"Punk's Not Dead" has been a rallying cry for years now, and I think it would be easy to argue that punk rock is actually on its way to the graveyard. I even saw an article in The New York Times recently describing MTV's plan to make punk the "new hip-hop" in terms of completely saturating the market with anything sounding remotely three-chord-esque. In my book, there's nothing much punk about that. I recently returned, however, from a place where I believe that punk's not dead. That place is a tumultuous little country called Israel. I spent the month of June shooting an independent documentary about the scene there, and I will share some of my impressions in this article.

Like the country itself, the punk scene in Israel is small, young, and passionate. Many of you probably know that there is some kind of scene in Israel, especially if you read the scene reports in this here magazine. Non-MRR readers may have at least heard something about the Israeli Kung-Fu Records band, Useless ID. Their accomplishments, which include touring the U.S. and Europe several times, seem even more impressive now that I have witnessed the scene that they sprouted from.

Opportunities for Bands in Israel
With the exception of Useless ID, most bands in Israel play with very little hope of recouping their costs, let alone making a profit. Alternative culture in general is in its infancy in Israel, so there are very few venues, practice spaces, or independent recording studios. Most of the mainstream venues pay the bands little to nothing when they play there. Furthermore, most of the bands don't have records or merchandise to sell. It was strange for me to go to shows without the typically ever-present merch tables covered in t-shirts, 7"s and buttons. One beacon of light is the Fastmusic label (http://www.fastmusic.co.il), which puts out some punk, indie rock, garage and noise, and also runs the only club in Tel Aviv that invites onto its stage any young band who wants to play. The fact that the living room-sized club, which also hosts a recording studio and practice space in back, is run by musicians on the label, led one band member to compare it to an Israeli Kibbutz.

Despite the limited exposure and lack of profitability, the punk scene in Israel is thriving. The scene is following the historic punk route from other countries, where it becomes even stronger when the political or social situation in the area is intensified. In fact, three or four new bands had their debut shows while I was in the country. This is a big number, considering that there are only around 40 bands in the whole scene. The younger bands are a really promising group of punk idealists, many of whom oppose mandatory military service and some Israeli governmental policies. One example is the hardcore band called Kafa la Panim Shel Limor Livnat, who, despite their newness, have already stirred up controversy in the Israeli press due to their name. It means "Slap Limor Livnat's Face," and Ms. Livnat happens to be Israel's Minister of Education.

One of the more interesting younger bands I saw is called Va'adat Kishut, or "Decoration Committee." They are an all-female (except for their new drummer, Nadav) hardcore band who "decorate" each of their performances with cheap gimmicks, such as throwing glitter and confetti on the crowds. Because the scene in Israel is still in its early stages, many of the bands are not doing anything particularly unique. Their music styles and performances mimic bands that they may have heard from abroad. Va'adat Kishut, however, has a different philosophy. As the lead singer, Jackie, explained to me, "It's not only a punk band, or a girl band. It's a whole artistic concept. It has to do with us being people who make music. We make art. We make zines...Punk is about breaking the grayness."

Politics as Usual?
Just about every punk sub-genre is accounted for in Israel, even if it's by only a few bands each. Ska-punk, which was apparently discovered in Israel not too long ago, is played by bands like Smash4$ and Beer7. There's street punk (Chaos Rabak, the Dead Rabins), hardcore (Soon in Here, Nikmat Olalim), metal (Betzefer), and pop punk, too (Useless ID, Punk Ache). One of the biggest schisms in the scene is between the more politically active bands, and those who just play for fun. This divide exists in most scenes, but it seems particularly poignant in a place as politically charged as Israel. It was easy for me to understand both sides, when hearing about it from various band members. Guy and Ishay from Useless ID described that they play poppy love songs, rather than anti-occupation rants, because their lives are sunk so deeply in the political situation already. They want to use their music as a means of escape from that harsh reality. Guy did give a nod to the political bands in Israel, however, stating, "What's there to be against or protest against in fucking Switzerland? It's so peaceful." Indeed, the political hardcore bands in Israel feel that they have a responsibility to voice their opinions disapproving of everything from the Israeli Occupation to the Religious Right, especially at a time when public criticism of governmental policy is so heavily frowned upon. As Giora, the singer of Nikmat Olalim put it, "There are some countries where the headline news is a couple getting married or a fisherman or something. Here, there are actually things happening and you actually have a chance to change things really dramatically."

The Israeli Army
One thing that unites punks of all styles is a distrust, and often outright rejection, of the Israeli Army. In Israel, mandatory military service for all citizens begins at age 18, right after high school graduation. (This excludes ultra-religious Jews, who are exempted from service in order to study religious law.) Boys serve for three years and girls for about two, and men are required to do one month of reserve service every year until they reach their forties. Military service can include anything from doing administrative jobs to full-on combat in hostile territories or countries. Punks' reasons for not wanting to join range from opposing war as a means to peace, to just plain not wanting to be told what to do every day for three of their formative years. One of the only ways to avoid service, however, is to undergo intensive psychological testing and be deemed a psychopath by the Military Psychiatrist. This is the route that many punks take. David, from Nikmat Olalim, explained that it's pretty easy to be categorized as insane because, "If you're not interested in going into the Army, you're already an outcast." David is 18, and like many of his fellow punks, he just barely avoided military recruitment this year after his visit to the psychiatrist.

Once a young person is let out of service on a mental basis, their national ID card is permanently stamped with this fact. This can affect their ability to get certain jobs, and hinder other basic rights, as well as affecting how fellow citizens view or treat them. However, if they do join, they are likely to be placed in a life-threatening situation to defend a position that may be against their ethical beliefs, and to fight people with whom they would rather try to find peace. Therefore, the decision to opt-in or out of military service is one laden with consequences for young Israelis.

Tattoo Taboos
Refusal to join the Army is not the only thing that makes punks feel outcast in Israel. While a mohawk may no longer turn heads in the U.S., it still looks radical in the Holy Land. Kaban, from Chaos Rabak, described how he was thrown in solitary confinement in a military jail for 34 days because he refused to shave his mohawk and remove his piercings when he was being recruited for the Army. Ori, Chaos Rabak's singer, claimed that the police harass and sometimes arrest him for no reason other than his dramatic, tattooed appearance. It's hard to tell in Tel Aviv‹a bustling modern city filled with extremely trendy young people but religious tradition still does influence Israeli society, and in Jewish tradition, tattoos are a no-no. Despite these incidents, Israel is probably the only country in the region where a punk scene could exist to the extent that it does, being that it is the Middle East's only Democracy.

Suicide Bombing Attacks
A factor that unites punks and "normal" Israelis, and affects everyone in the region, is the rash of suicide bombings that has occurred over the past two years. It is impossible to write about Israel without mentioning the attacks. It is equally impossible to meet someone in the country who has not been affected in some way by a bombing. The punk scene was rocked last year when one of the singers of veteran band Ha Pussy Shel Lussy was killed in a blast. Useless ID told a story of one of their biggest fans, a teenage girl who was dancing in the front row at their show in Jerusalem, and three days later was blown up on a bus. Still, people were amazingly nonchalant about the situation. I lost count of the number of times I heard the phrase, "You get used to it." Dennis, the lead singer of Smash4$, pointedly described how attitudes have changed since the beginning of the Intifada. He said that if twenty people were killed in a bombing two years ago, only sad songs played on the radio and the whole country was in mourning. Now, bombings and deaths are so commonplace that a news anchor will briefly mention twenty people dying and then move on to the next topic of the day's events.

Palestineans and the Future
Any discussion on the suicide bombings and the complicated political situation surrounding them, would naturally include discussion of the Palestinians. However, most of the interviews I did skirted around the issue. The Israeli punks are generally sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, but they don't necessarily think that the "Roadmap" solution of having two separate states (one Jewish Israeli, one Muslim Palestinian) is the best one. Most fear that this separation will lead to further mistrust between the two peoples. Though mainly Jewish by birth, virtually none of the punks practice the religion. This is true of the rest of the country as well‹it's a secular majority with only 15% of the population being highly religiously observant Jews. Most punks have a hope that both sides could loosen their religious beliefs enough to be able to comfortably share the land. They tend to see religion as the root of the problem, without blaming either side in particular. If anything, they lay more blame on their own government for exacerbating a difficult situation for their Palestinian neighbors. Despite the recent talks between the Israeli and new Palestinian leaders, and the relative calm in the area, most people I spoke with still have little hope for a positive change anytime soon.

With the seemingly hopeless political situation, mandatory military service, and dominant religious traditions, you can begin to understand why punk still feels important in Israel. I think a lot of people have different definitions of what "punk" is or what "punk rock" means to them. In the Holy Land, however, there is one dominant statement made by punks from all different parts of the scene‹from pop to political. Punk rock is freedom. I think the feeling is best summed up in the following conversation between members of the street punk band Chaos Rabak:

Oren: People need a alternative here. It's important to Israel. All Israelis go like that (makes a straight line in air). They don't think.
Assi: I think everybody got a revolution in his heart. It's just...you have the laws. You have education. You have all this stuff preventing people from going to be free. Punk, it's free. It's freedom.
Ori: Punk, it's songs. It's art. And Israel, it's a small country, and us, as punks, people don't like it. Society don't like it. But if your song is good, so it's art and people want to hear it. You can't fight it.

Needless to say, I think it's an important time to tell the story of the punk/resistance movement in Israel. I learned so much by being there, and met so many inspiring people. I and am still sorting out all of my thoughts and figuring out how to make an interesting documentary. I now have twenty-five hours of footage to go through and start editing. If you want to follow my progress, get in touch, or donate to this completely independent project which still badly needs funding, please check out the website at: www.jerichosecho.com.