Dov Shurin

Dov Shurin (Hebrew: דב שורין) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, who is also known for his far-right political views, conveyed both through his music and media appearances, related to the Jewish sovereignty of Israel and the settlement of occupied territories in the region.

Dov Shurin
Dov Shurin at David's Tomb, Jerusalem, 2010
Background information
Born1949
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
GenresJewish
Instrument(s)Guitar

Background

Born in 1949, Shurin moved from Brooklyn, New York to Israel in 1984.[1] He is an Orthodox Jew and a grandson of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky.[2]

He currently lives in the Sansur building in downtown Jerusalem.[3]

Musical style

Shurin's music ranges from soft folk ballads to electric guitar, fast-paced, danceable music. His lyrics range from original to biblical sources or a mashup of the two. A major hit of his was "Zochreini Na" (Hebrew: זכרני נא).[4] The lyrics of the song are the prayer of Samson asking God to restore his strength so he can exact his revenge upon Philistines who had captured and blinded him (Book of Judges 16:28), but with the word "Philistines" replaced with "Palestine".[5] The song was initially popular mainly on Israeli settlements before gradually spreading to non-settler circles, where the lyrics were restored to the original wording of the Biblical verse.[6][7] An Israeli wedding in 2015 celebrated the Duma arson attack while playing the song,[8] and it was also chanted during the 2021 Jerusalem clashes.[9]

Shurin is noted for his Kahanist political views.[10] The struggle for the Land of Israel is a recurring theme in his music.[11]

Media appearances

He was featured on the cover of The Economist with a Bible in one hand and an Uzi in the other.[12]

Shurin has been featured in documentaries and briefly became a pop star within the settler movement with songs calling for violence against the Palestinians and resistance to Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.[3]

Shurin featured in Settlers, a documentary made in 2002 by British director Sean McAllister.[13] In the film Shurin states that although he believes that the Land of Israel belongs solely to the Jewish people, he has no problem being friendly with individual Arabs. A scene shows Shurin interceding on behalf of an elderly Arab man who was stopped at the Western Wall Plaza by Israeli security; Shurin stated that he is proud of what he did and that this deed was a Mitzvah.

Discography
  • I See the Sunrise (1980, rereleased as Kol Dodi: Voice of my Love)
  • Chakal Tapuchim: The field of Sacred Apples (1984), with "Uncle" Dovid Lybush
  • You Are With Me (1985, released 2000) with Shlomo Carlebach
  • Madly in Love With The One Above (1999)
  • Biblical Revenge "The Nekama Album" (2002)
  • Purim XTC (2002)
  • Zion Square Band in Jerusalem Live (2004)
  • Masters of the Land "The Nechama Album" (2004)
  • Shuvi El Irayich (2009)
  • Charming Nation (2011)

References
  1. "פורום: בחדרי חרדים - חדשות המוזיקה החסידית - גליון 14 – בחדרי חרדים". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  2. Bio of R' Yisroel Shurin, Reprinted from Ya'ated Neeman, 2007
  3. Three storeys - and a nation - built by tragedy, Mark MacKinnon. Mar. 28, 2009, Globe and Mail
  4. The Jewish Insights
  5. "זכריני נא Remember Me Please". YouTube. Jul 24, 2015.
  6. Zachreini Nah, retrieved 2022-03-16
  7. Ettinger, Yair (29 September 2003). "God and love and rock 'n' roll". Haaretz. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  8. "Clip shows far-right wedding-goers celebrating Duma killings". The Times of Israel. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  9. @Elizrael (May 10, 2021). "Today's Jerusalem Day march ends in an orgy of hate at the Western Wall. They sing: 'Remember me! Strengthen me!..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. Kahane followers: radical Jews in garb of American counterculture Archived 2013-09-07 at archive.today Charles Levinson and Michael Blum, Sawf News
  11. Friedman, Yoav (14 September 2008). "Dov Shurin's disengagement". Ynetnews. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  12. Doc visits West Bank mess Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine. Nov 24, 2000, Toronto Star
  13. "Sean McAllister - Films, Settlers (2000)". Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
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