k‘ • skv-wo

A Musical
Salute

In their long career, even during
children and grandchildren.
some years of working apart, Yarrow,
"Particularly, we will be thinking
Paul Stookey and Mary Travers have
about the horrific price that is paid
associated themselves with the down-
when society does not live with the
trodden whose causes seemed to be on
sense that it is safe and its children are
safe, and I'm talking about Israelis and the sidelines of public interest.
Farm labor conditions have been a
Palestinians alike."
continuing concern. In the early years,
Yarrow, whose parents divorced
they fought against the deplorable
before he turned 5, was raised by a
environment faced by grape pickers.
mother he describes as rejecting all
Now, they focus on the difficulties
organized religion while holding on to
confronted by strawberry workers.
the ethical imperative of taking action
"The strawberry pickers are in a
to make the world better.
"She transferred it to me, and Mary worse situation," Yarrow maintains.
"The pesticides are the most intense,
and Paul subscribe to that," he
and it's stooped labor. They have been
explains.
stonewalled in their
The trio's May 3
efforts to win the kind of
appearance at the Detroit
arrangements with grow-
Opera House will include
ers that have been won
the folk hits they popular-
over the past 30 years by
ized such as "If I Had a
other [farm laborers]."
Hammer," "Puff, the
The group's other
Magic Dragon," "Blowin'
commitments include the
in the Wind" and "Tell It
singer Chava Alberstein in a Detroit
Save One Child Fund,
on the Mountain."
performance celebrating Israel's 50th
which
pays for compli-
There also will be
anniversary, his commitment will be
cated
neurosurgery
need-
"Light One Candle," the
expressed through new interpretations
ed
by
desperate
children
song Yarrow wrote in sup-
of old songs as well as a new song he
throughout the world,
port of the peace process
composed. -
and youth suicide pre-
in Israel.
Chava Alberstein joins
"When we sing 'Where Have All
vention programs, which
"light One Candle'
Peter, Paul 6- Mary in a involve initiatives
the Flowers Gone,' we'll not be think-
was written at the time
"Salute to Israel's 50th."
ing about the Vietnam war but about
planned by Temple Beth
Peter, Paul & Mary were
the wars that are being fought all over
[working on] a Christmas Below left: Paul Stookey, El Rabbi Daniel Syme,
the world," says Yarrow, 59, whose
concert at Carnegie Hall," Mary Travers, and Peter whom Yarrow considers a
early college stu-
close friend.
Yarrow says. "When the
Yarrow salute Israel on
dent fans
Yarrow's own children
others realized the concert Sunday.
continue
have joined in their
fell
on
the
third
or
fourth
to attend
father's activism. Christopher, 27, works
night of Chanukah, they asked me to
his con-
in poverty neighborhoods. Bethany, 26,
write
a
Chanukah
song.
certs but
was
arrested with her dad during an
"Because [so many] Jews have tragi-
bring
anti-apartheid
demonstration.
cally become foes of one another, the
along
Their
mother,
with whom Yarrow
song says, 'Light one candle for the
strength that we need to never become still has a friendly relationship, has
been politically active as well. Mary
our own foe. Light one candle for
Beth McCarthy, the niece of the for-
those who are suffering the pain we
mer senator and presidential candidate
learned so long ago."'
Gene McCarthy, was a campaign
With that song, Yarrow reexamined
worker
for her uncle as was Yarrow.
his own Jewishness. He traveled to .
Her
Catholic background and •
Israel and met with people represent-
Yarrow's
uncertain Jewish heritage
ing differing points of view. As he rec-
brought
varying
religious outlooks
ognized how deeply the issues mat-
into their home.
tered to him, he realized that he was
"I'm very proud of my children
Jewish and came to voice his views
because they live ethical lives, and in
through the organization Americans
Jewishness, you can't just have a
for Peace Now.
belief," he says. "You have to act on it.
"Since then, I found that the rich-
Jewishness,
to me, is not a matter of
ness of the Jewish culture, tradition
internal
faith
alone. You have to live
and observances have become more a
it." 111
part of my life, and I'm closer to it
all," he says.
"I'm very proud of being Jewish.
I'm very proud of the traditions that I
inherit. I'm proud when people who
are Jewish are pleased when I identi
myself as a Jew."

As Peter, Paul & Mary prepare
to take the stage in a Detroit
celebration of Israel's 50th,
Peter Yarrow speaks of his return
to his Jewish roots.

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News

S

ocial activism songs have
stirred Peter, Paul & Mary
audiences for more than 30
years, but in recent times, Jew-
ish issues have entered into the mix.
Peter Yarrow, the only Jewish mem-
ber of the trio, is connecting with his
religious roots after an upbringing
without observance
and bringing
that experience
to his concerts.
When the
trio joins
Israeli
folk

5/1
1998