[HANASHIR:16359] RE: Best of Friday Night

[Steve Klaper <yuchia...>]

Jackie --

I would love to see a copy of Isaacson's talk, and Planer's as well. As our
cantor (Temple Emanu-El, Detroit) has slowly entered retirement, I have been
responsible for more and more of the music from the bima -- both with the
youth choir, an adult and teen choir, and on my own with the rabbi. The
drum-and-tambourine singing and dancing services I've experienced elsewhere,
while fun and exciting, have always seemed to me a little on the fluffy
side. A big, rollicking emotional ride. Cool, plenty of harmony, but not
enough depth or thought involved. Most adults are a little too old for camp.


I've found that what we've been billing as a "Song & Spirit Shabbat" or
"Shir Chadash Shabbat" works best when we blend much of this music with some
traditional responsive readings, and add a few midrash/stories. I adapt
stuff from Larry Kushner, Rodger Kamenetz, David Cooper, Arthur Green and
other modern and traditional midrashic sources -- and insert them at logical
points of reflection: before barchu, or shema, before amidah or kaddish. I
think we have to touch the congregation on all levels at once. Dancing and
singing are fun, wellsprings of emotion are good, but so is a sense of
wonder, so is the sudden "Aha!" as you understand a piece of Torah that you
never did before, or when you realize a deeper meaning to a prayer that
you've been saying by rote for years.

We're not just writing and performing catchy Jewish tunes here. Prayer is
not just another activity -- it has subjective and objective purpose, and
these purposes are rarely obvious. Leading a worship service -- in song or
otherwise --  is an awesome, multi-layered responsibility. It always
deserves more thought and direction than you would give a campfire
singalong.

Steve Klaper 






Marsha,

BJ -- B'nai Jeshurun -- is in NYC on the Upper West Side and is renowned far
and wide in these parts. They have a Friday night service that is all music
and, I hear, really is amazing. One of these days I will go. My son and
daughter-in-law have attended, as have many of our friends. It attracts many
(but not only) younger people from the area, unlike a lot of "regular"
services. 

Our own all-music services at Temple Emeth in Teaneck (cantor, band, once in
a great while the choir) take place monthly. There is no question that they
draw a good crowd, noticeably larger than most other services. Many of those
in attendance -- not all -- are the younger families. In some respects this
service feels like our monthly "family" services, primarily in who attends.
Lots of kids are hanging out. There is also some dancing in the aisles and,
what I really like, more dancing at the oneg. On the other hand, we have
other -- mostly more mature -- members who find that while it's fun, it does
not uplift them spiritually. The services are also quite repetitive,
musically but this may change, as the rabbi, cantor and ritual committee are
taking a look at them. For me personally, the jury is still out. I love
seeing and hearing the participation, but the lack of...something -- some
sort of intellectual rigor or something, leaves me unmoved in my heart and
soul.

Michael Isaacson's talk expresses this very well, as did John Planer's. Do
you have a copy of his talk at the same session? If not, and if you'd like
it, e-mail me off the list and I'll be happy to send it to you.

Jackie Guttman

> From: Marsha Fensin <mfsings (at) ccr(dot)net>
> Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 16:19:54 -0600
> To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Subject: [HANASHIR:16349] RE: Best of Friday Night
> 
> Hi all,
> Question.  I just reread Michael Isaacson's talk to at the Melton 
> Archive Conference. Really an interesting piece.  Hope you all had a 
> chance to read it.  Pardon my ignorance, but what is BJ ( I am 
> assuming it is a synagogue in New York)  and what is a BJ type of 
> service?  I can imagine.  I think I know, but, someone please tell me 
> anyway.  Do your synagogues do a BJ type of service, often, 
> occasionally, always?  What kinds of turnouts do BJ type services have 
> where you are?  Do you balance these types of services with other 
> kinds in the course of say, a month, several months, a year?  What 
> music do you do in a BJ type of service?  All Carlbach, a mixture ,etc.
Looking forward to your answers.
> Marsha
> 
> 


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