[HANASHIR:9882] Re: Patriotic songs

[Dr. Alan Mason <dralanmason...>]

At Temple Israel in Miami we began Erev Rosh Hashana with "America The 
Beautiful," and we began Rosh Hashana morning with "God Bless America."  In 
my ten years at Temple Israel, its the first time I can recall singing 
American patriotic song.  It worked extremely effectively!

Alan Mason
Doctor of Musical Arts
Pi Kappa Lambda



----Original Message Follows----
From: LPKAROL (at) aol(dot)com
Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Subject: [HANASHIR:9880] Patriotic songs
Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 09:21:47 EDT

Dear Chevre,
        Life in Topeka, Kansas is the same as everywhere else - we are 
coming
out of the same daze and shock and initial grief that hit us on September 
11.
  Some of you know about Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, our
local anti-everyone else (althought they say they are only anti-homosexual)
picketers who say that God hates America and fly their flag upside down.
Their church is a few blocks from Temple, and some people who live near them
have started a counter-picket, realizing finally that no one should hate
anyone after America became a victim of hate last week.  I hope give that
group some help if I can.
         My reason for posting is that my initial musical reaction to recent
events has been to sing songs about peace.  Last Friday, I added Debbie
Friedman's "Shelter of Peace" to the service along with one of the prayers
circulating aroud at the beginning.  I sang Yaysh Kochavim before the
Kaddish, and we sang Steve Dropkin's "Birkat Hak'hilah" (Y'varchecha) at the
end of the service.   A congregant has written the board saying that our
Tmeple has been neglectful of celebrating our American pride in song, that 
we
should be singing a song like "God Bless America."   I know that some of you
have done it, and that's fine, but my first impulse is always to choose a
Jewish expression first.   I have already heard stories of people having
tears in their eyes at singing God Bless America at other congregations, and
that's fine.  It just wasn't my impulse.  What did you do and what do you
think?  I have decided that I will recite the prayer for our nation and our
people in the gray gender-sensitive prayerbook every week from now on 
(should
have been doing it already).  I think that should suffice.
  I would welcome responses to the whole group or to me personally.
        Have an easy fast, everyone - Shanah Tovah!
L'shalom,
(Rabbi) Larry Karol
Temple Beth Sholom
Topeka




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