Jewish Music has a fascinating history.  Depending on where the Jews have settled, our music has been influenced by the surrounding culture, while at the same holding onto much of our traditional melodic and liturgical practices.  One of the areas that I have begun researching is the Jews of Italy and their musical traditions. 

Did you know that Jewish people have a long history in Italy originating over two thousand years ago.  The music of the Jewish people in Italy has three distinct influences: “…Italian, Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions, with Italian musical culture and its innumerable cultural, regional and linguistic differences.” (Source: ON THE MUSIC OF THE JEWS OF ROME – Francesco Spagnolo, University of California, Berkeley) I learned on the Cantors Assembly Mission to Spain in 2016 that Sephardic Jews from Spain emigrated to Italy and Greece to escape the Inquisition.

Most of us are familiar with Italian music as Opera, sung by amazing voices with power and passion.  And so liturgical music followed with many compositions written in the Operatic style.  As Jewish music developed in Italy during the time of the Haskalah (Emancipation) in the 19^th Century, Cantors and lay composers began creating amazing choral repertoires and even adding instrumental music to the prayer experience. 

The music of the Synagogue was not the only place where the Jews had their presence felt.  Jewish musicians were active during the late Renaissance / Baroque period.  After the Haskalah, Jewish performers and composers became involved with Opera and even composed operettas. Some served at court as concert masters where they entertained Dukes and their guests. 

Much of the origins of the Italian music culture can be found in the works of Salamone Rossi, an Italian Jewish composer and violinist (ca. 1570 – 1630).  Rossi is unique because he not only composed and entertained for court, he also wrote Jewish liturgical compositions using popular music of his time (Baroque), and using the Hebrew language.  His music represents the blending of the Italian Musical style during that time period and the liturgical style of the Synagogue.

By the beginning of the 20^th century Jewish involvement in the Italian music scene became prominent, including musicologists, ethnomusicologists, performers, and music historians, several of whom taught in universities.  Unfortunately, by the late 1930s Mussolini’s regime enacted strong Anti-Semitic laws, which forced the Jewish presence out of the general Italian musical community.  Many of the composers of the time fled Italy and only a few of the families returned. 

Though we have a lot of records of the music of the Jewish people in Italy, much of the creativity came to a sudden halt during the time of the Holocaust.  After the Holocaust there has been a reconstruction of Jewish communities and their liturgy in Italy.  Much of this was done via recordings, public performances and education.  There was a strong oral musical tradition that kept Italian Jewish Music alive during troubling times.

Much of the work created by Jewish composers, not only in Italian music but also Liturgical music was lost during this period.  Only now, through research are we finding out names of many of these composers, performers, and musicians, and their musical works. 

As Hazzanim, it is important that we keep ourselves in four places musically:

1. Our Roots – we need to have a strong understanding of where our music began, it’s origins.  We have to retain our knowledge so as not to forget where we started musically in our liturgical/musical background.
2. The “Golden Age” – this of course referring to the late 1800’s early 1900’s.  What is it that made Cantors so great during that time.  The Choirs; the great voices; the Synagogues clamoring for great voices; the Congregants coming to listen to those great voices.
3. Today – not just the contemporary style of people like Debbie Friedman (z”l), Rick Recht, and Craig Taubman, but the music that our young Congregants listen to.  We need to be able to blend those styles with the styles of the past, keeping true to Nusach while at the same time keeping “musically” in touch with all of our Congregants. 
4. The Future – As Cantors – the keepers of our rich, musical traditions – we have to always be open to the new, not just discount it because it is “not what we would listen to”.  We have to be able to integrate musically the future with our current, and our past.

This always makes our job as Hazzanim fresh, challenging, and at the same time exciting. 

When I meet with Colleagues and speak about this subject, many of them will go to different extremes.  Either they only look to the past, the “Golden Age” and attempt to emulate that style.  I am not saying this is a bad thing, however this can restrict the Congregants that we can musically reach and entice to come to services.  Or some look to the contemporary style and state that the “Golden Age” is through and this is the “new-Golden-Age”.  Again they are only reaching a certain faction of our Jewish Community. 

There are of course other factors, and we need to continue a dialogue on musical styles and musical adaptation in our services while keeping true to ourselves. 

Can we blend the old with the new?  Can we adapt?  Historically Judaism has been able to do that throughout our history.  When the 2nd Temple was destroyed by the Romans circa: 70 CE we adapted.  No longer were we part of a Sacrificial Cult.  We moved on and moved forward.  Our music has adapted throughout our wanderings in the Diaspora.  Many of these musical trends can be found in several Scholarly works. 

It is important that we continue to evolve – at least for us Hazzanim – musically.  I do not believe that we have to do only one or the other – I believe that we can blend the old and the new. 

“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The inside might be as black as the night, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” (Andrew Lloyd Webber from the musical “Starlight Express”)

These lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber have a different meaning today than when he wrote them for the musical Starlight Express in 1984. As we went through the past year during the pandemic of Covid-19, we kept looking for that light to get us out of this tunnel of darkness. During all these months since March of 2020, we have experienced loss, severe isolation, depression, anger, and much more. Then the vaccines which were promised began to be dispersed, albeit more slowly than we wished. However, once vaccinations started, that “light at the end of the tunnel” began to dimly appear.

As in the Parsha of B’shalach, which we read from the Torah on January 30th, the ancient Israelites experienced their own “light at the end of the tunnel;” it is called Shirat Hayam, the “Song of the Sea.” In front of them was the Sea of Reeds, and behind them was Pharoah and his Army on Chariots. G-d provides passage by dividing the Sea of Reeds, giving the Israelites a path to walk to freedom. Imagine that the vaccines represent the dividing of the Sea of Reeds for all of us to cross to freedom from the slavery of the pandemic. Like the ancient Hebrews, we will not reach the promised land immediately. We will continue to move forward and shake those chains of isolation, quarantine, and loss of freedom.

How does one shake those chains? The ancient Hebrews did that with music, a song – Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea – “Az Yashir Mosheh uv’nei Yisrael…” “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Eternal…” (Source: The Torah, A Modern Commentary Revised Edition, Plaut, pg 439). They celebrated in song.

All cultures which have gone through some form of oppression, whether a pandemic, slavery, or any other form of oppression, use music to help them deal with the situation, and also to celebrate their freedom once attained.  Regardless of culture or situation people use music to help us understand and express our emotions.  “Music has even been described as a ‘language of the emotions.” (source: What does Music Express? Basic Emotions and Beyond, Patrik N. Juslin, Published Sep 6, 2013 from “Frontiers in Psychology”).   We use Cantillation to read from the Torah, the HafTorah, and the Megillot. Music is a conduit for prayer in every religion. Even a seemingly tuneless chant is a form of musical expression.

During these past 12 plus months of the Covid-19 pandemic, we all turned to music to express various feelings and emotions and to help us deal with this situation. Remember the TikTok post by Nathan Apodaca in which he lip syncs to Fleetwood Mac’s song “Dreams” while holding a bottle of juice? So simple, but the feelings expressed in the video resonated with all of us.

During these days, many of us listen to music which helps inspire us, to let us know that we are not alone in what we are going through. It doesn’t matter the type of musical style we connect with because music reaches out to people in a way that  helps them feel and deal with situations, whether joyous, sad, angry, or fearful.

In Judaism, the songs of our people, the Nusach of our T’fillot express our emotions. A prayer like the Sh’ma, which we sing to a melody notated by Solomon Sulzer, might mean something different to each of us depending on our emotional state when davening. The melodies of our prayers in the entire service, help to convey the words of the T’fillot. And even those words, those melodies, which many of us have known most of our lives, will have a different meaning to us each time we sing them.

We are once again nearing the holiday of Pesach. Like last year, this will be a celebration in which we have to follow health and safety protocols to protect our loved ones and friends. The melodies we sing from the Passover Seder will once again have a digitized feel to them. But we must take consolation in the fact that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel” and that our Seders, our religious services, our concerts, Holidays, will soon be enjoyed together as a community, hand-in-hand. May we continue to acknowledge that “light at the end of the tunnel” and may we soon be blessed to share in each other’s presence as one people, one community, one family.

Hazzan Steven Hevenstone

March 9, 2021

ZOOM, golly, golly, golly! As the shutdowns began and Synagogues emptied it almost seemed as if the song had ended.  Cantorial Concerts across the country, and even in the world were cancelled due to the pandemic.  Bimas across the globe became barren and hushed. Sanctuaries seemed suddenly hauntingly silent.  And then there was Zoom.  When it became clear that during the Pandemic we could no longer gather in our sacred spaces to lead davening, to raise money for our Synagogues through Concerts, or to teach, we Cantors found another avenue, another opportunity to continue the song. 

Through technology, Cantors across the globe were able to continue davening, continue performing concerts, and continue teaching Bar/Bat Mitzvah and students of all ages about our Prayers, Chanting the Torah, and the rich history of our Musical Tradition.  Cantors began offering Kabbalat Shabbat Sing-a-longs on Zoom, Facebook, and even YouTube livestream.  We offered concerts to our communities, not for “Fund-Raising” but for “Fun”-Raising giving our congregants a well needed respite from the daily stress of Covid.  Many of us worked in coordination with each other to help organizations like JNF; UJA; USCJ; and many other worthy causes. 

During this time I had the opportunity to work on a Sub-Group of the USCJ Covid-Task Force on utilizing Zoom and other on-line Meeting Technologies.  I worked with Rabbis and Executive Directors on our team.  Our sub-group discussed ways to continue having services, classes, and even preparing for what would be the most unusual High Holy Days any of us have experienced in our lifetimes.   The most important thing was that regardless of the situation in which we found ourselves, our traditions would continue. 

My colleagues and I have been working and putting much thought into how to provide the most spiritual services in these new formats for worship.  Every prayer has been studied in new ways and it has been amazing to implement and watch as we all grasp onto these new ways of providing spiritual connection through our T’fillah.  It’s also been sad to let go, at least for 2020, of long standing traditions, like Hin’ni, the Cantor’s prayer, and the drama of Kol Nidre three times.

Our song keeps going, the music keeps playing, and our Prayers continue to flow regardless of the situation.  We all gathered together on a Jewish version of “Hollywood Squares”.  We prayed together, we learned together, we sang together.  We found out that regardless of the situation – the Jewish Community will continue as strong as ever.  

Zoom has many challenges.  To keep sound from becoming cacophony we have to sometimes mute each other or ourselves.  Regardless, our song continued.  We have not missed a Minyan since we moved to this format.  Life-cycle events were presented on Zoom.  The Zoom Bar/Bat Mitzvah became a hit, having family members who would not be able to attend under normal circumstances joining in.  Our song did not end.  We celebrated Pesach on Zoom – families connecting with family members, whom they had not seen in many years, joining in on the Zoom Seder.  Shabbat Meals were shared with family members throughout the world on Zoom.  And through all of this our song continued. 

At DHJC we purchased a livestreaming service from Live-Control.  At our High Holy Days we had a very successful hybrid style service with a limited number of congregants in the Sanctuary and others able to watch our services on livestream in the comfort of their homes.  Members who have not attended in many years due to health or distance were able to join in to our DHJC services.  Our Bima is no longer silent  – our song did not end. 

No-one can say how long we will be in this situation.  No-one can say if we will ever go back to the way we were.  But through all of this we must remember: that regardless of what happens in the world around us – we here at DHJC continue as strong as ever.  We are TEAM DHJC and all that implies.  We will move forward and adapt.  For our song will never end. 

Go back to your first experience you can remember of being in a Synagogue.  It could be one of the High Holy Days, a Holiday, Religious School, even Shabbat.  What do you remember?  When asked that question, my response is always the music, how the prayers were sung.  Those melodies touch something deep inside of us.  Not only in the Synagogue do those songs, those melodies resonate, but also from Passover Seders, Chanukah, even in our secular lives.

From our early years we all remember the melody to the “A, B, Cs”; “Intsy Wintsy Spider”, and others.  Point of fact – the melody we use for Shehu Noteh Shamayim from the Aleinu is based on the melody of “Intsy Wintsy Spider”.  That melody continues to resonate with us every Shabbat and Holiday.

“Since earliest times, music has universally been a part of G-d’s creatures’ worship of their Creator.  From the very beginning of our national existence, the worship of G-d with prayer and sacrifice has been accompanied by music (noted in Exodus 15:1, 20), and music played an important part of the Temple service as well.” (source: A Guide to Jewish Prayer pg. 370)

The sounds and tones of music weave through Jewish life as a thread through a tapestry.  This tapestry is rich and vibrant, much like Joseph’s coat of many colors.  But instead of colors, we have tones and harmonies which can lift us up and raise our spiritual identity, helping to fill us with sweet sounds.  We only have to listen, and let ourselves be carried away by these sweet sounds.

Growing up going to Shul I would look forward to attending services and singing along with the Cantor and the Congregation.  There truly was and still is something very spiritual that happens when we all join together singing the prayers.  That sense of our community, not only here at DHJC, but the entire Jewish community coming together through the words of our T’fillahutilizing music.  Sometimes our melodies differ slightly from Synagogue to Synagogue.  Sometimes the melodies might be completely different.  That does not make the melody wrong, just different.  However the result is still the same, as we join together in song.

Today, many of the melodies for our prayers represent our differing cultures, blending together different musical Minhagim.  Throughout our services here at DHJC you can hear the Ashkenazic melodies which many of us grew up with.  You can also her Sefardic melodies – including the Ana, Ana we sing in the Torah Service, and the Yemenite melody we use on Friday Night for the first three stanzas of L’cha Dodi.  Etz Chaim, which we sing prior to closing the Ark at the end of the Torah Service, is sung to the melody of HaTikvah.  And as stated above some nursery rhyme music has also entered our services.

Many times we introduce new melodies into our services.  These melodies might take a little bit to grow on us, but those melodies bring a fresh perspective on the prayer.  In previous newsletters I have written about SLBC (Song Leader Boot Camp) run by Rick Recht.  During that conference, which happens during the week of President’s Day every year, new melodies are introduced to those who attend, and you can truly get a new perspective on our T’filah just by learning a new melody.

Our music is another way we represent L’dor Vador – Generation to Generation.  We pass on these melodies to our children and others, and the next generation takes those melodies to heart. As each generation grows into those songs, many come up with new melodies for the T’filah, taking their own personal perspective and becoming a new part of the tapestry of song.

May we all continue to be a part of that musical tapestry that is our tradition, new and old.

You know that feeling.  You turn on Jewish Rock Radio (online Jewish Music station run by Rick Recht) or go to your device, or you ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play your music.  Maybe it is a Billy Joel song, maybe Queen, or Hercules Smith, and suddenly you are transported to the past and a beautiful memory as if it happened yesterday.  Music has the ability to create and form memories and the power to bring that memory into focus.  “Music has a prominent role in the everyday life of many people. Whether it is for recreation, distraction or mood enhancement, a lot of people listen to music from early in the morning until late at night, especially since the invention of radio and recordings. Because of its near ubiquity, music has been identified as important in the construction of autobiographical memories and thus for making judgments about oneself and others.” (Source: National Institute of Health)

For many of us that is what happens when we come to the Synagogue and hear a chanted prayer, or sing along with a congregational melody.  The prayers, and their melody may transport to a time when we were sitting in Shul and listening to another Cantor.  You can walk into any conservative shul in the world, even Israel, and you will hear a familiar melody and can participate in the service and feel comfortable when you are there.  Jewish prayer has always been associated with music.  We learn to speak through song.  Today you can probably recognize Debbie Friedman’s melody used to teach the Alef, Bet, and prior to that there were other melodies utilized to teach the Hebrew letters.

It is also the same for those of us who are Hazzanim.  I know that when I sing a traditional melody I am transported back to my synagogue, Rodeph Shalom in Bridgeport, CT.  To hear my Cantor, Y’Shaya Grama (z”l) sing the prayers again would be a gift.  There are many times I am singing on the Bima and I hear his voice in my head, and feel his presence, as if I could turn around and he would be there next to me singing the prayers in his powerful Heldon Tenor voice.  Those melodies that many of us hold on to are what bring us a sense of comfort.  They bring us those warm memories of going to Shul with our parents, our grandparents, our friends.

A great example of this strong sense of memory in the Synagogue is during the Kol Nidre.  Everyone knows the melody.  “The melody that stirs the heart of Ashkenazic Jews is of unknown origin, but is part of a body of music known as “MiSinai melodies” that emerged in Germany between the 11th and 15th centuries. “MiSinai” literally means “from Sinai.” Of course, we know that none of these tunes came from anywhere in the Middle East, but the hold they have had on Ashkenazic Jews has made them as venerated as if they “came down from the mountain.”’ (Source: Sounds of Kol Nidre).

As we look at the memories our music evokes, where does this leave room for new melodies?  If we are open to musical possibilities, new music can create new memories and help us to potentially look at a prayer in a completely different way.  That is not to say that one should compose a completely new melody for Kol Nidre, but for prayers like Sim Shalom, Oseh Shalom, and many others, those new melodies, regardless of style, can help us and the next generation to understand a prayer, or an idea in a completely new light.  What are your earliest music memories?  Or, if you’re of a certain age, remember back 50 years ago to the melodies that began in your own Synagogue.  How have they changed?  How are they the same?

We should all look forward to listening to the music of the next 50 years and beyond.  May our songs continue to blossom and grow, may our harmonies always be sweet, and may we continue to be together, L’Dor VaDor – Generation to Generation, as our music continues to make beautiful understanding and memories together as a community.

“The rhythm is gonna get you!”  Maybe, or maybe it’s the lyrics, or maybe it’s the drumbeat, but we all have that one song that speaks to us.  Music can be a powerful method of communication.  Music reaches out to our consciousness better than most other types of communication.  It is through music, that even if we do not understand the language (i.e.: Italian, French, or German in Opera or Hebrew in our prayers), the music helps to convey the meaning to our consciousness.  A Hazzan is the person in our T’fillah who takes the meaning of the Prayers and through his / her voice conveys the meaning to the consciousness of the Congregation.

“Music can be used for many purposes: entertainment, setting an environment, inducing certain moods, giving instruction, healing, and so forth. It is also a very powerful tool for personal/spiritual growth and conscious living. If inner growth is your goal, it’s essential to consciously surround yourself with music that truly supports that goal. For apart from music’s outer forms—genre, lyrics, etc.—every piece of music has more subtle and potent factors that influence us on deeper-than-conscious levels. Choosing music is therefore not so much a question of likes and dislikes, or of others’ opinions, but of what, exactly, any given piece of music actually communicates to you.” (Source: The Hidden Message of Music by Kraig Brockschmidt http://www.kraigbrockschmidt.com/the-hidden-messages-of-music/)

Throughout history there have been many songs written and sung about specific messages.  Songs about battles, songs of love, songs for peace, songs about hope, etc.  Look at many of our prayers, or think of the American National Anthem, the Canadian Anthem, or even Israel’s Anthem. Many of those messages have to do with peace (Shalom Rav; Oseh Shalom; Sim Shalom; etc.).  Regardless of the language, music helps to pass that message along to the listener, especially if the singer is conveying that message resoundingly through his / her artistry.

On May 30^th, 2019 – at Dix Hills Jewish Center (DHJC) we had our annual Cantor’s Concert.  We are living in a time fraught with violence, racism, and anti-Semitism.  The  theme for this concert was “Songs of Peace and Love”.  To help convey this important message we had four young talented Hazzanim from the Conservative Movement:  Cantor Bonnie Zakarin from Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre/Congregation Etz Chaim (HERJC); Cantor Ben Tisser from North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, IL; Cantor Sandy Bernstein from Temple Sholom in Greenwich, CT; and Cantor Asa Fradkin from Congregation Beth El in Bethesda, MD.  They were accompanied by the extremely talented Scott Stein on the Piano; Gaston Bernstein on Percussion; and Nathan Hevenstone (my son) on the Guitar.

Our song selections covered our Liturgy; Opera; Broadway; and even some Pop.  The focus of every piece of music was to convey to the listeners’ consciousness the themes of Love and Peace.  Through the artistry and talent of the performers we were able to take the message of love and peace to heart and pass that message along to others that we see and meet.

“Music is a fundamental channel of communication: it provides a means by which people can share emotions, intentions, and meanings. Music can exert powerful physical and behavioral effects, can produce deep and profound emotions within us, and can be used to generate infinitely subtle variations of expressiveness by skilled composers and performers, such that highly complex informational structures and contents can be communicated extremely rapidly between people. Music is something we do with and for other people.” (Source: How Do People Communicate Using Music by David J. Hargreaves, Raymond MacDonal* and Dorothy Miell – Musical Communication eds. D. E. Miell, R. MacDonald and D. J. Hargreaves – Oxford University Press [2005])

May the music of our hearts be filled with Peace and Love.  Know that in the future we will have more concerts at DHJC and I will be inviting more of my amazing colleagues to perform along with me on the “Bima”.  May the “Rhythm get us” and may our hearts continue to rise in song and glory.

“It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Molder of creation, for He has not made us like the nations of the lands…” (Source: S’dur Simchat Y’hoshua L’shabat V’Yom Tov, The Schottenstein Edition, pg. 122).  We say these words at the end of each and every service.  One might not recognize the words on the page, however when we say them in the Hebrew: “Aleinu L’Shabe’ach La’adon HaKol…” we are all familiar with the words.  The Aleinu is recited daily at the conclusion of Ma’ariv, Shachrit, and Minha services.  It is also a custome to recite it at a Brit Milah.

Initially the Aleinu was only part of the High Holy Day services utilized to introduce the Malchuyot Service in the Musaf Prayers.  In about 1300 C.E. it was brought into the daily services, where, along with the next paragraph of Al Kayn N’kaveh (“We hope therefore”) it became the closing prayer. The prayer was utilized as a closing prayer to be “…as a reaffirmation of the proclamation of G-d as Supreme King of the universe and of the Divine Unity.” (Source: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, Macy Nulman, pg. 24).

The authorship of the prayer is unknown, however some note Joshua, who upon the fall of the walls of Jericho penned the prayer.  Others note it  to the Amora Rav, who is the third-century Babylonian sage.  One other view of authorship is by the Men of the Greeat Assembly during the period of the Second Temple.  Regardless of authorship, the prayer is ancient in origin.

The main them of the Aleinu is G-d’s Kingdom.  “In the first part, God is praised for having singled out the people of Israel from other nations, for Israel worships the One God while others worship idols. The second paragraph expresses the fervent hope for the coming of the kingdom of God…” (source: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aleinu-le-shabbeah).

In the Aleinu we prostrate ourselves during the line: “Va’anachnu Cor’im umishtachavim umodim…” which can be translated as “And we bend our knees, and bow, and acknowledge our thanks…” (Source: S’dur Simchat Y’hoshua L’shabat V’Yom Tov, The Schottenstein Edition, pg. 123).  In some Synagogues Congregations open the Ark Doors for the recitation of the Aleinu.

The common melody utilized for Aleinu’s first paragraph is based upon common Ashkenazic melodic motifs.  The composer is unknown, some ascribing to Solomon Sulzer, however the melody is thought to be much older in origin.  The next section, Shehu Noteh Shamayim starts out with the same melody as the melody to the children’s song Itzy Bitzy Spider.

The Aleinu is one of the first prayers taught to students in Hebrew Schools, along with Ein Keloheinu and Adon Olam.  Here at Dix Hills Jewish Center I teach the Aleinu to students as young as the Prime Grades, which include Kindergarten through Second Grade.

A couple years back some of my students were at a weekday service with their parent, who was saying the Mourner’s Kaddish.  I was leading services and the students were singing behind me.  I asked them if they would like to lead the Aleinu and they enthusiastically said yes.  Hence was the beginning of the (Dix Hills Jewish Center) DHJC Aleinu Crew.  Now when I teach the Aleinu to students I tell them about our Aleinu Crew and that once they know the prayer they are welcome to join in leading that at all services.  I am happy to note that our Aleinu Crew at DHJC has been steadily growing.  These students lead the Aleinu at Shabbat Services, Friday Night, Shabbat Morning, and even Shabbat Afternoon when there is no Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and even on weekday evening Minyanim when they are in attendance.  After Aleinu the students participate in other prayers, V’Shamru; Ein Keloheinu, Adon Olam, and others.  This represents a great opportunity for students to not only participate and become comfortable leading prayers, but also learning how to pray.

As you come into my Synagogue (Dix Hills Jewish Center) on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or even a Thursday afternoon; you will find children in the building.  As you walk towards the Religious School wing you may hear these children vocalizing as they learn the Hebrew alphabet, repeating lines of prayers as they learn them, and chattering as they engage in activities in their classrooms.

In the Religious School our students are learning about their own Jewish Identity, not only outside of the Home, but also amongst their peers.  As an after school program, our teachers understand that not all lessons can be taught through lecture or reading.  As someone said – Learning can be fun!  In our school, some of these lessons involve arts and crafts activities.  I have fond memories, and I’m sure you do too, and learned more about the holidays in my Synagogue Religious School – whenever we worked on projects that depicted a specific holiday.  One that always has stuck out in my mind was a project we did for Purim in Dalet (4^th grade).  We were organized into groups of 4 students.  As a group, we had to decide together on a project that would show our knowledge of the Purim Story.

My group decided to write a play (not a musical!) on the Purim story.  We were going to create the sets, write a script, and put on our “play” for the class and the Rabbi.  The script was easy as we could reference the Megillah Esther – a simplified version was given to us as part of the Curriculum on the Holidays. Basically we used the text word for word, only changing it to more modern language.   The sets were created from Cardboard, paper, crayons, and other material.  The play could be no more than ten minutes since everyone in the class was presenting on the same day.   The projects would then be showcased at the early service for Purim just prior to the reading of the Megillah Esther.

During this process of creation, regardless of the project the groups chose, we learned more about Purim than we ever could by simply reading about it in a book, going to hear the Megillah Esther at Synagogue, or even learning it from our Parents or Grand-Parents.

The utilization of creativity has always been a great way to learn about our history. Building “edible dreidels” at Hanukkah, making spice bags for Havdallah, creating your own Miriam’s cup for Passover, are just a few examples of creative art projects throughout the Jewish world. Through this process our students are not only learning about the specific holiday, Shabbat, Israel, or Jewish living, but they are expressing themselves on a creative level, how they view these subjects within their lives, at that point and time.

This type of learning is referred to as Kinesthetic learning or tactile learning.  This is a learning style where learning takes place when students carry out physical activities.  Instead of listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations, the students become do-ers or active learners versus passive learners.  This style of learning is also referred to as hands-on learning.

Kinesthetic learning was defined and discussed in Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.  In his book, Gardner notes activities – art project, dancing, even putting on plays and skits, as great ways to increase kinesthetic intelligence: “….using the body to create (or do) something.”

Even through our prayers we demonstrate Kinesthetic memory – for the Sh’ma we wrap our Tzitzit around our fingers and in the third paragraph we kiss those fringes every time we say the word tzizit.  We bow during the Bar’chu (call to worship) and also at other points in the service.  During the Torah Service – we do not just read from a book, instead we devote an entire processional and recessional to take out and read the Torah, then to return the Torah to the Ark.  All of this represents Kinesthetic Memory, which we develop in our early years through Kinesthetic learning.

One of the pleasures I have at DHJC (Dix Hills Jewish Center) is having my office in the Religious School wing.  If I am not with a student or a Congregant, I will work in my office with my door open so that I can hear the sounds of the students learning.  I can hear students reciting prayers, reading Hebrew texts, or just having discussions on Jewish topics.  It is amazing how much the students are doing and learning in just a couple of hours two times a week.

As you know, learning just doesn’t happen in the classroom.  Another great opportunity for Jewish learning within our community are the family programs we have at DHJC.  These programs are a way for the students to learn alongside their families and other families  – whether it is making Latkes for Hanukkah, or working on a Purim project, or a Shabbat encounter – these programs are an important part of the learning process and an important part of building our DHJC community.

One of these programs we are most proud of is the Class participation Shabbat services.  Throughout the year we had several of the classes take part in and even take leadership roles in Kabbalat Shabbat Services; Shabbat morning services, and Shabbat Minha services along with Havdallah.  These services are vital to the continued Jewish education.  At class Havdallah services in particular, some of our  teachers read the Torah so that they can be an example to there students.  This is a touching moment as they read from the Torah – the students are quiet and listen appreciatively as their teacher demonstrates reading from the Torah.

All this and more is done in Synagogue Religious Schools.  When you come into your Synagogue building, if you are there during Religious School hours, please stop by and observe, see how your children are learning, not only the Hebrew language, but their Jewish Values, the holidays, Shabbat, and living a Jewish life.  And when your see their teachers, or any of the teachers in the Religious School, or when you see the Education Director, remember to thank them for their hard work and dedication to our children who represent the future – L’Dor Vador.

Sh’ma Yisrael Adoshem Elokeinhu, Adoshem Echad.  These words are found in the Torah in D’varim 6:4.  Jews and non-Jews alike know this prayer.  For our young children it is one of the very first prayers taught. Did you know that the melody you are using is traditionally considered MiSinai (From Sinai) and was sung time immemorial by all the Jews beginning at Mount Sinai?  In reality, although the prayer itself is from those ancient times, the melody that is sung and taught today is less than 200 years old.  The United States of America is older!  The composer was Austrian born Hazzan Solomon Sulzer.  He composed this melody and others as part of his Shir Zion which was first published in 1840, when he was 36 years old.

During our morning service, before the Sh’ma is recited, we pray the Ahavah Rabah, which is translated as “With abundant love”.  We sing the Ahavah Rabah “…because of the verse that reads, ‘They [Your Kindnesses] are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.’ (Source: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, Macy Nulman, pg. 11).  It’s like when someone says to you “It’s a new day!”.  In the evening service the prayer before the Sh’ma is known as the Ahavat Olam, which is translated as “With everlasting love”.  Ahavat Olam reinforces this intention in the verse “I have loved Thee with an everlasting love.” (Source: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, Macy Nulman, pg 12).

In the morning and in the evening we set up ourselves to be in the right frame of mind when saying the Sh’ma.  “The Sh’ma is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith in one G-d.  If you look around you may see people cover their eyes or lower their heads and close their eyes.  For many people this is a way to focus and listen to the simple prayer.  The obligation to recite the Sh’ma is separate from the obligation to pray and a Jew is obligated to say the Sh’ma in the morning and at night (D’varim 6:7).” (Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-shema).  When we sing the Sh’ma, starting with the Ahavah Rabah in the morning or the Ahavat Olam in the evening we utilize the melodies composed by Solomon Sulzer. Who knows if we will still be using these melodies for the next 200 years!    

The next section of the Sh’ma is the V’Ahavtah. And you shall love the L-rd “….your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might.” (Source: Siddur Sim Shalom L’chol, pg. 33).  In this section we are taught to teach our children about our faith, about our love for G-d and about our traditions. Here you will notice a “change-up” tune and for the  V’Ahavtah we utilize Torah Trope, tying together through the melody not only all three of these prayers, but also ending with the melodic structure of chanting the Torah, thus bringing us back to the gift of the Torah to the Jewish People.  Now we are prepared to hear the words of Torah and understand them in our hearts.

As we tie the Sulzer Melody, which has become ingrained into our collective musical souls, to the familiar chanting of the Trope, we become part of a beautiful tradition that started with Revelation.  We close our eyes during the Sh’ma to help us listen, not only to our collective voices singing together, but also to hear G-d within our community.  Next time you are in Synagogue, whether during a daily Minyan, a holiday, or a Shabbat service, join us together as we sing the Ahavah Rabah / Ahavat Olam, the Sh’ma, then the V’Ahavtah.  As our voices join together and become one, we recognize that the L-rd our G-d is One.