Synopses & Reviews
This book presents a social history of the music of the Jewish community in Palestine from the beginnings of Jewish immigration to Palestine in 1880 to the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948. The story is a fascinating case study of a small society of immigrants and refugees who established an internationally recognized professional musical establishment against the backdrop of two world wars, the absorption of successive waves of immigrants, local skirmishes, and a full-scale national war. Though under Ottoman and later British rule, Jewish society in Palestine was virtually autonomous in cultural matters; its musical culture struggled for a balance between a transplanted European heritage and a powerful, ideologically driven desire to find inspiration from the East. Hirshberg opens with a description of music in Palestine under Ottoman rule, and then proceeds to chart the momentous history of the next seventy years in a broadly chronological framework. His final chapters center on the broad array of ideological and social polemics which dominated the musical scene for the entire period.
Review
"A very important undertaking, representing the first English-language effort to examine comprehensively the development of Jewish musical life in Palestine....An easily read, remarkably interesting, and very important synthesis."--Choice
"A study that will grip anyone interested in attending the birth of a national art. What emerges from his story...is the urgency of Jewish need for organized music in an unbuilt land. The people's passion makes long stretches of this social history simply irresistible."--Jewish Chronicle
"Hirshberg has produced an exceptionally vivid record of a remarkable cultural achievement in an era of momentous consequence...an informative and readable volume by a thorough and critical 'insider,' bolstered by extensive and varied documentation."--Middle East Journal
"...an enriching approach....it adds an important aspect to our understanding of social Jewish history and the history of music."--Religious Studies Review
Description
Includes bibliographical references ([277]-286) and index.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Pharmacology of THC, the Psychoactive Ingredient in Cannabis
3. The Effects of Cannabis on the Central Nervous System
4. Medical Uses of Marijuana--Fact or Fantasy?
5. Is Cannabis Safe?
6. The Recreational Use of Cannabis
7. What Next?