WAV,
I am from Israel, a multicultural place if ever there was one. We hail from all over the world and from very different cultures and backgrounds. Each brought something diferent and special. This is especialy true in food and music, but as this isn't a gastronomy forum, I'll talk about the music. Israeli music has echoes and influences from Eastern Europe, from the classical music of the West, from German cabaret and Russian songs of the 20s and 30s, French chanson, folk songs and liturgy from the Balkans, North Africa, Turkey, Iraq, Persia, Yemen, Arab music, jazz, rock and roll, the big folk scare, country and western, and Celtic stuff. One of our most famous folk songs, the Finjan, shares a melody with the Armenian song Hingala. Has any of this damaged Israeli culture? No, we've taken things and made them our own. We are all the richer for it. You would probably rant about it, but several years ago this rich kid who played keys in various rock and pop bands became very interested in Ethiopian culture. He began to collaborate with young Ethiopians resulting in something called the Idan Reichel project. Ethinc-infused pop. The greatest service it has done is in making Ethiopian traditions more accesible and understood to the rest of us Israelis, thus making it easier for young Ethiopians to hold on to their own traditions. It is very hard to do so if your ignorant peers hold in it in contempt!!!
An attempt to enforce uniculturalism in Israel has left deep scars and retarded the growth of our own culture.