Jun29

Say Your Name

BY:

Comments: 9 Comments  |  Category: Uncategorized

After more than ten years of creating and sharing music videos, we’ve grown accustomed to a fair share of public scrutiny. And as seasoned veterans of the online world, we’ve long known that social media and YouTube comment sections don’t lend themselves to thoughtful discussion and critical analysis.

But our most recent offering, “Say Your Name,” written in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, seems to have touched a nerve. Several nerves, in fact. The censures of our song fell into four – sometimes overlapping – categories:

Many questioned why we wrote a song for George Floyd, despite having never dedicated songs to any other victims. Commenters suggested a wide range of substitutions, including Israeli victims of terror, American victims of antisemitism, white victims of police brutality, and victims of the violence associated with the recent protests.
Others suggested that we shouldn’t have dedicated a song to someone with a criminal past.
A third group complained that our song implies alignment with – or worse, pandering to – a group or organization that they viewed as unsavory, such as Black Lives Matter, the Black American community, or progressivism at large.
Finally, a small but vocal group suggested that our song emphasized ourselves over George Floyd and the causes he inspired.

With regards to that last point (the subject of a recent article in Kveller), we don’t have much to add other than to point out the irony of a mostly – if not entirely – white group asserting that our project somehow took away the voices of the victims.

Regarding the third objection noted above, that of joining the “wrong” cause: As to whether or not we believe that there are deep-seated, fundamental issues which require serious thought and action, we follow not just the armies of social scientists and thinkers who have shown this to be the case, but the example of our community’s teachers and leaders:

Yeshiva University: “Our hearts are heavy with sorrow and we understand the anger and fear being felt across the country, especially by Black Americans at this time. We join in the national outcry for justice and reforms that seek to prevent these tragic violent acts from continuing to occur.”
British Chief Rabbinate: “That ‘Black Lives Matter’ needs affirming at all is utterly shameful. There is no doubt that this is an essential wake up call for each and every one of us.”
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (the OU): “Yet, we are again witnessing that too many communities around this country feel their voices are not being heard, their complaints about racist treatment are unheeded, and we are not doing enough to point out that this brutal and unjust treatment is antithetical to basic American values.”

Yes, the antisemitism that we publicly protested with 25,000 of our brothers and sisters earlier this year is real. And yes, that antisemitism sometimes manifests more prominently in communities of color. But bringing that up at this moment is entirely besides the point. We don’t fight for the rights and dignity of marginalized communities for the sake of reciprocity, we do it because it’s the right thing to do.

To those who protest our mourning of Mr. Floyd due to his criminal past, we reply simply that this is an ugly, morally repugnant distraction. Neither Jewish nor American values teach that his life be treated as less than any other; his blood was no less red than ours or yours. As one of the bystanders desperately tried to remind the officers who killed Floyd, “he is human.” If one of the victims of the Tree of Life shooting were a convicted criminal, his or her death would be no less tragic.

Similarly, we shouldn’t need to explain the difference between the functional public execution of Mr. Floyd by uniformed government representatives and the tragic death of retired police captain David Dorn at the hands of criminal rioters during the subsequent unrest.

Finally, as to those who questioned whether we “have enough tears” for Jewish and Israeli victims as well, the answer, of course, is yes. The Jewish people exist in concentric circles, and it is only natural to grieve more at the loss of a family-member than at the death of a stranger. But assuming you were asking in good faith why George Floyd deserved a tribute, and not simply using those substitute names as a sideways disagreement based on one of the above critiques, allow us to explain why we felt the need to speak up at this time.

Hearing about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in the final hours of Shabbat brought on an awful jumble of feelings in the pit of our stomachs. After the attack on our sacred space of gathering and prayer we felt, all at once, mourning, grief, violation, anger, and fear. The Jewish community – our primary audience – shared in this emotional whirlwind. They didn’t need us to remind them how to feel.
Furthermore, all the commentary and finger-pointing over the following days and weeks didn’t really make us feel any better. Security at synagogues and other Jewish institutions would need to be increased. Antisemitism was on the rise from both sides of the political spectrum. We live in a climate of extreme polarization and radicalization.

What did make us feel better was the comfort that came from outside of our community. Not just politicians at all levels denouncing the violence, not just newscasters reading the names and stories of the victims, but the “rings of peace” that some groups of non-Jews formed around their local synagogues. And yes, the presence of local law enforcement outside those synagogues.

So when Black Americans were hit in the face with yet another video of the needless death of someone who looks like them, we thought we should take a few beats to offer our empathy, and to remind the rest our community to do the same.

9 comments
Filed under: Uncategorized

9 comments

  1. Comment by Debra Forman on July 10, 2020 at 6:39 am

    Ridiculous answers to probably hundreds of emails. You never should have written or sung a song about BLMbut you could have made the same type of benign statement as the other institutions. Again, shame on you all. No more Maccabeats for me!!!. Debra Forman

  2. Comment by Debra Forman on July 10, 2020 at 7:02 am

    You missed the point completely from your probable hundreds of emails, calling you out. No condoned the death of any human being at the hands of a policeman, however writing a song about BLM and insinuating “kneeling” to “recognize” the plight of blacks is a whole other matter. You could have issued the benign statement as all other institutions, while sticking to singing about our Jewish roots and issues. Again, shame on all of you, I’m done with your songs. Debra Forman

  3. Comment by GARY SCHARLAT on July 10, 2020 at 9:53 am

    You are a naive bunch of young educated morons.Black Lives Matter is a hate-filled antisemitic organization financed by the deep dark left. Your aligning yourself in any way with these dangerous evil destructive terrorists wanting and working to destroy the country you live in is promoting our (Jews) destruction.. WAKE UP

  4. Comment by Aaron S on July 10, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    I think it’s admirable that you wrote/performed this song, and stood up to the criticism. There is no perfect way to do what you were trying to do. And that’s OK. You created something to express an emotion, and to convey support. More people should follow your examples.
    It’s easy to tear people down, so you should ignore much of the criticism. Some of it should be internalized and meditated on. But it doesn’t take away from something you should feel good about having done.
    Lo Alecha HaMelacha Ligmor, v’lo Ata Ben Chorin l’Hibatel Mimena.

  5. Comment by Sabina Rosenfeld on August 26, 2020 at 6:46 pm

    Thank you for this beautiful song. When a non-Jewish friend questioned my commitment to Judaism with regard to my support of BLM, I forwarded her this song. We do not have to agree with every single principle of BLM before we can call out institutional racism which was so horribly obvious in the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Antwon Rose and the most recent victim in Kenosha. You are mentches in my book. I grew up in Squirrel Hill and still live close to Tree of Life. I knew 5 of the victims. The most “public comfort” I received at that time was from the leader of the Pittsburgh Muslim Center. And the Jewish community grieved with the Muslim community when they held a memorial for their brothers and sisters in New Zealand a short time later. It’s called empathy and I’m glad you have it.

  6. Comment by Sandra Stein on September 19, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    After my cousin sent me your music to watch, I continued to inform my self about your group
    I was surprised to find out that your group did a video song about George Floyd’s death. We watched it. Our house has felt the pain over this man’s death as we do all whom are dying at this most
    horrible time of our generation from Covid-19. ALL LIVES MATTER! and that is what our God
    commands that we understand. That we stand up for those whom can not and speak up for & WITH
    those whom are being targeted. God commands us as Jews to NOT LOOK AWAY to speak or SING to make all peoples that HATE TO STOP! God Bless the Maccabeats for standing UP!
    In our home we will always support the Maccabeats. We will send to all whom we know your website.
    So that they can alsol SPEAK & STAND. We are affiliated with four (4) Temples & Rabbi’s.
    Be sure MACCABEATS that after Covid-19 you will be contacted to perform. WILLIAM & SANDRA S.

  7. Comment by Netanel on October 23, 2020 at 6:43 pm

    Are you Jewish? I can’t really tell.
    I don’t listen to your songs but I happened to find this one and almost threw up. I thought jews are supposed to follow the Torah, but this is what the modern jews have become.
    If the Torah doesn’t tell you do to something, you should NOT make a movement out of it. Besides for that, your primary audience are half frum jews who don’t know better and think that listening to the ”Maccabeats” is good for them and what Hashem wants. What you’re doing is reversed kiruv because people now think that this is Judaism, and it is definitely not. If you want to continue making songs like this, stop pretending to be jewish, take off your yamulka, and give yourself a goyish name because what you’re doing has no association to Judaism whatsoever.
    This is what you wrote: “our primary audience – shared in this emotional whirlwind. They didn’t need us to remind them how to feel.”
    You think that your audience never heard of what happened to George Floyd until they heard your song? But they mourn and fast every tisha b’av, and tzom Gedalia? The jews are so mixed in with the goyish world and culture. Making a song about Floyd doesn’t help anyone, if only you would make a song about actual tragedies. We are supposed to mourn for our brothers- klal yisroel, because that’s who we are. Why do you think we fast on these days? If the people don’t need to be reminded how to feel? The jews of today are so backwards. It sickens me.
    Your video is damaging. Take it down, or stop pretending to be jewish.

  8. Comment by Honey Amado on March 20, 2023 at 4:52 am

    I just read your Say Your Name, posted on June 29, 2020, though I have not yet heard your song by the same name.. Thank you for such a thoughtful piece, both in outlining the responses to your song and your response to the criticism. How eloquently you expounded upon Hillel’s “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” Our community should have enough heart and “bandwidth” to mourn for our losses as well as others victimized around us.
    What a perfect discussion as I begin to prepare for Pesach.
    Thank you for your music. And, as my Sephardic aunts would say, Buen Pesach, Chag samay’ach, Honey Amado

  9. Comment by Honey Amado on March 20, 2023 at 4:52 am

    I just read your Say Your Name, posted on June 29, 2020, though I have not yet heard your song by the same name.. Thank you for such a thoughtful piece, both in outlining the responses to your song and your response to the criticism. How eloquently you expounded upon Hillel’s “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” Our community should have enough heart and “bandwidth” to mourn for our losses as well as others victimized around us.
    What a perfect discussion as I begin to prepare for Pesach.
    Thank you for your music. And, as my Sephardic aunts would say, Buen Pesach, Chag samay’ach, Honey Amado

* Required

Leave a comment