Rapper Subliminal
Miri Ben ari
Yad Vashem freestyle
Teenagers opt to spend Holocaust Memorial Day watching DVDs? Hip-hop artist Subliminal and Grammy award-winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari think they have a solution
"A minute of silence is not enough for six million
We'll never perceive the tragedy
He had a vision, a "final solution!
We're all asleep
Today's the last day..."
This may not be the text we all know from memorial ceremonies yet this Holocaust Memorial Day, this clip was even played at Yad Vashem. The song is "God Almighty When Will It End?" (Adon Olam Ad Matai?); a collaboration of Israeli hip-hop artist Subliminal and Grammy award-winning violinist Miri Ben Ari.
Click here to view the clip
"I have been writing this song since 1992," Subliminal says. "I represent the new generation; a bit confused a little aggressive, yet very sensitive. I feel very strongly about giving voice to the Israeli experience and our history. The tragedy of the Holocaust is at the core of our existence. This song says it like it is."
"One of Puff Daddy's producers approached me about getting involved in a song about the Holocaust," says renowned violinist Miri Ben Ari, "We met and I was extremely touched by the compassion he expressed to the suffering of the Jewish people. Then Subliminal came to visit me in New York and when I told him about my meeting with Puff Daddy, he said he's been writing the lyrics for a hip-hop song about the Holocaust for the past 10 years. The first time Subliminal played it for me, I knew it was the right thing for me to record.
"Our goal is to increase the awareness of teenagers, the fourth generation, to the Holocaust. Youngsters in Israel and abroad are oblivious. They do not understand the relevance of it. It is something they encounter once a year in their school's Memorial Day ceremonies," she adds.
Ben Ari and Subliminal do not regard the clip as a one-time project. As far as they're concerned, it is the tip of the iceberg; the long-term plan is to launch a movement "Gedenk" (The Yiddish word for "Memory") that using hip hop, the violin and Ben Ari's network of friends in the international music industry will teach teenagers worldwide about the Holocaust.
"History repeats itself," says Ben Ari, "look at what is happening in Darfur. It's on the news, it's happening now. Part of our goal is to fight hatred and genocide wherever we encounter it. As Jews we have to act.
