I’m Sorry, Is That Mp3 Kosher?

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
You might check a bag of Skittles to see if it’s kosher, but did you check your latest Bruce Springsteen album? A committee in Israel would like you to. The Jewish news website Matzav reported this week that the Organization of Rabbis for the Purity of Jews released a list of offenses that would deem an album unfit for consumption (listening).
Among them: Disrespectful sounds (electronic effects, distortion and “bending the notes”), the modern drum set which was “created to be used in wild, coarse music,” and the electric guitar, bass guitar and the Devil’s Flute, aka: Saxophone.
When asked for comment, the Jewish rapper Etan G remarked, “I hope I get rated X by them — I’ll sell a million albums.”
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