Kenny G Is China’s Favorite Jew
Image by Getty Images
By Maia Efrem November 2, 2015
Can the liquid velvet sounds of Kenny G halt an impending conflict between China and the United States? John Oliver thinks so.
On Sunday night, the “Last Week Tonight” host described increasing tensions between China and the U.S. over the former’s efforts to claim a disputed region near Vietnam in the South China Sea.
Enter Kenny G, or Kenneth Gorelick as he’s known at home — China’s favorite Jew. In today’s fun fact, it turns out the saxophonist from Seattle has an immense fan following in Hong Kong and China, so much so that the government has used his hit single, “Going Home,” as the end-of-day song in schools, shopping malls, parks and train stations, letting the public know it’s time to go home. Most people don’t even know who the musician behind the song is, but in a bizarre Pavlovian conditioning, the public knows it’s time to go home when they hear the song.
Oliver brought out Kenny G, “the future winner of the Nobel Peace prize,” to help ease the tension between the U.S. and China, in the hopes that hearing the song will let the Chinese know it is time to leave the South China Sea and go home.
And now, let the sweet sounds of “Going Home” wash over you.
Warning: Beware of what time of day you listen to this, the Forward cannot be held responsible for you walking out of work.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
