The Broza's
Back In
Town
PHOTO BY PAU L WFII CH EL
U-I
Israeli singer-songwriter
David Broza brings his music
to Pontiac next week.
GARY GRAFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
make it impossible for growing audience in North
some people who observe America, whose demands only •
the Sabbath to come and complicate a schedule that still
see the show. That's un- takes him back to Israel at
fortunate. And I will cer- least once a month.
"I'm beginning to under-
tainly try to be back some
what it is that gets into
stand
time on a weekday."
Clearly, Broza is not a your bones and wears you
man given to dawdle in down on the road in the States.
his quest to spread his It's so big," exclaims Broza, 40.
musical messages. Were "Now I understand the bene-
he inclined toward an eas- fits of being in Israel, being a
ier path, he could have re- provincial artist where you ba-
mained in Israel, where sically sleep in the same bed
an estimated one in every every night."
Even though his bed is now
three households owns at
in
New Jersey, Broza says he's
least one of his albums.
Or he could live in Eu- "emotionally, philosophically
rope, where he's also had and traditionally an Israeli at
heart. I wake up in the morn-
some success.
Instead, Broza and his ing, and this is the first
family (wife Ruth and thought that comes to my
their two children) moved mind: 'How is home doing?
to Cresskill, N.J., 11 years How is everything out there?' "
Not surprisingly, this has
ago. To settle down. To
been
a tough year for Broza.
take a break from the re-
An
outspoken
supporter of the
lentless performance
schedule in his homeland. Peace Now movement, he was
To "get away a little bit slated to perform in early No-
from being David Broza." - vember with Prime Minister
He initially had no de- Yitzhak Rabin attending the
signs of repeating his suc- show. Instead, Rabin was as-
cess in the United States; sassinated, and Broza began a
in fact, Broza spent his 30-day "hibernation," during
first six years here most- which he emerged only to play
ly at home, raising his two at memorials, culminating
oldest children, daughter with a Dec. 10 rally at Madi-
Moran, now 15, and son son Square Garden.
"All in all, the rhetoric be- <
Ramon, now 14 (the cou-
ple's third child, Adam, is came so violent in this whole I
peace process," says Broza,
6).
But Broza isn't prone to whose song "Things Will Be
simply going away. He lit Better" is PeaceNow's anthem.
a:C,,MNgAate 4-1 ;v:WV43 xe.AWA'
upon a new concept, com- "Nobody thought it would es-
bining his music with the calate to the assassination of
Prime Minister Rabin; nobody
on't expect David Broza day at 7th House David Broza says he poetry he was studying at
)
was smart enough or brave '<
to apologize for playing in Pontiac. "It gets writes a song every the library and at Man-
day. "I'm not saying hattan's Gotham Book
enough to point that out at the
Friday night concerts. very heavy on my that it's a successful
time."-
Mart.
"I basically en- mind not to be song every day," he
Ironically, the Stonedoors al-
That
resulted
in
a
se-
laughs.
courage my booking playing. If I wasn't
bum
includes a Broza adapta-
ries of lyrical, richly craft-
agent that whenever playing for money
tion
of "0 Captain! My
I'm out on the road, that night, I'd probably be sit- ed albums — the latest of
Captain!,"
Walt Whitman's
was
record-
Stonedoors,
I'd rather be onstage ting around somebody's table which,
Abraham
Lincoln-inspired
ed
with
Israeli
musicians
in
every night," explains and playing there."
Broza says he's aware that Tel Aviv and released last fall. poem about an exalted leader 1
the Israeli singer-song-
who lost his life in a similar
writer, who performs next Fri- a Friday night gig "might It's also won Broza a new and
..,.