The absurd has a new form: the news reports on the difficult cultural situation in the country and immediately afterwards foreign music is played • Assaf Golan is alarmed and asks for your help • Opinion

• Israeli artists cry and on radio abroad

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The short drive between Lod and Ness Ziona drove me crazy. Not because of the news, not because of political debates, but because of the amount of foreign music I heard, precisely in the terrible days of Israeli culture, right now.

The move from Galgalatz, where "I See Red", the 2018 hit of Everybody Loves an Outlaw, played to the Public Broadcasting Corporation's 88 station here, did not help my anger, but on the contrary. 50% foreign songs.

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I have nothing against foreign music or against musicians from abroad. Like everyone else, I also listen to foreign music, I grew up on Bob Dylan and Freddie Mercury and in my house you hear everything from everything. And yet, sublime I understand, how can be at the height of the cultural crisis in the country due to crisis The Corona, two radio stations funded by all of our tax money, do not support the Israeli art industry. And no, 50% is not enough, not when for the past six months our artists have been shouting over every empty stage that they are hungry for bread.

Only recently, 200 Israeli artists and singers, including Shlomo Artzi, Aviv Geffen, Kobi Oz, Gila Almagor, Rivka Michaeli and many others, went out in public reading, at the initiative of singer Yardena Arazi, to Chili Trooper, Minister of Culture and Minister of Communications Yoaz Handel, to encourage Israeli art broadcast And radio in order to increase the percentage of annual royalties transferred to creators, performers, composers and actors. The artists explained in the letter that during this difficult time, when many artists in the country are unemployed, it does not make sense that half of the royalties paid by the various stations are transferred to artists from abroad.

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It was only natural that the two main stations in Israel paid for the tax money, one through the IDF and one directly from the state budget, initiated such a move themselves. But not only did it not come from them, it is not enough that the artists' cries are heard from all sides.

In the meantime, until the public broadcasters consider them, do yourself a favor - do you want to buy a new book? Buying a gift? Pampering yourself with an album for Rosh Hashanah? It is time to seek, pardon and support Israeli artists. For all of us.

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Galgalatz responded: "Galgalatz, the balanced station in Israel, is constantly working to promote Israeli art in a variety of projects, especially at this time, while preserving its unique identity and character. We also note that the dose of Israeli music is currently more than half of all songs."

Hence the response: "Here's radio stations are committed to promoting Israeli singing and its creators, and stand by them even in these difficult days. Here 88, which is a quality music station, undertakes to broadcast an average of 30% Israeli music per month, and the amount of play exceeds this commitment. Here 88 is the station The only Israeli that promotes Israeli alternative work and emphasizes the promotion of young Israeli artists, especially in genres that do not get a place at all in other stations. Alongside here 88, Gimel operates here, which is the only radio station in Israel that broadcasts 100% Israeli music, all year round. "Contemporary to the 'Longing Weekend' strip that provides a continuous and delightful stage of Hebrew Iron Sheep assets. Israeli work is also broadcast on the stations here, the sound of music, here heritage and on dedicated strips at the text stations, here network B, here culture, and here background."