[Dixielandjazz] Jazz mission to northern Israel

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom jazz fans,

I just returned home (perfectly safe) to Jerusalem after a very long, very
hot, and oppressively humid day. I was the only musician with a crew of
about a dozen intrepid souls and a bus load of donated food, supplies and
toys. We traveled to Naharia, a once-vibrant and beautiful beach town about
half an hour north of Haifa (and half an hour south of the Lebanese border).
We also had a comedian and a magician in the crew. On the way there, I
taught a few hearty volunteers how to make balloon shapes. Our objective was
to bring entertainment and encouragement, as well as needed supplies, to
people who have been living in the bomb shelters for 2 weeks now, with no
end in sight. The shelters are underground rooms with limited furniture and
facilities, hot like saunas, and in most of them the people have only fans
for relief from the heat.

We did 5 shows at 2 residential shelters, 2 retirement homes and an
absorption center for Ethiopian immigrants. If you can picture me, a rather
large fellow, in a blue and white outfit with shiny gold vest and a bowler
hat with a 16 inch long blue ostrich feather, hobbling down 2 flights of
stairs to the shelters while wearing my banjo and playing the Saints on a
marching (valve) trombone, followed by people with bags of balloons and
other goodies, and all of us dripping with sweat, well, it wasn't the best
of conditions for performing. Besides the Ethiopians, the people were mostly
Russian or native Israelis, the ones who don't have the money or the
connections to leave and head south to quieter places for the duration of
the fighting. Trying to find songs to connect with them was a challenge. I
opted for a mix of upbeat common religious tunes in Hebrew and some
well-known jazz tunes.

To our great joy, we were greeted with smiles and enthusiastic
participation. In one retirement home, while I was playing Ain't
Misbehavin', a very old, bent over fellow jumped out of his chair and began
to dance quite energetically. This prompted others to dance. Another elderly
Russian man pulled out an accordion from somewhere, and began to play
Midnight in Moscow (well, the Russian version of it), Hava Nagilah, and
other tunes that we both knew. So I inherited an accompanist. The comic and
magician did their shows, and we ended with a few more songs.

We were told that a katyusha hit about a kilometer from our first stop, but
we were doing the show in a bomb shelter, and didn't hear or feel anything.
Other than that, the day was uneventful as far as that kind of excitement
goes.

The town of Naharia was absolutely deserted. Almost nothing was open. Nobody
walking the streets and no traffic. It was a strange sight in the height of
the summer tourist season.

If the war continues, we are considering a similar trip next week to Safed,
where the attacks are more intense, or back to Naharia. Will keep you
posted. I hope to have some pictures on my website in a few days.

Elazar "Hit the Deck" Brandt
Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537