Music has a way of blurring color lines and breaking cultural
barriers, especially in the simmering melting pot of UCLA.
Yiddishkayt L.A. and UCLA Hillel will apply this concept in a
two-part event that explores Latino-Jewish relations and L.A.
multiculturalism. A panel discussion today in 2408 Ackerman Union
at 2 p.m. will be followed by a free concert featuring acclaimed
fusion acts Hip Hop Hoodios and Bayu in Tom Bradley International
Hall at 8 p.m.
Sacha Bodner, a senior Jewish Campus Service Corps fellow at
UCLA Hillel, believes in the importance of not only developing
strong cultural identities, but also uniting the multitude of
ethnicities on campus.
“It’s not just Jewish and Latino,” Bodner
said. “This is just the beginning. It makes me sad that we
keep to ourselves when all of us have so much in common. Eventually
we’ll break down these barriers, and I think we’re the
generation to do that.”
These topics are among many that will be examined by a panel
including writer and political activist Kenneth Burt, UCLA Yiddish
Culture professor Miriam Koral, Self Help Graphics director Tomas
Benitez, and Hip Hop Hoodios guitarist Abraham Velez. Yiddishkayt
L.A. director Tali Pressman, who will serve as moderator, would
also like to see panelists discuss the assimilation experience, the
presence of recent Latino-Jewish coalitions ““ as well as
those in Boyle Heights during the early to mid-1900s ““ and
the multiculturalism of fusion artists such as Hip Hop Hoodios and
Bayu.
Bands such as these are crossing cultural boundaries every time
they produce a song. The word “hoodio” is a twist on
“judio,” the Spanish translation of “Jew.”
Members of Hip Hop Hoodios, who came together last November, are
bilingual musicians from Jewish and Latino backgrounds.
“There’s the bilingual issue of speaking Spanish in
the United States and also being Jewish ““ is it an ethnic
group or a religion?” Hip Hop Hoodios founder and MC Josh
Norek said. “It means so many things to so many
people.”
Norek and company have been called the Beastie Boys of their
genre. Meanwhile, Bayu, nominated by the now-defunct New Times for
“Best Latin Band,” is a collection of musicians from
both North and South America. Formed in 1999, Bayu has drawn
comparisons to Latin alternative rock vanguard Ozomatli. Both bands
look to unite different cultures during their shows.
“We explore the common paths of the Jews and the
Latinos,” Norek said. “We do approach everything with a
sense of humor, which I think is very important to have. I do think
there is room for politics in music, but in the case of our band,
we just want to bring people with different backgrounds
together.”
A non-profit organization that started in 1998, Yiddishkayt L.A.
aims to promote Yiddish language and culture throughout the city
and beyond.
“There’s a big conception that Yiddish is old world
““ Eastern European Jews living in little villages,”
Pressman said. “But it’s actually much more than that.
We want to change people’s ideas that Yiddish is only for
their grandmothers. That’s why I got in touch with Sacha
(Bodner) to put on this show at UCLA and start gearing our
activities to people in their 20s.”