Dateline Jerusalem — Some musical groups from my youth are still active today. Strange to watch singers and musicians, in their 60s and 70s, prancing around a stage.  I love the do-wop music of the 1950s and ‘60s. Music was so much better in those days. The Four Seasons was my favorite group, probably because they recorded “Dawn (Go Away).” How could I not like a song with my name?  I was told there is a song in Israel called “Debka Shachar, shiru, shiru,” which translates to “Debka Dawn, sing, sing.”  A debka is a kind of Middle Eastern folk dance.  “Shachar” in Hebrew means “Dawn,” my nom de plume here.  

In the early 1970s I enjoyed the Rolling Stones.  Their album “Sticky Fingers” was one of my favorites with songs like “Brown Sugar”, “Wild Horses” and “Can't You Hear Me Knocking?”  The album cover was unique, and considered risque in its day. It was the artist Andy Warhol's creation, with a working zipper on the cover. 

This week Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones performed in Israel.  Many performers won't work here. Others who initially agree to perform are pressured by pro-Palestinian and BDS groups to cancel their concerts in Israel. I am very appreciative of those who have the guts to withstand the controversy and the threats made against some.  The fact the Stones had scheduled a concert in Tel Aviv, despite all attempts to dissuade them, was much appreciated. What they did here will make me a lifetime fan.

Their concert originally was scheduled to begin before Shavuot holiday, which ended last night, was over. (Shah-voo-oht commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.)  To accommodate religious fans who observed the holiday, the Rolling Stones changed the time of their appearance to after the holiday was over.  The piece de resistance, however, was when Mick Jagger spoke Hebrew to the audience and to his bandmates.  I am ashamed to admit he has a larger Hebrew vocabulary than I do.

I did not attend the concert, partly because I am claustrophobic. I cannot imagine being surrounded by 40,000 screaming fans.  I do not attend any concerts any more.  Last time I went to a live event was when Neil Diamond recorded his  album “Gold: Live at the Troubadour,” in West Hollywood in the early 1970s.

I have become a fan of the following performers who have defied the BDS, the Palestinian boycotts and threats, and put on outstanding performances in Israel.  They include Paul McCartney, who received death threats because he was going to perform in Israel.  Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Madonna, Julio Iglesias, Cyndi Lauper, Justin Timberlake, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Paul Simon, Alanis Morrisette, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, Deep Purple, the Pet Shop Boys, and the Black Eyed Peas, to name just a few.    

L'hitraot.  Shachar