Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., September 25, 2008 Elul 25, 5768 | | Israel Time: 10:59 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Crushing the Beatles By Alon Gan Tags: Israel, The Beatles At the beginning of 2008, the Israeli media reported on an unusually amusing diplomatic incident. The Israeli ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, traveled from London to the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool in order to give John Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird, a letter of apology from the State of Israel: "We would like to take this opportunity to rectify a historic missed opportunity which unfortunately took place in 1965 when you were invited to Israel. Unfortunately, the State of Israel cancelled your performance in the country due to lack of budget and because several politicians in the Knesset had believed at the time that your performance might corrupt the minds of the Israeli youth." This hallucinatory ceremony of contrition and atonement received wide media coverage, and raised anew the question of why the Beatles were not allowed to enter Israel. As fate would have it, in the Hebrew month of Elul, the time of spiritual stocktaking and atonement for sins, the State of Israel will obtain some historic healing when, more than four decades after the "historic missed opportunity," Paul McCartney will perform in the Holy Land and bring redemption to Zion. This, then, is the perfect opportunity to try to understand, once and for all, who is to blame for the great Israeli blunder of the 1960s. There are some numbers that are engraved in the collective memory and become national codes - 242 and 338, for example. This article adds 691 and 709 to the pantheon of legendary numbers. They are not the numbers of Security Council resolutions but of decisions made by an Israeli government committee that was established in the second half of the 1950s. Its name: the "Interdepartmental Committee for Authorizing the Importation of Foreign Artists." Israeli society should bow its collective head and thank the 13 members of this august body, for thanks to its educational approach, cultural depth, broadmindedness and moral conscience, the country was spared a cultural tsunami and the emplacement of "an idol in the Temple" when the "Rhythm Beatles" - as the group was called in Hebrew - were denied entry to Israel. Advertisement For and against an urban legend To ensure an orderly discussion of the diverse versions concerning the identity of the tzaddik who prevented the Beatles from performing in Israel, I will, in the spirit of the dominant historiographic discourse of recent years, divide the narratives into two: those put forward by "old historians" vs. those adduced by "new historians," or revisionists. In the narratives of the old historians, primary blame lies with the director general of the Education Ministry Yaakov Schneider, father of former Meretz leader and education minister Yossi Sarid. Most of the articles about the banning of the Beatles single him out as the "father of all the abomination." For example, the Wallapedia (a copy of Wikipedia in Hebrew) entry on the Beatles says, under the sub-section, "The Beatles and Israel": "The band was banned from appearing in Israel due to the opposition of the director general of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Yaakov Schneider, who was concerned about their influence on the country's youth." Another example of this approach can be found in a special article posted on the Nana portal to mark Israel's 57th anniversary, headlined "The 57 Biggest Screw-Ups of All Time." Naturally, the ban on the Beatles made the list. "It was the period of the ebullient Sixties," the article says, "and The Beatles were the next hot thing that was already here. The best band of all time wanted to pleasure the people of Zion, but the Education Ministry saw things differently. The ministry's director general at the time, Yaakov Schneider (Yossi Sarid's father), was concerned that the band would have a bad influence on the kosher children of Israel. So they didn't come." Another old-school version casts the blame on a woman many people love to hate: Golda Meir. This account was disseminated by none other than the Education Ministry's youth and society unit. An article entitled "Information about Israel's Prime Ministers" notes, under the rubric "A few interesting things about the fourth prime minister": "She did not allow the Beatles to appear in Israel, maintaining that they 'corrupt youth.'" This version was widely adopted. The late author and journalist Yisrael Segal said in an interview in 2001: "At that time Golda Meir refused to allow the Beatles to enter Israel, claiming they represented a degenerate culture." Things look different in the arena of the new historians. As is well known, the postmodernist discourse and the post-Zionist discourse engendered the flowering of the iconoclastic approach. The desire to refute "prevalent accounts" and "revise the past" has had a field day in the subject under discussion here. A comprehensive and fascinating survey in this spirit can be found in the encyclopedia of Ynet (the Website of the mass-circulation newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth). Yossi Nahmias sets forth different accounts of who is to blame, and writes: "For many years an urban legend prevailed according to which the 'Beatlephobia' of the Israeli establishment was a reaction to the Beatlemania of the country's young people ... In recent years, however, this legend, like other well-known legends about 'drying up the Beatles,' is gradually dissolving into thin air." The article acknowledges that the "educational" consideration was a factor, but insists that there was no formal decision: "The State of Israel never officially barred the Rhythm Beatles from entering the country." The first alternative explanation to emanate from this school of thought was an economic one: a shortfall of foreign currency. The "Beatleologist" Yarden Uriel, Dr. Maoz Azaryahu and Yossi Nahmias note (each in separate articles) that at the time Israel was suffering from a serious foreign currency shortage, and therefore "the committee that was authorized to approve the expenditure of the precious pounds sterling decided that more than enough foreign artists had already been invited to Israel that year" (Nahmias). Another shattering blow to the old school was a documentary film by Ari Davidovich, "Waiting for Godik" (2007). After viewing the film, the historian and Haaretz columnist Tom Segev wrote the following in his column: "This week the story behind the story was revealed for the first time. Malka Epstein was the mother of Brian Epstein, who discovered the Beatles. One day in 1962, wanting to impress her relatives in Israel, she suggested to her son that he organize a concert there for the band. Epstein called the impresario Giora Godik. Godik, who had not yet heard of the Beatles, turned down the offer. Instead, he brought in Cliff Richard, who scored a big success. Godik later realized his mistake, but by then the concert rights had been acquired by a competing agent, Yaakov Ori. Godik never forgave himself for the blunder of his life and decided that no one would benefit from what he had missed: It was a case of either me or no one. "His lawyer, Alex Zak, remembers that the two traveled together to Jerusalem and that Godik told everyone he encountered that the longhaired foursome constituted a terrible cultural threat and were liable to corrupt the souls of Israeli youth. The members of the Knesset Finance Committee believed him and refused to allot the foreign currency Ori needed to underwrite the concert, which was therefore canceled. So it's an ego story, not a tale of cultural ideology." (Haaretz Magazine, July 19, 2007) Davidovich's film and Segev's commentary were endorsed and given the seal of approval by the person considered Israel's number one Beatles expert, Yoav Kuttner. Kuttner accepted the account of Godik's lawyer as gospel and saw to it that the "truth" was disseminated in a series of articles and interviews. In an article headlined "Yossi Sarid's Father Exonerated," on the Habama Web site, he is quoted by Tal Gordon as saying: "This is the opportunity to deny the rumor about Yossi Sarid's father. It wasn't because of his father, and it was not a decision of the government and the Education Ministry, as the story was always told ... It was a quarrel between impresarios ... I don't know who spread the rumor about Yossi Sarid's father. I have been researching the Beatles for 30 years, and I myself spread it for years. The story was always invoked in order to show what a puritan country we are and how we don't give youth what they want. But it's just incorrect, a legend that had been refuted." (Kuttner published a similar account on the Web site of the Music Channel.) Well, Kuttner is both right and wrong. He is right to exonerate Yossi Sarid's father - at the beginning of 1964, when the discussions about the request to allow the Beatles to perform in Israel took place, Schneider was assistant to the director general of the Education Ministry, Dr. Hanoch Rinot, not a deputy director general, and accordingly not a member of the committee that authorized the importation of foreign artists. However, to claim that a "legend has been refuted" is off the mark. Kuttner's exoneration of the establishment is too sweeping; the fault lies not only with the "impresarios' quarrel." Howls of yeah-yeah-yeah Completely by chance, while I was writing an article about Israeli-German relations in the 1960s, I noticed some tattered and ageing files in the State Archives. It was in them that I learned about the existence of the "Interdepartmental Committee for Authorizing the Importation of Foreign Artists." The committee was established in January 1963. One of its purposes was to "examine the professional level" of performing artists who wished to enter the country. The committee was headed by the deputy director general of the Education Ministry (at the time in question, Avner Yisraeli) and consisted of representatives from the foreign affairs, finance and interior ministries, the Israel Broadcasting Authority and other state bodies. The committee interacted mainly with promoters, or impresarios as they were then called in Hebrew transliteration. A perusal of the committee's minutes indicates that a dominant reason for rejecting impresarios' requests was the "German issue." For example, the condition for allowing Godik to bring in an ice-skating troupe from Vienna was that it not include anyone of German origin in its Israeli visit. A promoter who wanted to bring in the Vienna Boys Choir was also turned down. The explanation he was given was that the Foreign Ministry was opposed to the arrival of an Austrian choir "just at the time when the Eichmann trial will resume." Some requests were turned down under the "professional level" rubric. For example, a request to bring the child singer Angelito to Israel was rejected because "Mr. Gihon, from the Voice of Israel, expressed a negative opinion of the singer's professional level after listening to a record of the boy's songs. On the basis of Mr. Gihon's opinion and owing to the many appearances by foreign artists [in Israel], it was decided not to approve the importation of Angelito." To better understand the committee's discussions about the Beatles, we should first consider two prior events which can be viewed as a prologue and background to the final decision. On July 16, 1963, Giora Godik received the committee's authorization to bring in Cliff Richard and his band. Richard's arrival in Israel, in September, was reported by Geva Carmel newsreels: "Two thousand youngsters came to the airport eagerly awaiting the arrival of their idol ... When Richard alighted from the plane he was swamped by his fans in an outburst of hysteria that not even the police could contain." The Cliff Richard "hysteria" was a warning light for the guardians of public order, and the hand that signed the entry approvals grew frosty. So frosty, indeed, that a promoter who wanted to bring in the singer Johnny Holiday was told: "Based on the information gleaned by Dr. Y. Shapira [the representative of Israel Broadcasting Authority] and Mr. S. Inbal [from the Foreign Ministry's cultural liaison unit] concerning the negative effect that Johnny Holiday's performances have on youth, it was decided to cancel the authorization in principle which had been given to bring the singer to Israel. That authorization was given before the performances by Cliff Richard and the negative manifestations that accompanied this 'idol.' This decision was made after it became clear that the singer Johnny Holiday is of the same type as the singer Cliff Richard, whose performances in Israel caused mass hysteria among the country's youth. It was agreed that the committee will be vigilant not to allow in artists of this kind, whose appearances have a negative influence on youth and cause riots and the disturbance of public safety [sic]." So the request by the impresarios Avraham Bogtir and Yaakov Ori on January 22, 1964, to bring the "Rhythm Beatles" to Israel came at a bad time. The committee met a week later, on January 28, under Avner Yisraeli, to consider the request. The minutes of the meeting consist of seven paragraphs, one of which is Resolution 691, which states succinctly: "Resolved: Not to allow the request for fear that the performances by the 'Beatles' are liable to have a negative influence on the [country's] youth." The promoters appealed the decision. The committee decided to carry out a thorough examination of the matter in order to gauge the band's artistic character. To that end, the representative of the Foreign Ministry on the committee contacted Israeli embassies in countries where the Beatles had appeared to solicit their opinion. The committee's file in the archives contains numerous articles from the world's press about global Beatlemania. The Israeli media, too, is to blame, at least in part. In the wake of the committee's decision to reexamine its negative ruling, most of the articles in the press supported the ban and wrote scornfully about the band's lack of artistic merit and its "cheap style." Thus the newspaper Lamerhav (long defunct, along with the Ahdut Ha'avoda party, whose paper it was) wrote on February 23, 1964: "It is totally incomprehensible what further evidence the committee is looking for in order not to authorize the importation of the four British youngsters whose presence alone is enough to generate hysteria ... We still recall the arguments that sprang up in the wake of Cliff Richard and the bad name he gave the country's youth ... It is best to leave the Beatles on record albums only. Even that is too much." The sharpest tone of contempt was taken by the mass-circulation Maariv, as in this article by Zvi Lavi: "The healthy logic of the members of the government committee on the importation of foreign artists to Israel seems likely to exterminate the 'Beatles' that are threatening to infest our fields." Committee chairman Yisraeli offered his terse opinion to Lavi: "People are getting worked up over tastelessness." Lavi continued: "Other members of the committee took the trouble to listen to the yeah-yeah-yeah howls which are capable of striking dead a real beetle ... The general reaction was: 'This is subpar stuff.'" In an interview the Education Ministry's director general, Dr. Rinot, gave to the newspaper Davar (now defunct, at the time the influential organ of the Histadrut labor federation), he did not hesitate to admit that he was unfamiliar with the band, but from what he had heard about it he concluded: "There is no musical or artistic experience here, but a sensual display that arouses feelings of aggression replete with sexual stimuli." On March 16, following extensive "intelligence work" in Israel and abroad, the committee met to discuss the impresarios' appeal and adopted Resolution 709. Here it is, in full: "The members of the committee examined the letter from the cultural relations department of the Foreign Ministry on the subject, as well as many articles that were published about the Beatles band in the Israeli and international press, and reached the conclusion not to allow the band to be brought into the country, for the following reasons: 1. It is apparent from all the reports and articles, including those that do not reject the Beatles' appearances for various reasons, that the band has no artistic merit. 2. The band's performances caused hysteria and mass disorder among young people." Some tried to get the verdict overturned. Baruch Gilon, chairman of the Organization of Impresarios in Israel, fired off a furious letter to the committee chairman: "I wish to inform you, with the concurrence of the Organization of Impresarios, that we view the committee's refusal not to authorize the entry of the said band as absolutely unacceptable." However, the committee stood fast by its decision and refused to discuss the matter further. In reply to other letters of protest asking that the decision be reconsidered, the spokesman of the Education Ministry stated: "Negative echoes of the Beatles' performances reach us not only from adults but also from many young people in various countries. Everyone thinks that their shows possess no artistic merit or youthful joy, but infectious mass hysteria." At a later stage, the affair was taken up by the Knesset. MK Uri Avnery submitted a parliamentary question to the education minister, Aharon Yadlin, concerning the committee's rationale, and added: "Does the honorable minister know that a few months ago the Queen of England conferred state titles on the four members of the band? In the light of this fact, does the Education Ministry not intend to reconsider the matter?" The deputy education minister of the State of Israel stood on the Knesset rostrum and replied in the following words: "On the basis of the critical articles published in Israel and abroad, and on the basis of the many reports and photographs that reached the committee, it became clear to the committee that artistically, this group of singers possesses no merit worthy of the name. The band's performances were accompanied everywhere by hysterical screams, rampages and riots by young people ... The committee knew about the titles granted the band, but nevertheless decided as it did, on the basis of the considerations cited above." Another brick in the wall In light of the media-establishment consensus on barring the Beatles from entering the country, this affair needs to be examined from a wider perspective. In the 1960s the establishment tried to erect a buffer against the dangerous wind blowing in from foreign realms - in the form of a culture "replete with sexual stimuli" - that threatened to corrupt the younger generation. The committee's decision to bar the Beatles was one brick in the cultural wall that many in the establishment tried to build in order to go on clinging to a way of life that was losing its flavor and vitality. Another subject that merits examination in the wake of the affair is the approach of the professional iconoclasts. There is something worrisome about the fact that a Tower of Babel of historical revisionism was built on one shaky story (in both senses). A brief testimony from a film about Giora Godik finds its way into Tom Segev's history column and elicits the conclusion that "the story behind the story" is "an ego story, not a tale of cultural ideology." Enter Yoav Kuttner, the country's leading pop-music authority and chief Beatleologist, who adds more stories to the building and helps shatter the legend of establishment "Beatlephobia." The facts show that this was indeed a struggle over cultural ideology. They also show that myths and legends are not necessarily less true than "stories." There is nothing like the myth of the Beatles themselves and the legend of "four blokes from Liverpool who changed the world" to prove this, even if 13 politicians and civil servants thought at the time that the blokes lacked artistic merit. Dr. Alon Gan teaches at Tel Aviv University and is head of the Department of History at Seminar Hakibbutzim teachers college. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Beatle in Bethlehem Paul McCartney says West Bank visit shows he is carrying message of peace. Biden on the attack Democratic VP candidate says McCain presidency would benefit Iran, Hezbollah.

Read & React Peres: U.S. has no choice but to save world from Ahmadinejad Send response Professor and Haaretz columnist lightly hurt in suspected bomb attack by far rightists Responses: 4 Aluf Benn: Occupation is preferable for Palestinians to a partial peace Responses: 1 Ari Shavit: Netanyahu behaving like a petty man rather than a statesman Responses: 1 Israel Harel: Gov't ignoring threat posed by rift between Jews, Israeli Arabs Responses: 2 More Headlines 09:55 Peres: U.S. has no choice but to save world from Ahmadinejad 10:52 Police find flier offering NIS 1 million reward for killing Peace Now member 03:42 Labor sources: Barak to demand lead role in Syria talks from Livni 22:22 Shin Bet: Separation fence fueling attacks by East Jerusalem Arabs 06:13 ANALYSIS / New generation of East Jerusalem terrorists inspired by TV, Internet 09:48 Steven Spielberg Holocaust archive 'makes aliyah' 06:15 Diehard fans wait for rare glimpse of Sir Paul McCartney 04:43 Ahmadinejad meets with ultra-religious, anti-Zionist Jews 06:04 Police chief: Corruption is the biggest strategic threat to Israel 00:20 Left-wing rights group B'Tselem to establish U.S. representation 06:31 Bill Clinton will only stump for Obama after Jewish holidays 02:42 Arab foreign ministers urge UN to convene session on Israeli settlements 02:50 Hollywood gave to Livni, Iranian Jews backed Mofaz in Kadima primary 02:37 Cyclist beats bus, car in race from Petah Tikva to Tel Aviv 00:43 Memorial goes up in Berlin for Hitler's failed assassin Previous Editions Select Day 24 sep 23 sep 22 sep 21 sep 19 sep 18 sep 17 sep 16 sep 15 sep 14 sep 12 sep 11 sep

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved