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Re: FW: Who's on this list
- From: Karen Daniel <Karen.Daniel...>
- Subject: Re: FW: Who's on this list
- Date: Wed 17 Jun 1998 14.54 (GMT)
Okay, you asked for it, so...here's one person's experience of Hava
Nashira.
------------------------------
Wow! Within a short time of arriving, I have already met my two
biggest musical idols, Jeff Klepper (who is quite tall) and Debbie
Friedman (who is more my size). And I have to say, as idols go,
neither one is a disappointment. Debbie has a magnificent amount of
energy. Jeff is a gentle soul. I keep trying to watch their fingers
so I can learn to play guitar like them, but end up getting mesmerized
in the music instead.
It is my first time at Hava Nashira, so I have signed up to be
evaluated. My evaluation session is first thing Thursday morning.
There are so many people sitting in this room in the lodge, which
looks just like you'd expect a lodge to look! Large windows
everywhere overlooking beautiful scenery. It is cold (I am from
Tennessee!) and I feel like a kid at camp again. Very fortunately, I
am first to present a song. I have not practiced enough, and I am
very nervous. I am afraid I will mess up. Everyone is tape recording
everything. What if I forget the words, the chords? What if my voice
just doesn't come out when I open up my mouth? None of this happens,
of course, and instead, I teach the song, a new one I have written, so
I know that no one knows it, and amazingly, within seconds, EVERYONE
is singing along! The feedback is given in a very friendly and
supportive way: for example, I shouldn't ask, "Would you like to sing
this line with me?" I should TELL them to sing it. Ellen, the faculty
member, is incredibly knowledgeable and her comments fit me like a
glove. I sit down, relieved it's over, thinking how much I can
improve my songleading skills. I listen to all the others and enjoy
learning from them, both the new songs and the songleading skills.
Mealtimes are really fun...long picnic style tables in several rows.
We make hamotzi, learning a new minchag, not to say "amen" after our
own brachah, but instead, to say, "b'tay avon," Hebrew for "good
appetite." It is buffet style, serve yourself, and we all cooperate
in getting drinks and cleaning up afterward. During the meal one of
the faculty teaches some songs. The amount of joy in the room as
people sing multiple harmonies is awesome to say the least. We are
also learning trope, the melody to chanting Torah. This is something
I have always wanted to learn. It is incredibly fun. My tape
recorder is ON. The food is simple, varied, lots of salad and fruit
available, lots of lemonade, cookies sometimes. The faces I pass as I
walk around are starting to get familiar. We all wear name tags
around our necks, with the first name in BIG BOLD letters, and that
really helps!
Jeff Klepper gives a session in a theatre building that looks like a
big red barn. It's cold, and there's no heat! Someone fixes that
pretty quickly. He shows us how a service should be run, how we can
make it fill up all the senses, sight, hearing, kinesthetic...with
something as simple as eye contact, for example.... He leads us on a
spiritual journey, to find that special place so we can relate to
God....We all take rhythm instruments and sing a niggun like it's
never been sung before. This is a totally new experience for me, and
one that takes getting used to. My tape recorder is ON!
There are services each day, morning and night. This is no ordinary
go-listen-to-the-cantor-and-hear-the-rabbi-give-a-sermon type service.
It is led by Hava Nashirites. There are 5 or 6 guitars up front, and
some of them are very talented young people, with tremendous spirit
and beautiful voices. Several times, those wearing a tallit to the
service reach over and cover everyone else with it, as Debbie sings Mi
Sheberach for US, and there is not a dry eye or a cold heart in this
room. On Shabbat, we all chant Torah using the trope we have learned
all week. This week's parsha includes the priestly blessing, and we
all feel incredibly blessed.
There are songsharings by faculty, in which we learn old Israeli
songs, and we also get to hear Debbie's newest songs, which leave us
breathless. One song, with beautiful words of love, symbolic of the
morning modeh ani and tefillin.... And late at night there is an open
mic. We get to hear each other present original songs and even
poetry. It's fun to present and to listen. And EVERYONE SINGS ALONG.
What a treat to hear all these people singing my rainbow song! And
there are shakers, drums, an accordian. Some of us wish there was
more opportunity for us to present and share. Some of us are losing
our voices. Some of us have a few comments or criticisms about Hava
Nashira, and this is all part of the experience.
The grand finale night arrives. It's Saturday night and Hava Nashira
has almost come to a close. Looking around in the audience, waiting
for Donny Maseng to perform, I realize how many of these people have
become friends, or at least that we have a great spiritual and musical
connection. Donny gives a wonderful concert, with Shimon Cohen, our
fearless choir leader, playing piano. Then, perhaps the best moment
of the weekend, havdallah, singing Debbie's wonderful melody, standing
in a close circle of 90, and afterward, a great group hugging
experience. "Good week." Yes, it will be, for we are so energized,
so spiritually uplifted, that we will probably still feel these hugs,
still hear this music, for a week after we're home, if not longer.
------------------
Well, I left out a lot, I know, but I hope this gives those who did
not attend or have never attended, an idea of what it was like.
Thanks,
-Karen D.
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: FW: Who's on this list
Author: durleste (at) earthlink(dot)net (Adrian Adam Durlester) at +INET
Date: 6/17/98 8:47 AM
FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at)
shamash(dot)org] On
Behalf Of Adrian Adam Durlester
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 1998 7:17 AM
To: Hanashir (E-mail)
Subject: Who's on this list
This is a friendly reminder to all that the Hanashir list is for all
songleaders, teachers, lovers and aficionados of Jewish music and
songleading, and is not just a Hava Nashira alumni list.
With that in mind, I offer the following observation: although there has
been lots of talk about mini HNs, hoarseness, etc. there has been little if
no description of what actually took place at HN, who it made you feel, what
you learned etc. that might be of value to those who have not been or could
not come to Hava Nashira.
Adrian
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian A. Durlester - durleste (at) earthlink(dot)net
http://home.earthlink.net/~durleste/
Media Specialist, Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute Camp
Summer private phone line at OSRUI Camp: (414) 560-9809
Nextel cel-phone (615) 207-2661
You can page me from http://www.nextel.com
List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at)
shamash(dot)org
http://uahc.org/hanashir
Editor, Bim Bam (for Torah Aura Productions)
Evening Program Chair, CAJE 23 - San Antonio TX, Aug 9-13, 1998
http://www.caje.org
Alternate Email: aad (at) iname(dot)com adriand (at) aol(dot)com