Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 13 (since 2010-05-26 02:05:44)

richpiano

pianist/vocalist/songwriter/activist, and best of all- Daddy!

Website: http://www.richsiegel.com

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• Jazz reviewer pulls glowing review of my album so as to 'stand with Israel'
  • richpiano April 9, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    Thanks everybody, for the great comments, and thanks Egbert, for buying a copy of the CD. I hope you like it. I appreciate the support, and I apologize for not having been a part of this conversation- have been busy- it's tax time! For those who are interested, the CD is available at all the usual music-sellers on-line.

• On Shabbos the rabbi stood outside neighbor's house shouting F-you at his 'Free Palestine' bumper sticker
  • richpiano November 29, 2011 at 11:02 pm with 3 replies

    I've enjoyed reading the various comments on the story of my misadventures in the little Zionist shtetl of Teaneck, NJ. I'm trying to figure out how it's possible that someone considers me to be a public figure. I think public figures usually make a lot more money than I do, unless they become public figures in jail or by some other misdeed. re: the harassment charge- that's all the police would allow me to charge him with. At the probable cause hearing I will discuss with the judge my desire to bring additional charges. As for being an ex-Jew or a Jew, it may seem like a contradiction, but I think it's possible, and perhaps inevitable, for an ex-Jew to be both. I was actually recently ex-communicated by a rabbi. And he said he had the authority to do it. I thought excommunication was a Catholic thing. So it seems I really am an ex-Jew. Beyond the excommunication I think the proof is that I would never consider raising my daughter Jewish. I think I would rather give her heroine. It's a cult. I left. I'm a cult-survivor. But even so, what is my heritage? What is my ethnicity? And who would welcome me back with open arms if I ever were to renounce all of my activism and re-join the "tribe"? They would sell me a house in Beit Yatir (West Bank settlement previously "twinned" with Teaneck before I put a stop to it) tomorrow! Why? Because I'm a Jew. A Jewish ex-Jew. Go figure!

• A NJ town throws its weight behind the settlement project
  • richpiano February 5, 2011 at 8:03 am

    There doesn't seem to be any other twin town relationships between American towns and West Bank settlements, although there are many between American towns and Israeli towns. It seems that individuals from the Zionist community here acted unilaterally in setting up the relationship. I don't think even our mayor or town council knew about it until I brought it to their attention. But I'm quite sure that the Beit Yatir settlement know, and are using this relationship to bolster their legitimacy. Why won't the mayor do the obvious? I don't know him personally beyond his dismissive attitude towards me at the town council meeting. But an observation: a Muslim mayor in a town which has a small Muslim minority, a very large Jewish population, both Orthodox and non-Orthodox and extremely Zionist, a Jewish deputy mayor and three of five town council members are Jewish. It only makes sense that this mayor wants to avoid doing anything which might be interpreted as anti-Semitic, and given the narcissistic and paranoid disposition of the Zionist community, a move against this relationship absolutely would be viewed that way. Contact info for Teaneck at link to teanecknj.gov
    for anyone who wants to voice an objection. Thanks for the comments on my video.

• N.Y. musicians' union shuts down debate over Israel/Palestine
  • richpiano September 28, 2010 at 9:27 pm with 1 replies

    Thanks everybody for reading and for the great comments! -Rich Siegel

  • richpiano September 28, 2010 at 9:26 pm with 1 replies

    Minsky is a member, with no special status that I know of. After I got a letter published about BDS I was made aware that he was circulating a request for members to write in and demand that discussion of Israel/Palestine not be allowed in the union paper. I suppose I could have organized a letter-writing campaign to go against him. However, in my experience musicians aren't really very active politically, sorry to say. I suppose the Zionist members are which is why Minsky seems to have had some success. It occurred to me that the most effective thing I could do would be to quit, and do it as publicly as possible, so that's what I did.

• Anti-Zionist show in Rochester is back on, though not in original church venue
  • richpiano June 28, 2010 at 9:53 pm

    Sorry to report that the story I gave Phil Weiss was completely incorrect. A communication I received from Dan McGowan of Deir Yassin Remembered was worded in such a way that I interpreted it to indicate that the church had found us this other venue. In fact the church dumped us and we're still dumped. It was other organizations in the area that found us another venue. Regarding Keevert's claim that the church did not dump us because of pressure from the rabbi, I believe it's total bullshit. Why would there all of a sudden be a "scheduling conflict" a few days before an event that's been on the books for a couple of months? Just doesn't make sense. And- why would Ron Johnson- the other rep from the church- have TOLD us that the objection from the rabbi was a factor in the church's decision if it wasn't. Clearly it was, and I am stipulating that it was the only reason because the other reason given is ridiculous. Anyone still wishing to take the First Unitarian Church of Rochester to task for dumping us, please do. -Rich Siegel

• Teaneck harassment case ends with apology & forgiveness & Ilan Pappe
  • richpiano May 28, 2010 at 5:33 am

    Thanks for the kind words. Learning it phonetically, with translation- important to know the meaning of what you are singing, word for word. Naji, who was here last night, told me that my pronunciation needs work! Working with a native speaker to get the pronunciation as good as possible before recording.

  • richpiano May 28, 2010 at 12:24 am with 1 replies

    PS- re the "slaughter the Jews" thing: I want to report that I am a Jew, and I shared a meal with an Arab this evening and I was not slaughtered- and he had a knife- he was using it to cut his pot-pie.

    PPS- thanks for the compliment on the song. It's going on a CD I'm working on. Also- to be included- "Shams el Aghani" by Ahmad Kaabour. I'm singing it in Arabic. And a new original song half in English and half in Arabic. Also "Lo Yisa Goy" and "Hinei Mah Tov" in Hebrew. Am I crazy?!

  • richpiano May 28, 2010 at 12:10 am

    Just had a late meal with a friend of mine, a Palestinian refugee who is a student here. Was an interesting contrast to spending time with Bernie yesterday. I was imagining getting the two of them together. "Now why exactly did Naji have to spend his childhood in a refugee camp in Lebanon?
    Rachel- Were Arabs saying "slaughter the Jews" before Zionists started taking over Palestine? If not, you might want to consider that, as indelicate a thing to say as it is, it might be a REACTION to something. And as long as Zionists lobby to make Judaism and Zionism the same thing, we really can't blame the Arabs for not saying "slaughter the Zionists".
    Thankgodimatheist- (and everybody) my friend Avigail Abarbanel is an ex-Israeli psychologist, who writes very interesting articles on Zionist pathology. Google her- she's got great stuff on her web-site. For me, and this is somewhat endorsed by Avigail, Zionism is a cult-wide narcissistic personality disorder. We are "special"- God's chosen people, we are "victims"- the holocaust and the lachrymose history of the Jews- the miserable diaspora, etc., and we are "entitled"- to Palestine. If an individual were to act like that it would be diagnosed, wouldn't it?

  • richpiano May 27, 2010 at 8:15 pm with 27 replies

    OOPS- should have proof-read that better. What I meant to say is this:
    There is simply no convincing these people WHO ARE SO FIRM IN THEIR BELIEF THAT the world hates the Jew, and that specifically “The Arabs” were allies of Hitler (proven by the unfortunate actions of the Mufti), that “The Arabs” wanted genocide of the Jews in WW ll, and when they didn’t get it, they tried it on their own in 1948, and thus the passion about the necessity of Israel. I’ve heard this before, but now I’m getting it from a guy who prides himself as having a commitment to “reason”. When the cult-mentality is that deep, as it is with so many Jews everywhere, reasoning that the Arab objection is to Zionism, not to Jews or Judaism, just does not have an impact, I’m afraid.

  • richpiano May 27, 2010 at 8:11 pm with 28 replies

    To respond to what Aref wrote: I have a hobby that I engage in way too often- let's call it an addiction- I debate with Zionists. I had a letter published in my union paper in April (local 802 NY musicians) asking my union brothers/sisters to respect BDS and turn down any offers to work in Israel. (Many 802 members do work in Israel- the Red Sea jazz festival, various classical concerts, etc.) Another member organized a letter-writing campaign urging members to write in, not to oppose my point of view as you might expect, but to disallow any future mention of Israel in our union paper. (Our paper, like all union papers, is all about politics, so this would be a very unusual decision.) One member he to wrote to betrayed him and contacted me. I contacted the union and the exposed the "plot", so they know what's going on, and are not printing the letters they receive. Then, just for sport, I contacted this fellow, a cellist named Aaron Minsky, and started a conversation. He has a lot of material on line, has written a book about Judaism/Zionism, and prides himself on a commitment to reason (google him). So I thought he might be different from other Zionists I've debated. A lot of background to get to this point: There is simply no convincing these people that the world hates the Jew, and that specifically "The Arabs" were allies of Hitler (proven by the unfortunate actions of the Mufti), that "The Arabs" wanted genocide of the Jews in WW ll, and when they didn't get it, they tried it on their own in 1948, and thus the passion about the necessity of Israel. I've heard this before, but now I'm getting it from a guy who prides himself as having a commitment to "reason". When the cult-mentality is that deep, as it is with so many Jews everywhere, reasoning that the Arab objection is to Zionism, not to Jews or Judaism, just does not have an impact, I'm afraid.

  • richpiano May 27, 2010 at 5:10 am

    PS- if I didn't make it clear- I'm Siegel.

  • richpiano May 27, 2010 at 5:09 am with 1 replies

    It's been interesting reading people's reactions to the stories- both of them. I'll just add a disturbing addendum. I received lengthy e mail this morning from Cracker Basher (crackerbasher@gmail.com) subject line "Hey Rich you slimebucket nazi piece of shit", opening "Rich, We just wanted to congratulate all you little Nazis and subliterate crackers for doing so much for the world"- and it goes downhill from there, with sexual references and nonsense about circumcision. 5th paragraph opens with "Speaking of circumcision, we will be paying you a little visit next month, to offer you your very own circumcision." Next paragraph opens with "Until then you can Sieg Heil your way around the trailer park..." So I'm going back to the police station yet again this morning.

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