Gilad Atzmon

File:Gilad by piano.jpg

Gilad Atzmon (Hebrew: גלעד עצמון, born June 9, 1963) is a jazz musician, author and anti-zionist activist, who was born in Israel and currently lives in London.

He was born a secular Israeli Jew in Tel Aviv, and trained at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem, where he learned to play soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. He also plays clarinet, sol, zurna and flute. He studied philosophy in Germany and moved to London at age 32.

Gilad's main instrument is the alto saxophone. His jazz style is bebop/hard bop, veering at times into free jazz. He has earned many jazz awards and has been regarded as one of the greatest saxophonists of his generation. Atzmon can also play two saxophones at once, as did Roland Kirk. He has other musical interests, notably in music of the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe. He is notably also a member of the veteran punk rock band The Blockheads. He has recorded and performed with Shane McGowan, Robbie Williams, Sinead O'Connor, Robert Wyatt and Paul McCartney.

In addition to being a jazz musician and political writer, Atzmon is also a novelist whose books have been published in 22 languages. His Guide to the Perplexed was published in 2001 and his My One and Only Love in 2005. Both novels explore Jewish and Zionist psychology. The original Hebrew version of Guide for the Perplexed was a candidate for Israel's 2003 Geffen Award for science fiction.

Politics

Atzmon has caused some controversy with his outspoken political statements. These are often criticised as anti-Semitic, or cited as evidence of Atzmon being a self-hating Jew. He frequently criticises the Israeli state, comparing it to Nazi Germany, and questions the political framing of the Nazi Holocaust.

Comments by Atzmon

He has responded to accusations of antisemitism by questioning the existence of antisemitism itself; "Because Anti-Semite is an empty signifier, no one actually can be an Anti-Semite and this includes me of course. In short, you are either a racist which I am not or have an ideological disagreement with Zionism, which I have."

In an article entitled "Think Tribal, Speak Universal" , Atzmon wrote: "Surely, the most effective way to confront a thinker is through open intellectual debate. But somehow, this is precisely what those who oppose me refuse to do. Instead, they employ various tactics aimed at silencing me."

He wrote, in an article entitled On Anti-Semitism: "[W]e must begin to take the accusation that the Jewish people are trying to control the world very seriously...American Jewry makes any debate on whether the 'Protocols of the elder of Zion' are an authentic document or rather a forgery irrelevant. American Jews (in fact Zionists) do control the world.".

In December 2004, speaking at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, Atzmon addressed students, saying; "'I'm not going to say whether it is right or not to burn down a synagogue, I can see that it is a rational act."

In an August 2006 article for Al-Jazeerah.info, Atzmon wrote that "Hence, there is no room for comparison between Israel and the Nazis. If a comparison is to be made, then it is the Israelis who win the championship of ruthlessness and the reasons are obvious. Nazi Germany was a tyranny, Israel is a democracy led by a centre-left national unity government."

In an exchange of letters with anti-Zionist activist Deborah Maccoby during February and March 2006, Atzmon described her as a "modern day Christ killer", after she described Jesus as human rather than divine.

Comments about Atzmon

In June 2005, Jews Against Zionism picketed Bookmarks, the bookshop of the Socialist Workers Party, after Atzmon was invited to speak on "The Deconstruction of Zionist Identity". The SWP, however, defended their invitation and published a statement from him stating he was neither a Holocaust denier nor racist. His performance at the subsequent SWP summerschool 'Marxism 2005' in July 2005 led to criticism from the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, who picketed the meeting, and Times columnist David Aaronovitch.

Socialist Worker published a letter on 6 January 2007 from poet Michael Rosen, who criticised the SWP for inviting Atzmon to take part in their Cultures of Resistance event. Rosen noted:"He is someone who has frequently expressed racist ideas and surely we have always said that you can’t fight racism with racism? I fear that the racism he expresses is seen by some in the liberation movements as a racism that doesn’t matter as much... I think Cultures of Resistance is making a great mistake taking Atzmon on board with them and this will undermine and weaken what we are all trying to do."

The Swedish Committee Against Anti-Semitism (SCAA) has criticized the Swedish Social Democratic Party for inviting Atzmon to speak at a seminar on Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan, which was held in Stockholm on March 18th, 2007. SCAA chairman Jesper Svartvik said Atzmon was a "known anti-Semite" and urged the party to distance itself from the decision. The Swedish paper The Local noted that Atzmon has long been accused of anti-Semitism.

Discography

• Artie Fishel and the Promised Band - Label: WMD - September 2006
• MusiK - Label: Enja - October 2004
• Exile - Label: Enja - March 2004
• Nostalgico - Label: Enja - January 2001
• Take it or Leave It - Label: Face Jazz

Books

• A guide to the perplexed, English translation by Philip Simpson. London : Serpent's Tail, 2002. ISBN 1852428260
• My one and only love. London : Saqi, 2005. ISBN 0863565077 (pbk.). ISBN 9780863565076 (pbk.)

External links

• Gilad Atzmon home page and his political views.
• Articles on this serendipity.li by Gilad Atzmon.
• Gilad Atzmon Bookmarks protest, by Roland Rance
• Picketing by Alliance for Workers' Liberty
• Gilad Atzmon and Marxism 2005 The page on the website of the British Socialist Workers Party which includes Atzmon's statement.
• Gilad Atzmon's A Guide to the Perplexed
• A Review of Gilad Atzmon's My One and Only Love
• Gilad Atzmon interviewed by Manuel Talens
• Defaming Pro-Palestinian Jewish Groups: Reply To Atzmon, by Deborah Maccoby