An interview.

Oh, neat. Thank you. I will buy those singles and EP when they exist.

My morning/afternoon was also pretty stressful, but I am very glad I went. Because, yes. We're here. And "never again" doesn't mean "People 75 years ago died."

*hugs*

[gwynnega]

Thank you for protesting.

Maybe there should be a Yiddish socialist-anarchist metal band.

[sovay]

Thank you for protesting.

You're welcome. It matters to me.

Maybe there should be a Yiddish socialist-anarchist metal band.

I would honestly love that. I'd need earplugs, but I'd love it.

[thistleingrey]

Thank you for being here, and for protesting. It matters.

[sovay]

Thank you for being here, and for protesting. It matters.

Thank you.

[nineweaving]

You—all of you—are magnificent.

Thank you for marching. May your voices be heard on earth, as they were in heaven.

Nine

[sovay]

Thank you for marching. May your voices be heard on earth, as they were in heaven.

Amen.

[elisem]

*joins in the amen*

[dewline]

Best prayer in this context that I could imagine, that.

[sholio]

I'm glad you were there. ♥

[sovay]

I'm glad you were there.

Thank you. I am, too.

[jjhunter]

I wore white yesterday in solidarity. I meant to drop by for just 5min to show my support after work, and ended up marching with from Tufts Medical Center to Mass Ave wearing my big straw hat.

(Holy cow, we shut down traffic entirely? ...that would explain why the police officers kept riding by going "Move to the right!")

I ended up improvising a melody for 'no hate, no fear, / immigrants are welcome here' so I could sing it clear (because I was losing my voice trying to shout it). Ditto for 'From Palestine to Mexico / the border walls have got to go.' I earwormed myself; I was singing in my dreams.

I'm glad I came. Next time I'll bring a sign and a full water bottle.

[sovay]

I meant to drop by for just 5min to show my support after work, and ended up marching with from Tufts Medical Center to Mass Ave wearing my big straw hat.

Excellent! I'm glad you were there. We saw several people drawn from the sidewalk into the march; I liked that we had gravity.

(Holy cow, we shut down traffic entirely? ...that would explain why the police officers kept riding by going "Move to the right!")

At the time I figured it was just that the route went through congested streets at rush hour, but I guess we were congesting them.

I ended up improvising a melody for 'no hate, no fear, / immigrants are welcome here' so I could sing it clear

Same, although it helped in my case that we were right behind the activist band and they were playing in tandem in the chant.

I'm glad I came. Next time I'll bring a sign and a full water bottle.

See you next time!

[thisbluespirit]

Well done!

[sovay]

Well done!

Thank you!

[wpadmirer]

Very cool video. I'm so pleased that people are doing this. I wish I could, but I have a brand new job and no flexibility right now. DAMN.

[sovay]

Very cool video.

I knew people were recording us once we started singing, but I didn't expect any of the footage to end up where I could see it!

I'm so pleased that people are doing this. I wish I could, but I have a brand new job and no flexibility right now. DAMN.

You will do what you can from a distance. (Have a fundraiser?)

[wpadmirer]

I'm good at giving to fundraisers. (grin) I can't give a lot, but I've been giving a little here and there to ones for this cause. (Only ones by people I know, so I can be sure they're really going where they say they're going.)

[oracne]

There's a protest in Philly on the 4th at the ICE offices - I made my sign last night. I doubt we'll have activist klezmer, though that would ROCK.

Of course, the offices are closed on the 4th, but more people will be able to show up. And it's the 4th, in Philly, three blocks from Independence Hall, which hopefully means many tourists and more cameras.

[dewline]

Good luck from Ottawa-Gatineau!

[moon_custafer]

And from Toronto!

[sovay]

There's a protest in Philly on the 4th at the ICE offices - I made my sign last night. I doubt we'll have activist klezmer, though that would ROCK.

Strength to your arm!

[redbird]

Thank you. I wish I could have been there, but...next time. Because there will be a next time.

[sovay]

Thank you. I wish I could have been there, but...next time. Because there will be a next time.

I am afraid there will be. So I'll see you there.

[vass]

Thank you.

[sovay]

Thank you.

You're welcome. I think it's important.

[aurumcalendula]

Thank you.

[sovay]

Thank you.

You're welcome. I couldn't imagine not going if I was physically capable of it.

[a_reasonable_man]

Thank you for being there, for the songs, and for this report.

[sovay]

Thank you for being there, for the songs, and for this report.

You're welcome. I hate that it's necessary, but if it's necessary, I would rather be part of it than not.

[rinue]

I was so cheered by this protest. I didn't know it was going to happen until I heard it was happening, and it's the very best thing. Thank you for doing it. Also, activist klezmer is a great idea.

[sovay]

Thank you for doing it. Also, activist klezmer is a great idea.

You're welcome! I am glad to be able to.

If you know how to make activist klezmer happen, please, please do.

[drwex]

<3

[sovay]

<3

*hugs*

[lokifan]

Thanks for doing that.

[sovay]

Thanks for doing that.

You're welcome. I was glad to be able to.