[HANASHIR:5455] Re: BJ services

[Rachel Gurevitz <R.Gurevitz...>]

I felt strongly moved to respond to the recommendation about BJ services, as I
have very mixed feelings about that congregation.  It is often flagged as *the*
NY shule for a musical experience.  Like Ellen, I thought the music was great,
and it is quite something to be where an entire congregation of close to 1000
people are all joining in with the singing.  *But* at the end of the service,
when I visited, not a single person anywhere in my sight turned round to a
single other person they didn't know to wish them Good Shabbes.  I was at the
shule a few times during my time in NY because we (Rabbi Arthur Waskow and I)
worked with them on several Shalom Center projects.  Talking to one of the
Rabbis, they told me that the musical experience didn't 'just happen' - they
trained their congregation over time to participate in this way.  It left me
with a bit of a sour taste - how easy it is to teach people how to 'perform'
spiritual music for a feel-good service, yet how difficult it seemed to be to
teach them how to turn to someone near them to say something as simple as a
'Good Shabbes'.  My conclusion... (something that is increasingly being thought
about at HN)... it takes more than good tunes to build spiritual, prayerful
community.

Rachel Gurevitz

-- Begin original message --

> Hi all,
> 
> This past Friday night, we had the good fortune to attend services at B'nai
> Jeshurun in NYC. It was so wonderful and warm AND felt very HN-like. There
> was a small instrumental ensemble (percussion, guitar/mandolin, and cello)
> that played during the singing. The congregation actually got up and danced
> around the entire sanctuary during L'cha Dodi. The entire service was pretty
> much sung and it was just exquisite. If you are in NYC and have the chance
> to go, I would strongly recommend it.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Ellen Allard
> http://www.peterandellen.com
> 
> 
> 

-- End original message --


Dr. Rachel Gurevitz
Dept. of Geography
Arts E418,School of Social Sciences
University of Sussex,
Falmer, Brighton.


------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+