5

Assuming it is permitted to listen to music composed or performed by a non-Jew, is it prohibited, ill-advised, or outright permitted to listen to instrumental secular music by a composer who unabashedly hates Jews?

Relevant artists would include Wagner and Muslimgauze.

Improve this question
3
  • Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/1352/… and judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/11938/… Basically even if you are allowed to (I don't know), it's clear that you probably shouldn't. (Although I will admit to having listened to "Ride of the Valkyries".) If you search for "wagner israel" you will find that that it's enormously controversial, and essentially people refuse to listen to him.
    – Ariel
    Commented Jan 9, 2013 at 13:08
  • 1
    I don't know whether it's permitted or not, but I would regard it as in the same spirit as collecting Hitler stamps or Hadrian coins, and definitely NOT promote the memory of an anti-Semite.
    – Gary
    Commented Jan 9, 2013 at 20:11
  • For a more recent example, I would include Roger Waters in this list. I have been quite ambivalent about Pink Floyd music since Waters began his vocal anti-Israel campaign a few years back.
    – Lee
    Commented May 9, 2018 at 9:07

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

Though I don't have the original before me, the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society (Volume 14), cites the following1 from Rabbi Hayim Dawidh Halewi (עשה לך רב כרך ג פרק ד):

Secular music written by a wicked person, such as Wagner, is permitted as long as it does not endorse evil in the language (verbal or programmatic) of the music itself.

1. This opinion pertains to recorded music. Without studying the original, I am uncertain if it pertains to live music.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .