0 0
Andy Stilianou, David Abbo and Paul Peristeris
INVITE YOU TO ENJOY THE VERY
[CI • Greek BEST AT THEIR NEW
Local Teens React
To `Never Again!'
Adam Hertz, 17, a North Farmington
High School senior, was impressed.
And he didn't expect he would be.
Hertz was skeptical, as were the other
four teenagers who met at the B'nai
Brith Youth Organization office in
the West Bloomfield Jewish
Community Center to listen and
react to the Holocaust-inspired song,
"Never Again!" by rapper Remedy.
Though he acknowledged he was
"not a big advocate of rap," by the
second listening Hertz was keeping
the beat and pronounced it "very well
done. It was great how [Remedy]
could express it."
Michal Duer, 17, a senior at West
Bloomfield High, was a bit troubled
that the Hebrew prayers at the start
and end of the song might not be
appropriate for all audiences or all
places and "might be taking God's
we are from. And we need to tell the
story for all humanity. I wear a big
Jewish star around my neck. I love
being what I am; I embrace it."
He hopes the song, and his recently
produced music video comprised
wholly of original footage from the
Holocaust, will help be an effective
educational tool.
Today, "Never Again!" is requested
at rap concerts, but also by Holocaust
Survivors organizations and Jewish
youth groups throughout New York.
He describes the hugs he receives from
survivors as "the best feeling."
The rabbi brought to tears by his song
arranged for Remedy to perform at his
Los Angeles Reform temple during Yom
Kippur services. He was part of the
1999 "To Russia, With Love" concert
that played before a Moscow audience of
15,000 Jews, and twice he has per-
formed at Los Angeles' annual musical
salute to Israel at the Greek Theatre. He
looks forward to his first visit to Israel.
"Never Again!" begins with the
Shabbat kiddush sampled from the
film Schindler's List, and ends with the
Shema and a gunshot taken from the
original 1977 NBC-TV miniseries
Holocaust. The chorus pulsates over
the strains of the Israeli national
anthem, "Hatikvah."
The song is included on Remedy's
first solo album, The Genuine Article,
scheduled for release on April 17. He
says the proximity to Yom Hashoah is
name in vain." While it would be
"weird to hear it on the radio," she
felt it was a good way to expose [the
Holocaust] to a broader audience of
people."
Audrey Bloomberg, 16, a junior at
North Farmington, also thought it
was a good way to reach kids. She
picked out the strains of "Hatikvah"
behind the chorus of the song. After
the second listen, while reading the
words, she noted, with some surprise
in her voice, "I just got the chills."
Natalie Stern, 17, a junior at
Andover High School, offered that
more and more kids are listening to
rap, and certainly more and more
people should know about the
Holocaust. This will help."
Lauren Herskovic, 18, a senior at
West Bloomfield High School, thought
it "a qiiality song, catchy, something
people will want to listen to." The song
"certainly covered a lot" and she found
the Shema followed by a gunshot to be
"a very powerful way to end it."
1
• Great
Lamb Chops
• Broiled
Whitefish
• Grilled
Salmon
• Flaming
Cheese
Specialties
• Seafood
Favorites
• Steaks &
Chops
• Pasta
MEDITERRANEAN &AMERICAN CUISINE
ive Music
EverY
oursclaYs
Party & Private
Facilities
up to 40
43317 Grand River Ave.
Just East of Novi Road • Novi
0
0
(formerly Oxford Inn)
"Look For The Biz Blue Miran:"
(248) 305-5856
Fax: (248) 305-5861
Com limenta Valet
"
0
❑
— Don Cohen
"not calculated, but not by accident,
either."
Lyrically, Remedy's new album has
many of the features that have been
standards of rap music: profanity and
descriptions and boasts about sex. This
is arguably the last place one would
look for a moving, honest and respect-
ful reflection on the Holocaust. But
Remedy finds no contradiction.
"Every song is a different theme, a
different context, a creation of its own,"
he explains. "I'm making music for the
club. My songs are about real life, my
way of thinking and everyday things."
For Remedy, producing "Never
Again!" seemed to bridge two worlds
that of the tough, streetwise rapper
and that of Ross Filler, devoted son and
grandson who honored his grandfather
and his people, and who remains in
Staten Island to be close to family.
That both identities co-exist peace-
fully and have become one is even
reflected in the title of his Web site:
www.remedyross.com . He is indeed
the genuine article.
• Excellent
HONG HUA •
k
4-0,* „t. FINE CHINESE DINING
Gift certificates
available
0,
27925 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD • FARMINGTON HII.I.S
248-489-2280
••
HOURS: 11
AM —
DAYS A WEFK.
SEVEN
Sri
Leather Bottle
Italian/American Bar & Grill
Fresh Fish • Steaks • Ribs • Chicken • Banquet Facilities for
groups up to 100 • Homemade Soups & Rolls • Great Pizza
❑
To read the complete lyrics and
hear "Never Again," visit the JN
Web site at www.detroitjewish-
news . co m
The Genuine Article, featuring
"Never Again," is scheduled for
release on April 17.
-
choices for lunch
specials.
( MONDAYS & TUESDAYS
[
Buy 1 entree
get a second entree
at
1/2 OFF
Excludes daily specials & all-u-can-eat specials
Handcut Filet
with Zip Sauce
'25.95
a
Includes Soup or Salad, Bread Basket,
Potato & Vegetable
Open 7 Days A Week
20300 Farmington Road, Between 7 & 8 Mile on East Side
(248) 474-2420
Senior Citizen Discount 10% Off Total Food Bill
4/13
2001
75