Music to daven by

[Wolfsohn, Warren <Wolfsohn...>]

Different music inspires different people, generations, ages.  To the best of
my knowledge all Jewish music was composed.  Many tunes i.e." Shama"(which
many think of as traditional) was composed by Sultzer.  A popular "Oseh
Shalom" was a marching tune in the '67 war in Israel.  The classic Reform
Jewish music, i.e. Lewendowski, related to a class conscience German Jewery.

I grew up to the sounds of Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Tom Paxton.  This is
the music I relate to.  In worship I look to relate to the Eternal in a way
that is relavent to me.  The tunes of Debbie Freedman (who I have had the
pleasure of studing and davening with at kallah) I find allows me to reach
out to G-d.

With so many people staying away from worship in our shuls... we need to
discover how to make worship meaningful.  We need to not hold so tightly to
music that has lost meaning to a spiritually starved Jewish populis.  On the
the other hand we must preserve our Jewish music heritage.  I am just not
sure the worship service is the place to do such restoration.

That's my 2 cents.

Warren Wolfsohn
wolfsohn (at) oandtsvt(dot)nbc(dot)com