JOHN ZORN – Arab and Jew

From the album Filmworks XV: Protocols of Zion (2005), composed by Zorn for a documentary film by Marc Levin about the rise of antisemitism following the September 11 attacks.

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating “this is a provocative record for all the ease of listening it affords. It’s a John Zorn who is not heard nearly often enough. This music is adventurous but contains no edges; it is deeply emotional, wonderfully warm, and utterly engaging”.

Levin made his on-camera debut in Protocols of Zion, his street level look at the rise of anti-Semitism since 9/11 and the renewed popularity of the anti-Semitic text, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was released theatrically in the fall of 2005 and on HBO the spring of 2006.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times. Its lies about Jews, which have been repeatedly discredited, continue to circulate today, especially on the internet. The individuals and groups who have used the Protocols are all linked by a common purpose: to spread hatred of Jews.