Dear Chaim,
I have an ethical question this week. Is it right to separate the art from the artist? Let me explain what I mean. Many people throughout cultural history, who have produced great works of art and music and so on, have been anti-Semitic to varying degrees. There is no doubt that the works they have produced have enriched humanity. But I have a hard time listening to the works of certain composers knowing that they hated the Jews. The most famous and extreme example of this is that the works of Richard Wagner (ym"sh) are forbidden in Israel. I happen to agree with this because there was a lot more to Wagner than his music.
I used to love listening to Stravinsky, but it is hard for me to do that now because of how he felt about my people. If you feel that we should avoid at all costs taking in artistic works from anti-Semites, how far should we carry that? Should Jews avoid listening to Bach, even though Bach was not an anti-Semite, but was a devout Lutheran and Luther was an anti-Semite? I would not like to give up Bach but if Jewish Hallacic prinicples say I must, then I would.
Over time, I have found that people whose works I admired were or are enemies of the Jews. Bit by bit, I have eliminated consuming those works, and I worry that if Jews only appreciated the works of those who were favourable to them, there would not be much left to look at or listen to. As a musician and a Jew, this is a complicated issue for me and I could use your advice. Should I separate the art from the artist?
Thanks as always,
Zachor_ve_kavod.