Over the past few weeks, the Miami Boys Choir (MBC) — an Orthodox Jewish boys’ choir based in the New York area — has been all the rage on TikTok as music enthusiasts far beyond the Jewish community have discovered the group and are enthralled by its jumpy tunes.
In particular, a 2007 performance of the song ‘Yerushalayim‘ (Jerusalem) has TikTokers posting videos of themselves dancing to the beat and raging about their favorite soloist.
While the media response to the Miami Boys Choir phenomenon has been generally positive (see, for instance, here and here), some writers can’t help but find something negative to include in their appraisals of the choir’s surging popularity.
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In a recent article for Rolling Stone magazine, ‘An Orthodox Jewish Boys’ Choir Is Unironically Going Viral on TikTok,’ writer EJ Dickson comments:
Despite the seeming inevitability of one or more of these boys getting Milkshake Duck’ed (probably not a great idea to ask any of them about their opinions on Israel and Palestine), what is so charming about the explosive success of the MBC on TikTok is just how authentic it all seems.”
Using a term that refers to when a person who becomes popular on social media for something positive is found to have engaged in offensive behavior in the past, Dickson is essentially saying that in order to appreciate the music sung by these Jewish children, it’s probably best not to ask them how they feel about Israel because they are presumably pro-Israel.
Beyond the repulsiveness of trying to horseshoe a seemingly unrelated political statement into an article about a boys’ choir, it is also disturbing that Dickson thinks that any of these boys’ opinions on Israel would automatically get them “Milkshake Duck’ed.” Does Dickson think that Jewish kids supporting the Jewish state is offensive behavior worthy of condemnation?
If it's not relevant to mention a Catholic opera singer's stance on abortion rights, or a Muslim actor's stance on the current protests in Iran, then it's not relevant to discuss a Jewish boys' choir's stance on Israel. pic.twitter.com/MTpp5kBgsS
— Jacki Alexander (@JackiAlexander_) October 3, 2022
Related Reading: Off Key: How Some Popular Music Is Spreading Antisemitism
A week before this article was published, EJ Dickson discussed the Miami Boys Choir on ‘Don’t Let This Flop,’ Rolling Stone’s podcast that she co-hosts.
Once again, while favorably reporting on the Jewish music group’s rising TikTok fame, Dickson could not help but make some seemingly negative comments about Israel and Orthodox Jews.
First, speaking about the most popular MBC video on social media, Dickson says “The clip is a song called ‘Yerushalayim,’ which I think is a Psalm talking about how beautiful Jerusalem is, but I don’t want to comment any further on that because we have a rule, like, we’re not talking about Middle Eastern geopolitics on this podcast, right?”
Again, Dickson cannot describe young Jewish boys singing the words of a thousands-year-old holy text about the Jewish people’s connection to Jerusalem without immediately throwing it into the negative light of Middle Eastern geopolitics.
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Later on in the podcast, Dickson continues “I know enough about the Orthodox Jewish community, like, I do feel like one of these kids is going to get Milkshake Duck’ed like very fast. It’s more likely than not that some of them grew up to be anti-vaxxers who won’t shake women’s hands because they could possibly be menstruating. Like, that is a very large possibility.”
Wow.
Dickson’s comment reveals a prejudiced vision of the Orthodox Jewish community that is steeped in stereotyping and fails to account for the diversity of viewpoints within the Orthodox community, a majority of whom are not “anti-vaxxers” (for a nuanced discussion of vaccines and the Orthodox community, see here and here).
As well, Dickson’s derisive comment about handshaking seeks to belittle Jewish religious practice as archaic and portray its practitioners as extremist and anti-modern (for a nuanced portrayal of Jewish religious practice regarding handshaking, see here).
Would Dickson make the same comment about a practitioner of Islam, which also prohibits certain physical contact between the sexes?
Instead of trying to find a political spin on a popular social media phenomenon, maybe Rolling Stone should just sit back and enjoy the music.
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Featured Image: Screenshot of The Miami Boys Choir in concert in Brooklyn in 2018
