[HANASHIR:14425] Re: Singing in Hebrew

[Danielkare <Danielkare...>]

In a message dated 5/23/2003 10:38:41 AM Central Daylight Time, 
rahel (at) empire(dot)net writes:

> think that the basic attitude should be that it is
> >fun to sing songs in a foreign language!
> 
> 
> 
> Why is it so hard for Jews to be Jewish?
> 

Being Jewish has so many different meanings...I think you mean, why is it so 
hard for Jews to accept and embrace (for example) their linguistic heritage.  

Yesterday my 7-yr-old son received his own personalized siddur at a ceremony 
at his Jewish day school.  Although not required by any homework assignment, 
he spent all evening immersed in it...reading and singing the prayers he knew 
(the entire Ashrei, the entire Aleinu, etc.).  This morning on the way to 
school, he was trying to sing Aleinu, the V'al kayn part, and I was singing 
with 
him.  He noticed that I was singing it by memory, not reading anything.  Yes, I 
said, that's what you will be able to do, too.  

My POINT is that singing or reading in Hebrew becomes no longer "something 
fun to do in a foreign language" but as much a part of us as breathing or 
walking or using a mouse.... It's not foreign, it's our language, it's in our 
hearts, it's in our memories, it's in our souls.  It just takes certain 
experiences 
in each of our lives to get to that point, especially when our homes are not 
immersed in Jewish tradition....  

For me, and perhaps for my son, it is and was the Jewish day school 
experience; for my daughter, it was probably her 10th grade trip to Israel; for 
some 
it's Jewish camp or Hava Nashira or CAJE.  

Isn't that "our" job, to try to be at least part of that experience for the 
people we come in contact with through our musical endeavors, so that Hebrew, 
Yiddish, Israel, Jewish traditions, won't be foreign, but will be just as 
natural as breathing....

-Karen Daniel
<A HREF="www.karendaniel.com">www.karendaniel.com</A>