Syrian Opposition Uses Israeli Song As Protest Anthem
The spirit of Zenga Zenga is alive and well in Syria.
Jewish Israeli musician Amir Benayoun, 35, has written three songs dedicated to the Syrian uprising. One of the songs, "Zini," is a YouTube hit and is being used on the Facebook pages of several members of the Syrian opposition.
According to the Jerusalem Post, leaders of the opposition, inspired by Noy Alooshe's Zenga Zenga mashup and its galvanizing effect on young Libyans, asked Ayoub Kara, deputy minister for development of the Negev and Galilee, if he would prevail on Benayoun -- already popular among Syrians -- to pen a song for their protest movement. Benayoun wrote the three tracks, recorded them in Arabic, and added them to an album (also called Zini) that he had recently released. Kara then distributed copies of the revised album to the leaders of 15 Syrian opposition groups.
The song "Zini" is now being used as a rallying cry and as background music in videos documenting the violence of the government's crackdown on the protesters.
"What would most move me is that you see someone who is not from your religion or people coming and asking for help, and them beginning to see that their leaders don’t really love them but are oppressing them,” Benayoun said. "B’ezrat Hashem [with God’s help], they’ll understand what Israel is and what we’re about."
This story is loaded with surprises (that there are so many opposition groups operating up there in the first place; that they are in comfortable contact with an Israeli minister; that Turkey, unwittingly or otherwise, hosted the meeting between the Syrian opposition and said Israeli minister at which the album was distributed; that the music of a Jewish Israeli was popular in Syria before the uprising began) but one of the most interesting elements is the character of Benayoun himself, who is far from the typical left-wing Israeli artist. A musician of Algerian descent, he became popular here about a decade ago by performing Mizrachi (Eastern-style) music, but then became religious and joined the Chabad (Lubavitch) movement. He's now affiliated with the right wing of the religious Zionist camp. In 2010, he released the song “I’m Your Brother,” described by the Post as "a musical assault on left-wing Israelis whom he accused of compromising national security."
In April, Benayoun recorded a single, "Hitnaari," with members of the children’s choir of Itamar. He wrote the song for Tamar Fogel, the 12-year-old girl who found five members of her family murdered by terrorists in their home. The lyrics of the chorus come from the prayer L'Cha Dodi and from a line from Yechezkel 16:6:
When I passed over you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you: In your blood, you shall live; I said to you: In your blood, you shall live!
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Re: Syrian Opposition Uses Israeli Song As Protest Anthem
An interesting but not entirely surprising detail is the role of Ayoub Kara, who is by the way Druze. I just don't know what to make of Kara and a host of other Israelis pitching up here in Istanbul recently (on May 12) to take part in a conference and media-fest hosted by Adnan Oktar, aka Harun Yaya, who is truly one of the weirdest figures in Turkey. Yaya used to be known for his Holocaust denial; he's renounced that; now he's mostly known for his obsession with Freemason conspiracies, his fantasy of a greater Islamic world united under Turkish leadership, the host of beautiful young women who surround him, rumors that he hosts drug-fueled orgies in his home, his extreme interest in the Intelligent Design movement, and having a ton of money--no one knows where from. His latest passion is Turkish-Israeli reconciliation, and as you can see from that link, a number of Israelis--serious ones, not weirdoes!--seem to think it worth talking to him. I'd have gone to the press conference, but I figured the invitation was just a stunt and no one was really going to show up.
Re: Syrian Opposition Uses Israeli Song As Protest Anthem
And by the way, if you're interested in the Turkish role, check this out:
Read the whole article to get a sense of where Israel truly ranks in the foreign policy priorities of this government. (Headache number 1,233, I'd say; scheduled for deep consideration in 2016.) Really something to keep in mind when you ask "Why aren't they doing something about these flotilla plans?" Basically, they're thinking, "You want us to think about that? Haven't you noticed what's going on here?"
Jun '10
Re: Syrian Opposition Uses Israeli Song As Protest Anthem
I guess I have a stupid question. Does the average citizen in the Syrian opposition listening to these songs even know that this guy is Israeli/Jewish?