Preserving Nusah in the 21st Century Conservative Synagogue

9/16/2015

Journal of Synagogue Music (Fall 2015 issue)
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In an age when more and more synagogues are abandoning traditional prayer music, opting for sing-a-long melodies, we struggle to find the appropriate balance for maintaining a sense of tradition in congregational repertoire. However, we know that Jewish music has developed over centuries in anything but a vacuum, and therefor it must continue to adapt to modern ears and sensibilities.

This article was written for publication in 2015 in the Journal of Synagogue Music and was edited by Joe Levine. It is based on my master's thesis.

E. Lerner

8/25/2015 04:54:57 pm

Interesting article especially outlining historical and progressive synagogue music. Of what the author writes, I see the changes in my lifetime. I see today a much smaller interest amongst the younger generations to be involved in "organized" religion including my own children. I think they would rather spend their income on other things than a synagogue membership. Maybe if they have children someday they will see it differently, but I'm not sure about either scenario at this point.
I was brought up reform and in elementary school as part of the religious school (then called Sunday School) I was part of a choir and that was my impetus for being involved in Judaism. I was "allowed" to volunteer after audition in the professional Fri. night choir in 7th grade and remained faithful to it until I graduated HS and continued in college depending on where I was. I did not go to cantorial school as that was not even a thought in my mind at that time in the mid 60's. By the time I even thought about it I was quite involved in family life.I was in the volunteer choir in a large reform synagoge for many years while my children were growing up, and I subbed when needed for bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies. Years later I was asked to fill in one HH for a smaller synagogue and I have been a cantorial soloist there for the past 15 years. The article referred to larger synagogues in bigger cities, but I experience some similar issues brought up in the article.
I have 5 adult children in their 30s. I think Judaism is part of who they are, but except for my youngest, their priorities are not synagogue oriented. None of them are married and 4 of them do not date Jews. My scientist elder child feels it is better for the gene pool not to marry a Jewish girl! Our children grew up in a jewish environment but not strict. Some of them tell me we were too religious!! I don't understand that at all!! I sang everyweek Saturday morning so the kids when younger were often going with us to synagogue. We had Friday night shabbat dinner every Friday but I never restricted them from going out with friends afterwards or instead of. They all had bar/bat mitavah services and the all went to Israel. In general including my own children, there seem to be less younger people at services. Sports still takes a priority. There are more older folks attending than younger ones. Although my synagogue is small and interfaith, all the offspring there choose Judaism and have a bar/bat mitzvah education, after which I don't see them often or al all.The choir I used to sing in no longer has a Friday night choir or a Saturday morning choir except for occastional special shabbats and like that Reform Temple, the largest local conservative temple has only the Hazzen and occasional choir for special occasions.
I read Michael Isaacson's book, and he talked about how the prayer, "venemar" at the end of the aleinu is sung like a bar song from where it probably originated, and he suggested a way to sing it with different accents on certain notes and a little difference in timing and his would make it sound with more Jewish flavor. I liked what he said. I wrote a little blurb about this in our bulletin and tried to sing it that way. It isn't much of a change and the tune is the same. BUT the congregation did not like it; changes are difficult and I was asked by the board to not sing it that way anymore! I am a classical singer and I do like the more "traditional pieces" and so does the congregation. I'll bring in a new more contemporary tune now and then and will teach it to the congregation and sometime arrange it in an echo fashioh which makes it ieasier for the congregation to learn by repeating what I sing first. We do Deb Friedman's "mishebeirach" every service. I understand it took a long time for the congregation to learn it so I don't dare try something different. We don't meet every week so that makes it more dificult to try different or new melodies. Most of the time we do the stand by's that most everyone grew up with. I can't even think of bringing in a new shehechiyanu unless I do it in an anthem situation which I do now and then. It is comforting for the congregation to sing what they have known forever, and usually (or at least it used to be) that most congregations everywhere would sing the same tunes.
Again, it was a good article and the suggestions at the end are worth noting.

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