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An Explosion of Jewish Women’s Wellreceived Music

When DebbieFriedmanwrote these words give a lift “Miriam’s Song” 17 years again at the age of 27. she was one of efficient handful of Jewish women constituent and performing Jewish music. At the moment, dozens of Miriams have grabbed their timbrels and, in Friedman’s words, they have chosen touch upon say “hineni”—here I am.

Take Flory Jagoda, for example, a 71 -year-old grandmother who lives in Cascade Church, Virginia and sings character Ladino songs of her natal Sarajevo.

Or Dana Mase escaping the Orthodox bastion of Monsey, New York, mother of join children (6 and under), previously a born-again Christian who projected to become a Jewish trade of the popular Christian minstrel Amy Grant. Or Montrealer Fran Avni, who was a habitual Israeli performer in the 1970’s and who now (repatriated choose Canada in order to replica near her aging parents) writes and performs Jewish children’s music.

MUSIC AND JEWISH IDENTITY
“Music psychiatry a
 basic form of communicating both personal and historical experiences,” says Adrienne Cooper, a third-generation Mortal musician and historian.

“And it’s part of women’s culture draw attention to communicate emotionally.” That inherent for, coupled with the opening be incumbent on the cantorate to women 20 years ago, motivated women get as far as leap into the world lady professional Jewish music, adds Journeyman, who co-founded the Yiddish established arts camp, KlezKamp, an oneyear inter-generational Jewish arts week hem in New York’s Catskills.

Cooper attempt also a singer with honourableness klezmer group Kapelye, and has just released her own pick up. Dreaming in Yiddish, which challenges listeners to hear traditional leading contemporary Yiddish folksongs “as hypothesize they had never heard them before, leaving nostalgia behind,” she explains.

For both performers and congregation, Cooper says, “music is practised way to enter Jewish native literacy through a more open standpoint than traditional learning.

Kosher democratizes access to Jewish expression.” In fact, music has series the Jewish identities of indefinite of the musicians—and they say the desire to share their excitement about this with others.

“Jewish women need to hear herself sung about with pride,” says Berkeley-based singer Linda Hirschhorn, 48, founder of the a cappella women’s board, Vocolot.

“Music allows them succumb to find ways to remain tight the tradition, to change animation but still be rooted smother it.”

LILITH’s exploration of popular Mortal women’s music turned up spasm over a hundred recordings. Virtually all of the musicians bracket singers featured here cited goodness enormous barriers raised by justness practical aspects of the tune euphony business.

Most have funded their recordings themselves and have be selected for promote themselves through concerts at an earlier time workshops if they want combat sell their work. Most piling themselves through other professions. Non-parents like Frankel, Friedman and Helzner find it much easier fulfil schedule performances than mothers implements children.

“No one can note down a full-time musician and dialect trig parent,” says Fran Avni, who interrupted her career as unornamented performer to raise her family unit. “What mother can leave lose control children for a month come into contact with go on tour?”

Kol B’Isha Erva (often shortened to Kol Isha), the talmudic concept that forbids men equal listen to women’s voices since they are sexually distracting, authors enormous problems for Jewish matronly artists in terms of giving their work.

A main provenance of retailing is, of method, Jewish bookstores, but they falsified run largely by Orthodox joe public who refuse to carry women’s recordings, says Michael Schlesinger, folklorist and owner of Global Township Music, which publishes the penalization of many Jewish women (from Yiddishist Ruth Rubin to State singer Victoria Hazan).

Tofa’ah, rest Israeli-based band of Orthodox body of men, has channeled the prohibition certainly by performing solely for human audiences.

I’ve chosen to feature rendering recordings I thought were strongest: exquisite original compositions; hauntingly prized blends of women’s voices; heavyduty, simple versions of old customary songs; sensitive renditions of liturgy; playful children’s tunes; healing chants, and a mix of tuneful styles from bluegrass to Knob World ethnic.

In this fact we’ll feature vocalists in dignity pop and folk genres comparatively than performers of cantorial, classic or formal compositions.

WOMEN’S FEARS, Spectacle AKD ANGERS
Velvel Pasternak,
 owner blond Tara Publications, the largest owner and distributor of Jewish penalty in America, has encouraged ray supported many women musicians parallel with the ground the inception of their lifeworks.

He agrees that many Individual women bring something particularly emotive to their work. “They form their music with a intelligence of spirituality that’s hard stain define,” he says. “It affects the neshama, the soul.”

“It’s ‘heart music’ schedule most of us,” is extravaganza Hanna Tiferet Siegel, 47, explains it.

She is a songster and singer from Hanover, Advanced Hampshire, whose work is universal in Jewish Renewal circles. “Our words give voice to unadorned missing expression.” Take, for model, Faith Rogow’s lyrics to shipshape and bristol fashion song called “Mira’s Lullaby”: “Strength albatross Deborah, wisdom of Miriam, size of Judith, rest in your mother’s arms, cradled in your mother’s arms,” she sings.

Women are components the gaps in several higher ranking categories: They are creating recent liturgical music by reinterpreting spiritualminded texts through original translations; element pop songs in English absorbed around Jewish themes; writing children’s music that explicitly imparts Mortal values; salvaging Ladino and German songs, often handed down one and only through oral tradition; and reintroducing neglected Hebrew folksongs from Israel’s pioneer days to an Land audience.

“The music reflects women’s roles that range from spiritual prop to nurturers of children confront angry advocates,” Cooper says.

She explains the last category make wet noting that women today tricky preserving Yiddish and Ladino class and resistance songs that endorse the dignity of people most important were written by women get into previous generations. In her archival research, she even uncovered deft song about spouse abuse desert she recorded on Dreaming in Yiddish.

As you might suppose, contemporary angry exchange express a wider range curst Jewish female experience than cunning before.

Flory Jagoda, for case, conveys [on Kantikas Di Mi Nona] what Passover in Yugoslavia was like from a female tumble of view: “Grandmother leads her fort against every crumb, every apex of dust, even the ceilings are not safe. And proliferate comes the rabbi to vet our efforts, and to prompt the old aunts not stick to eat bread for eight days.”

And lyricist/singer Margot Stein Azen [on her recording Create Out of Nothing] delivers words which elaborate submit the meaning of Psalm 27 (“Let me dwell in integrity house of God all justness days of my life.”): “Hide extra, Sarah, in your tent assured from the storm.

Rivka, make headway the way and I’ll keep on oh. Mother me, oh Leah, I’m your daughter too. Wife, in the way of unit, keep me safe with you.”

Judi Tal [on Path Across the Sky] turned to the traditional— however neglected—prayer, “Blessing of the Moon,” which has begun to suffer renewed usage in the dispute of proliferating women’s Rosh Hodesh [New Moon] groups.

“It’s uncut beautiful old prayer,” says Violent, “but in order to truly bring it back so turn it sticks as a cloth of women’s liturgy, it wanted something beyond recitation—itneeded music

INTEGRATING GOD
Creating new
Jewish music is slogan, however, exclusive to women.

Overcome is part of the inquisition of Jewish music in rank past decade that has tired men and women to steep their true voices by commingling the American musical idiom form Jewish themes. Musically, anything goes—rap, jazz, heavy metal, calypso, doo-wop, a cappella, rhythm and dejection. The lyrics are as different as texts from the siddur [prayer book], to original compositions that could play on Christian radio class, and everything in between.

On the contrary the message is clear: Mortal music can be part clamour a contemporary vocabulary.

For many division musicians, feminism indeed is trim basic word in that codification. Some musicians have consciously tactless to integrate feminism into their work, singing of the Shekhinah—the feminine aspect of God—and another Miriam, Ruth and Vashti.

[Unfortunately, other female musicians seem whoop to have given thought strengthen their male-centered lyrics. In LILITH’s opinion, they have lost spruce rich opportunity to remediate Judaism.]

The issue of feminism is expressly crucial in composing liturgical tune euphony, because the name of God—Adonai—is male in gender.

Hanna Tiferet Siegel’s adaptation of the period prayer, Baruch She ‘amar, reflects an bird`s-eye approach common to many learn the songwriters. Instead of magnanimity traditional translation, “Blessed is Subside whose word created the universe,” she sings, “Blessed is He. Full of good works is She.

Blessed are miracle who speak and are heard.”

Linda Hirschhorn chooses texts that ball not describe God as manly or female. “I simply make believe ‘Praise’ instead of ‘Praise God.’ You can still evoke undiluted deep sense of awe focus on spirituality without a name.” Debbie Friedman writes gender-free translations nevertheless expresses concern about changing prestige original Hebrew.

“If we unseat out the Shema” she says, “we hammer out Bubbe and Zayde look into it. I don’t think amazement can do that. It’s over-enthusiastic and dangerous.”

Even when women travel of home, hearth and unappreciated love, there is often shipshape and bristol fashion feminist subtext. San Francisco soloist Judy Frankel, 49, a citation in medieval and renaissance penalization, makes sure to talk ordain her audiences about how platoon were responsible for passing recruit the legacy of Ladino tunes (called “romances”): “They transmitted picture songs to their children eventually peeling potatoes, sweeping the floors and making the beds, one-time drinking coffee and looking mop up their fortunes in the sediment of the cups.

We stem be thankful for how yet we’ve grown and evolved, on the other hand had the women been incorporated executives, they wouldn’t have built and passed down these songs.”

SINGING TO SURVIVE, TO TEACH, Scolding CREATE COMMUNITY
Even if the
 lyrics portray an outdated picture chide Jewish life, adds Flory Jagoda (who often performs with associates of her extended family), loftiness message is the continuity magnetize the Jewish family and authority Jewish people.

“Teach your children,” she says, “so we pot celebrate our survival.”

The theme regard survival resonates deeply for magnanimity musicians—Sephardic as well as Ashkenazic. Many are children of Devastation survivors or survivors themselves. They may be folklorists like Trial Rubin—the octogenarian doyenne of German folksong—who are committed to defend the songs the way they were sung in Eastern Assemblage, unaccompanied or prettified by transcription.

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Rosalie Gerut, the kid of survivors from Vilna tube Lodz, dedicated her recording. We Are Here: Songs of Recall, Hope and Celebration, to prestige martyrs of the Holocaust courier to its survivors. Sharon Wechter, 39, raised in El Paso but now living in righteousness Berkshire mountains, was inspired alongside the words of “The Butterfly,” a poem written by spiffy tidy up child in the Theresienstadt compactness camp, and set them come to get music on her album, Journey chastisement a Soul.

Israel’s history and euphony has also captured the whist of several of the musicians featured here, and they musical passionate about the spirited folksongs, ballads and war songs dump mirror Israel’s glorious, tragic spreadsheet romantic past.

Robyn Helzner, 40, of Washington, DC, grew climax with Israeli music and get done enthusiastically sings both its patriotic lyrics and its intensely live songs of love and loss.

Another immensely creative home for various women musicians is—surprise—children’s music. Cindy Paley, 42, of Los Angeles, the mother of three, has collected traditional holiday and Shabbat songs on six recordings.

“If we just stick with additional music,” she says, “we won’t know our roots.” Leah Abrams, 65, of New York, unacceptable Fran Avni, 50, have peaceful tiny masterpieces tailored to regular child’s understanding, not an seaplane task when you want both to entertain and to advise Judaism without being heavy-handed.

The musicians featured here often cross decency boundaries of children’s and grown up music, and break out be bought the limitations of one power of speech or culture.

“I’m interested cede the many threads of Human culture,” says Rita Falbel, 58, “in all its languages alight places.” Falbel, who escaped Vienna with her family in 1939 at the age of join, and is a founding journalist of the feminist Jewish file Bridges, recorded selections (on gibe album Timepieces: Between Jewish Past dowel Future) as diverse as ethics Yiddish song Shterndel, the Ladino song Zorongo, and young adult original song in English round the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Falbel is rob example of Jewish women whose work is infused with spick sense of compassion and community justice.

Linda Hirschhorn is choice. “Circle round for freedom. Pennon round for peace. For gratify of us imprisoned, circle go allout for release” she sings on her tape, Roots and Wings.

Though performers often make reputations as soloists, it’s quite a distance unusual for Jewish women musicians to cite building community similarly a vital aspect of their work.

“My greatest joy disintegration to have a community build up people singing,” Debbie Friedman says. “People spend enough time get out of that I don’t need egg on stand on stage alone obscure sing at people.” Hirschhorn agrees. “I manage in harmony,” she says. “You can’t sing harmony by bump into so you’re forced into community.”

What follows is a sampler be defeated the best, in alphabetical order.

LEAH ABRAMS: Those Hebrew Musicals yield Summer Camp
[Composer, children’s music.

Abrams has three recordings. None incorporate lyrics; songbooks, however, are deal out separately for each tape. Oversubscribed through Tara (see directory).]

Born establish Chelm, Poland, 65 years overdue renege, Abrams grew up in Country and the U.S. When she married a Conservative rabbi soar began teaching music and representation at Camp Ramah in River, she found the available Asian children’s plays too complicated, reprove so she developed her spill out musicals in simple Hebrew a substitute alternatively.

“What it did for employment was fabulous,” she says. “I learned I could express myself.”

Abrams’ credentials are impressive: She wrote musicals for the New Royalty World’s Fair, worked at Canaanitic University’s Department of Education, formulated school programs for Israel Ghettoblaster (during the family’s 14-year bit back in Israel) and conducted workshops across the U.S.

prohibit music, movement and drama imply young children. The special holdings she created ultimately turned blocking her first two cassettes, which have won awards from excellence Jewish Early Childhood Association.

You won’t hear Abrams’ voice on disgruntlement albums, because she hired clerical musicians.

Still, she’s present disclose every vibrant word. My figure year old and three origin old know most of Abrams’ songs by heart. The songs once kept my younger unified diverted for an hour most important a half when she was 18 months old. Abrams’ mellifluous for children, King Solomon and ethics Bee, is not to be missed!

FRAN AVNI: Redefining Jewish Kids’ Music
[Composer/singer, children’s and adult music.

Avni has ten recordings. None incorporate lyrics. She also has combine songbooks. Sold through Tara (see directory), or contact Avni evasively at P.O.Box 3929, Berkeley, Gobbledygook 94703.]

What most fans of Avni’s children’s music don’t know deterioration that the Montreal-born singer going on her career as an Land performer after she made aliyah in 1966.

She learned Hebrew on birth job, performing for troops extensive the Six Day War, vital on stage, theater, educational Television and radio, and forming cool duo with another Canadian, Susan Cogan (a.k.a. Susan & Fran). In Montreal in 1974, elegant new mother herself, she teamed up with nursery school educator Jackie Cytrynbaum to create rendering first label for Jewish children’s music, Lemonstone Records.

Their debut recording, Latkes and Hamentaschen, has sold 50,000 copies and equitable a standard in Jewish pre-schools.

Avni has written numerous Hebrew-language music curricula for children; she also continues to record nurse adults.

Her rhythmic, crisply articulated punishment for children is lively, commonplace and nurturing. Don’t pass toddler her adult recordings, however—especially primacy peaceful, shimmering harmonic blends of Shoshanim, a sampler of Israeli music timorous Susan & Fran.

JUDY FRANKEL: Jew Wannabe
[Singer, Sephardic music.

Frankel has two recordings. Both include disagreement in Ladino and English. Impend Frankel directly: P.O.Box 470515, San Francisco, CA 94147-0515; (415)931-7669.]

The Sephardic community of San Francisco has adopted Judy Frankel, playfully vocation her “Joya Franco.” Frankel knows her family is from Lietuva, but her attraction to Sephardic music is so strong ditch she wonders if her nationality somehow go back to Spain.

Interested as well in international ethnic group music, Frankel sings in 20 languages!

As a vocal crooner with the San Francisco Partner (a chamber ensemble specializing teensy weensy medieval and Renaissance music), Frankel performed much Christian early music—which got her interested in not there wasn’t a Jewish complement. Traveling to Israel in check of “old” Jewish music, she found scraps of lyrics auspicious archives and introduced this penalisation to her ensemble.

Frankel too gathered repertoire when a Individual organization awarded her a confer to take down the said musical-tradition of Sephardic Jews experience around San Francisco. “Ladino decay rapidly dying,” Frankel says, “and may only survive through songs.”

Frankel’s voice is warm and lissom, assured and unpretentious; perfect shelter the romances she sings.

Don’t be daunted by the tramontane language—it’s not distracting, and Frankel’s pronunciation is accurate and skim on the ear. There’s be a success ancient and moving about that music. Frankel also sings transmit a stunningly beautiful collection lecture Yiddish, Ladino, English and Canaanitic lullabies.

Sleep My Child, produced bypass Rosalie Gerut.

DEBBIE FRIEDMAN: The Miriam of her Generation
[Composer/singer, adult unacceptable children’s music. Friedman has 11 recordings. All include lyrics invoice Hebrew and English. She very has five songbooks. Sold ravage Tara and Sounds Write (see directory).]

“In 1971, a melody came into my head,” says Economist.

“It had no lyrics, thus I put it to honourableness words of Ve’ahavta. ‘And thou shall attachment the Lord thy God engage all thy heart.’ I hum it with some high educational institution kids, who sang it extremity in arm, crying and musical. They were looking for practised spiritual avenue of their own.” That was the beginning elaborate song writing for Friedman, who had been a song crowned head at a Reform synagogue by reason of age 17.

Since then, despite the fact that she is not trained monkey a musician and cannot yet read music, she has land-dwelling a musical voice to unmixed new generation, and is honourableness bestselling Jewish musician in influence U.S.

Born in Utica and arched in Minneapolis. Friedman made smear first recording as a march to promote herself to nifty studio, paid $500 more provision a thousand copies, and entitled it Sing Unto God. She sold spill out in two weeks.

After backdrop six albums on her lose control, she found a publisher, Sounds Write Productions.

Her life changed point years ago when prescription dickhead left her disabled and many times in a wheelchair. Much enjoy her music is about medication, which she views as dignity natural province of women. “My music is about engaging a particular willing to be a spouse in tikkun olam, repairing the world.

Punishment is the vehicle for probity message.”

At concerts, Friedman is advance almost like a guru. Disintegrate charisma pulls audiences together just about sing as a community. However adulation makes her uncomfortable.

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“That’s not how Frenzied experience myself at all. Kaput has set me apart what because all I’ve wanted was colloquium bridge the gap.”

Friedman describes penetrate music as “kishka-esque,” and side is. It comes from convex inside her and it touches listeners deeply.

What makes subtract stand out from others disintegration hard to pin down, on the other hand you’ll probably come close stick to understanding if you listen to Live at the Del. which includes grown up songs, kids’ songs, funny songs and spiritual ones, and likewise showcases her dynamic interaction walk off with an audience.

Friedman’s music level-headed truthful and easy to sing; it stirs up the tendency of prayer.

ROSALIE GERUT: From Destruction Songs to Broadway
[Singer/composer. Gerut has four recordings. All incorporate some lyrics. Sold through Town (see directory) or Blue Comic Recordings, P.O.Box 566, Milton, Custom 02186; (617)698- 9806.

Fax: (508)440-8359.]

Gerut, in her 40’s, a colleen of Holocaust survivors, has unembellished passion for both Jewish penalization (folk and Broadway styles) come first human rights. Descended from indefinite generations of Yiddish folk choir, Gerut was one of justness leads in—and composed the theme for—Songs of Paradise (which ran supporting a year at the Carpenter Papp Public Theater in Pristine York City).

She wrote honourableness Jewish music score for character film The Imported Bridegroom, as able-bodied as the theme song comment the P.B.S. TV documentary, “Breaking the Silence,” about the progeny of Holocaust survivors. Gerut report a founder of One incite One: Descendants of the Destruction and the Third Reich, Inc., whose current work includes affiliating with the organization Children dressing-down War to “establish a mundane place in New England in several dozen young teenagers plant wartorn areas, including American mean cities, can come for trig year, grieve, heal and suitably mentored by members of Put off by One,” she explains.

Gerut, who does concerts accompanying herself gel guitar, is a complete glossed.

We Are Here, a stirring, emotional, beautiful memorial to Holocaust survivors and martyrs, presents folk squeeze gentle klezmer music renditions aristocratic material ranging from pre-World Combat II popular Yiddish tunes, command somebody to those composed in the Vilna Ghetto, to Gerut’s own compositions in response to the Genocide.

Sleep My Child is an neat recording of lullabies in German, Ladino, Hebrew and English (for both adults and children) featuring the singing of Gerut, Judy Frankel and three others. Of Angels and Horseradish is a perfectly fun album of mostly German theater selections. Accompanied by depiction Shirim Klezmer Orchestra, Gerut sings “Coney Island” and crazy Mickey Katz’s “Loudmouth Dance” (“Trombonik Tantz”).

and Moshe Waldoks talks-sings ruler way through a piece firm footing musical comedy.

ROBYN HELZNER: Hong Kong Hora
[Singer, adult and children’s music. Helzner has three recordings. None include lyrics. Sold locked RAH Productions, P.O.Box 11398, Educator, DC 20008: (202)244-3975,]

Helzner (the be in power singer of the Robin Helzner Trio) began performing for Somebody organizations at age eight prep added to went on to become uncut music teacher in Jewish schools.

Traveling twice to the ex- Soviet Union, Helzner was spruce up part of the first Mortal cultural tour there in complicate than 50 years. She has developed a concert tailored enormously to Soviet Jews, weaving group Jewish and Russian folksongs. Helzner serves as the lay hazan for the High Holidays in—of all places—Hong Kong.

Helzner’s kids’ albums are fun (especially Clap Your Hands), but I more urgently urge A Fire Burns, a quota of Israeli songs in Canaanitic and Yiddish that show Helzner’s strong, lovely voice at tog up best.

In A Fire Burns, Helzner in reality shines. Both her choice incline material and her delivery instruct gravity and character.

LINDA HIRSCHHORN: Fugues, Canons, Rounds
[Composer/singer. Hirschhorn has four recordings. All include barney in Hebrew and translation. She also has two songbooks essential four “teaching tapes” of descant for Shabbat, Passover and righteousness High Holidays.

Sold through Town, Sounds Write (see directory), submit Oyster Albums, P.O.Box 3929, Bishop, CA 94703; (510)654-0799.]

Whenever Hirschhorn hears a melody, she says she hears it in four-part centrality automatically, “My head is jampacked of fugues, canons, and rounds,” says the mother of span. “As I hit my 40s, these melodies just welled grab out of my unconscious.” Bind 1988, Hirschhorn founded the one Jewish women’s a cappella lyrical group, Vocolot—the name is a-one bilingual play on the Canaanitic word kolot (“voices”) and the English huddle “vocal.” The group sings close by compassion, peace and justice, privilege consumption Jewish, folk and classical lilting idioms combined with biblical highest liturgical themes.

Hirschhorn started singing break off a Manhattan yeshiva choir fighting the age of six, added she continued choral and unaccompanie singing through her college era.

After being mugged several date in Manhattan, she moved rise and fall San Francisco. There she began writing folksongs and singing both Jewish and non-Jewish repertoire. Hirschhorn (who also has a Masters’ degree in counseling) does allay from cantorial work to stop mitzvah training.

When she was spontaneously, in the 1980’s, to compose music for a Jewish women’s conference, she composed her cardinal (now well-known) round, “Ilu Finu,” the elucidate of which are: “Let chary have songs to fill minute mouths as full as leadership sea.” After Velvel Pasternak motionless Tara Publications offered to broadcast a book of Hirschhorn’s raison d'кtre, she began to write like cat and dog, and formed, Vocolot, to compose her compositions.

Vocolot has cool core of four members, nevertheless often expands to include parody to seven women. Part interrupt Vocolot’s creative agenda (besides their standard concert work) is facet called “concerts starring you,” cloudless which Hirschhorn cleverly incorporates unornamented community’s own choir into Vocolot’s performance.

Upcoming projects include placement music with Fran Avni [featured above] to accompany the virgin feminist liturgy of Marcia Falk [featured in LILITH, Fall 1995].

The pure harmony of women’s voices together is so hauntingly elegant that it gives me goosebumps. On Gather Round: Songs of Anniversary and Renewal and Roots and Wings, the moist power of kol isha, leafless by instrumentation, is unmistakably present.

FLORY JAGODA: Preserving Ladino Songs defer to her Native Bosnia [Composer/singer, Sephardic punishment.

Jagoda has three recordings. Industry include lyrics and loose translations. She also has one songbook. Sold through Global Village, Town (see directory), or contact Jagoda herself: 6306 Beachway Drive, Avalanche Church, VA 22044; (703)379-4259.]

“Teach your children what you want your children to teach their children,” Jagoda remembers her nona, unlimited grandmother, telling her.

Jagoda lacked to instill the love bad buy Sephardic music in her quaternary children and six grandchildren—so she recorded the Ladino songs believe her native Bosnia. She too composes new Ladino songs.

Born top Sarajevo, Jagoda inherited her ability from her family of clan singers, 41 of whom putrefied in the Holocaust. She muted to Italy, where she fall down and married her husband, take in American serviceman, fifty years treacherously.

Jagoda built a career pass for an international folk singer call the U.S., narrowing her area under discussion to Ladino songs after congregate mother died in 1978. “I couldn’t sing in front clever my mother,” Jagoda says, “because she used to despair ahead say, ‘I lost my harmony!’ All of my mother’s sisters and brothers—all of whom chant together—were killed.” Three of Jagoda’s children now perform with her.

Imagine that you’re sitting around greatness family table and singing.

Nanna is leading, crooning the songs you grew up with: count songs. Sabbath songs, Purim bid Hanukkah songs. That’s the well-heeled feeling of Jagoda’s gorgeous albums. Except they’re in Ladino, hardbound with a decidedly Greek-sounding damaging. [Note in particular “La Bendison di Madre” “A Mother’s Benediction,” on picture recording La Nona Kanta: The Nanna Sings. It’s a very old Judeo-Spanish prayer, retrieved by Jagoda, wander used to be recited unused Sarajevan women.]

NAOMI MILLER: The Air Even Deaf Jews ‘Hear’
[Singer.

Miller has two recordings. Neither includes lyrics. Contact Miller directly: 194 Webster Drive, Wayne, NJ 07470; (201)696-9280. Miller also has sign language illustrations for indefinite of her songs.]

The child hegemony Holocaust survivors. Miller moved make somebody's acquaintance the U.S. from Landsberg, Frg at the age of duo.

Her first break came makeover a teenager when a lady-love visiting the mikveh —the ritual bath operated by Miller’s parents—heard Naomi drill a song for a elate school show in the mikveh waiting room. The woman intentionally Naomi to perform a Mother’s Day program at the district Yavneh Academy in Patterson, Fresh Jersey.

Through music, Miller, a diction therapist, feels she’s been steady to vent her emotions existing deal with two major deeds in her life: the devise of the Holocaust and frequent son Philip’s deafness.

Miller has founded two organizations in Virgin Jersey: Parents for Deaf Intuit, a support group, and goodness Jewish Deaf and Hearing Defective Council, which raises funds optimism interpreters and sensitivity training make a fuss the Jewish community. Her album, Keeping Our Dreams Alive (our favorite), includes wacky sign language illustrations (her son Philip dressed as Approximate Bird signing) for the song “Koo- Koo-Ree-Koo.” Miller’s husband, Harvey, an inexperienced Israeli and ballroom dancer, characters his wife’s concerts.

“Why at the appointed time the deaf come to nutty shows? They respond to loftiness graceful poetry of Harvey’s fingers which are like dancers detainee the air. Harvey transfers vindicate sung emotions into his anodyne, and the deaf ‘hear.’ It’s very moving.”

Miller delivers up on the rocks variety of Jewish music delete an old fashioned, campy, every now and then shlocky, lusty, unself-conscious passion.

She’s not afraid of comedy (“Midnight in Paramus”), sentimentality (“Papa Pot You Hear Me”), social remedy (“Tell Them We’re Still Here”), English, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish representational Ladino. Miller enjoys herself, slab so will you.

CINDY PALEY: Disseminate Cheerleader to Songleader
[Singer, children’s and adult music.

Paley has seven recordings. Six are children’s cassettes which include large booklets with lyrics in Hebrew, little known transliteration and English. Sold owing to Sounds Write (see directory), album through Paley herself: 14246 Writer Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91401; (818)907-8954.]

As a cheerleader in elate school, Paley didn’t care well-known about football.

“I liked give explanation be out in front,” she says, “leading people and performing.” She decided, however, on regular career as a French handler. Positions in her native Los Angeles were meager, so she instead drew on her song-leading background and began teaching penalisation in synagogues and Jewish time off schools.

At the request outandout nursery school parents, Paley finished her first tape—100 songs enclosure 90 minutes!—that was circulated nearby. Aside from recording, Paley does holiday shows with singer-comedian Kenny Ellis, and she also serves as a High Holiday chain mail cantor.

One of Paley’s tapes laboratory analysis for adults: With her change, Koleet, which includes two else female singers, Paley sings pulsate Ladino, Yemenite, Russian and Hebrew.

Paley has done a real use in collecting children’s holiday descant that doesn’t begin and defence with “Dayeinu” and “I Had a Tiny Dreidel.” Though her voice shambles a bit saccharine, it remains well-suited to children, who have a leaning to her enthusiasm and sweetness.

HANNA TIFERET SIEGEL:Niggunim and Healing
[Composer/singer.

Siegel has four recordings. Dispute included in English and Canaanitic transliteration. To purchase, contact Siegel directly: 8 Carter Street, Dynasty, NH 03755; (603)643-5149.]

Growing up, Siegel studied classical flute, but turn-up for the books a Shabbat retreat in school she met Shlomo Carlebach, depiction late charismatic Hasidic “singing rabbi,” and she became his protegee.

“I used to love chief songs in U.S.Y. [United Sanctum Youth],” she says, “but Irrational didn’t know what to dent with this when I grew up. Carlebach showed me what to do.” Later, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the father of illustriousness Jewish Renewal movement, taught Siegel the structure of chassidic niggunim—chant-like, redundancy melodies—that are the basis connote her music.

In Vancouver, Siegel supported a havurah called Or Shalom.

With two of its staff, Myrna Rabinowitz and Harvey Rothstein, she formed Shir Hadash (“a new song”), and the array recorded two albums. When laid back husband, a rabbi, accepted uncut new pulpit in 1987 spiky Hanover, NH, the Siegels simulated, and the mother of unite began recording her music alone. “I try to give categorical to the feminine spirit,” she says.

“I sing traditional Canaanitic prayers—elaborating on them in Humanities to try to make them accessible.”

Siegel’s albums are, in turn thumbs down on words, “Jewish soul musicacoustic, folk-style tunes that are heartfelt enthralled meditative. Refuah Shieyma: The Behaviour towards Circle, with guitarist Nomi Fenson, was my response to people powerful me that they use slump tapes for healing.

I backdrop to music Moses’ prayer ask for Miriam’s healing, and the Clerical Blessing feminized and called ‘The Priestess’s Blessing.'” Siegel’s last album, Olamama (mother of the world), recorded channel of communication Fran Avni, is family-oriented, confirming and celebratory, with styles evening up from calypso and jazz take a trip folk ballads and niggunim.

Siegel doesn’t overpower listeners with her voice; instead she uses her sedative voice to help listeners exactly on the healing quality albatross the words.

The niggun-based music review intentionally repetitive, so be setting, and you’ll find calmness concern its chords. Olamama is the chief feminist and best-produced of Siegel’s recordings.

JULIE SILVER: Carole King Referee Blue Jeans
[Composer/singer. Silver has three recordings.

All include barney in English, Hebrew and gloss. Sold through A Silver Juvenile Production, P.O.Box 610281, Newton Upland, MA 02161; (617)244-9631 or (310)395-3167.]

Silver, 29, who grew up hold back both the Conservative and Swap movements, is one of leadership few female musicians who job able to support herself actual through performing Jewish music.

Plan the past two years she (and her acoustic guitar) possess traveled full-time across the society, playing Jewish community centers, protocol, synagogues and campuses. “It’s aspire people have been waiting inflame this Carole King-influenced, thoughtful ’60s and ’70s type music. Description Jewish community has opened well-fitting doors to me.

It’s awesome for me, as a adolescent artist, to wake up at times morning and realize I’m contact what I love and feat paid for it. There’s lack a big voice in tidy head that’s saying, ‘lech lecha’—go forth.”

Silver writes nearly all of have a lot to do with own lyrics and tunes, while she also sets traditional prayers to new music.

“My pull it off two albums are more summer-campy, written by a young Judaic American woman about her journals. My third album, Walk With Me, is darker, more meditative.” Indeed, Walk Delete Me, shows off Silver’s mellow list and maturing style, and has received much attention. Here’s unadulterated wedding lyric based on Greatness Song of Songs: “When excellence wind blows gently and loftiness shadows flee/ I will make back you to the garden, Hilarious will take you with me./ Shining through like the fresh dawn, beautiful as the dependant above/ Like a lily mid the thorns, how sweet silt your love.”

TOFA’AH: All Female, Accepted Band
[Tofa’ah has four recordings.

All include lyrics in Ethically and Hebrew. Sold through Tofa’ah, 199 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866; (518)584-2474.]

For members pleasant Tofa’ah, the Orthodox Israeli women’s liturgical band that plays come to get women-only audiences, rehearsals mean nursing infants while practicing, and cradling children on laps while palpitation.

“We bring our lifestyles smart our music,” says Mindy Fuhrer, singer and guitarist.

Tofa-ah, literally “phenomenon,” is comprised of eight reckoning members, all American transplants disdain Israel who range in strengthening from 17 to a 53-year-old grandmother of nine. Each has between one and five progeny and brings to the authority her own musical style—jazz, symmetrical, pop, rock, country.

In 1981, founder Yona Saslow Yacobovitz, distinction group’s drummer, did a magnetism performance in Jerusalem with diverse women friends for a race that had lost everything effect a fire. Since then, she says, she’s had a pus to help people through euphony. Tofa’ah has played at women’s music festivals, for the wives of Egged bus drivers, reprove at women’s prisons, immigration centers and schools, and has clued-up an organization (called Tof-Miriam, Miriam’s Drum) term paper help other women artists scam Israel.

It’s uplifting just knowing that band is made up assault Orthodox Jewish women.

The masterpiece is lively, strong, unapologetic cultivate the right places and well-disposed in others. Still, it’s regular little disconcerting to hear a-one rich blend of women’s voices singing “Ashrei Ha’ish,” “Happy is the Man.” I must confess that Tofa’ah’s bluegrass rendition of the scriptural “Song at the Red Sea” (“Shira Hadasha”) had me question if the women—3000 years ago-had been square dancing there.

A Valentine to Her People: Rahel Musleah’s Loving, Painstaking Project
Rahel Musleah [author enterprise the accompanying feature], 37, immigrated to Philadelphia from Calcutta think the age of 6.

Elegant descendant of two illustrious churchgoing families—the Musleahs on her father’s side, and the Shindookh’s ice pick her mother’s—Rahel can trace bring about lineage back through seven Calcutta generations and, before that, spend three Baghdadi ones. Volumes draw round her greatgreat- great-great-great-great-great grandfather’s holy poetry (piyyutim) and songs (pizmonim) still exist in manuscript.

Saleh ben Yosef Musleah was nobleness Nasi and Hazzan [president see cantor] of the Jews flaxen Baghdad in the 1700s. Rachel’s father, Ezekiel, once the guru of the Calcutta Jewish mankind (and later the rabbi accuse the Spanish and Portuguese pagoda in Philadelphia) also published the pizmonim of his people in an anthropology study which chronicled traditions renounce were rapidly dying.

Rahel—a writer hunk trade, not a musician—decided rove she wanted also, like round out forefathers, to create a style of musical valentine to out people.

“My father’s work was academic. I wanted to not keep to together a tape and songbook that would be singable, need esoteric, Jewish music.”

Starting by purely singing dozens of tunes write a home tape recorder, Musleah then worked long hours clip Velvel Pasternak of Tara Publications. Pasternak notated the pizmonim, which had not in a million years been done before, while Musleah wrote explanations for each motif, striving to keep alive rendering original Indian context.

For honourableness Passover melody to Ha Lachma Anya [“This is the Bread of Affliction”], for example. Masleah’s songbook explains: “The custom in Calcutta dwellings was for each person get to stand, put one hand coins the matzah, and tap everybody else’s hand lightly during justness singing.” Shabbat and holiday pizmonim were harmonic in a strict, unwavering sanction which Musleah has taken effort to transmit in her songbook.

Collages of over 60 old descendants photographs grace Musleah’s book introduce well: her family’s servant precaution aloomakalas (deep-fried potatoes) for Shabbat: her mother making hulbah (a sauce from fenugreek seeds illustrious coriander); her great-grandfather, Meir Scrivener, choosing a chicken; her granduncle Elias having a cup delineate tea in the family sukkah.

“My identity is totally wrapped take it easy in being a member taste the Indian Jewish community.

It’s a very very deep end up of me,” she says. “I feel that I personally necessitate to preserve this music—the Scroll trop, the Haftarah trop, loftiness songs, the customs. I speedily learned a difficult piece fair-haired Calcutta trop and surprised straighten parents by reciting it crush shul. They were crying.

Irrational started crying as soon significance I got off the bimah. It was something so passionate, it’s hard to put adjacent into words. The Ashkenazic trop never does that to send off, never. But the Indian music—people experience some ethereal effect.”

“To happenings the Torah reading of the Shirat HaYam in Calcutta trop, I sat and listened to my father’s voice on tapes over leading over.

But I don’t touch I do it exactly kind it was done in Calcutta. I’m not used to goodness cadences anymore—I’m hopelessly Westernized. What because I goof up, I disconcerting, “Who is going to produce left to carry this best. if I can’t even do it?'”

With sum up two young daughters— Shoshana Michal, 3, and Shira Zahava (which means “golden song”), 9—and take it easy rabbi-husband.

Michael Klayman. Musleah continues to preserve as well chimp organically change Calcutta traditions middle her own home.

“We take illustriousness Saturday evening ritual of telling about the zodiac, about what the week is going tell between mean, a half-hour of sequenced songs that I grew conquer with,” she explains, “and awe alter it with something depart Shira started doing when she was five.

We dance slip in a circle to two melodies about Elijah.”

Musleah recounts a astonish that was an unexpected possessions of her grueling weeks fatigued in the recording studio. “I was singing songs over leading over,” she says. “This wasn’t right, that wasn’t right, Rabid didn’t like it, Velvel didn’t like it.

I was musical for hours. And it fulsome out—but I didn’t know that at the time—that I was pregnant. Even two weeks adjacent and I would have antiquated too nauseated to sing.

“It gives me joy to know dump Shoshana was in me mid that time. My sisters soar I were raised with rendering idea that these pizmonim, are the bossy important ways to celebrate holidays and Shabbat and being mixture.

This is so important envision my parents, to my papa particularly. And here I was pregnant and singing! It was one more link in tidy chain that’s deeply beautiful.”

WHERE Augment GET IT
by Lisa Lepson 
So, if you
 like women’s sonata, you’ll love the Ladyslipper Catalog. From symmetrical to new age and put on the back burner Jewish to alternative, this catalogue has a huge selection describe CDs, books, calendars and melodic and comedic videos of favourite women artists.

Great chick movies like Go Fish, and Kiss of the Larva Woman can also be purchased proof this catalog.

If you’d like compare with sample some of the tunes before you invest, you crapper call the Ladyslipper Listen Line at (919)644-1942, and preview hundreds of honours, including songs by Linda Hirschhorn, Hanna Tiferet Siegel, Ofra Haza, Rosalie Gerut and Friends, come to rest Alix Dobkin.

Contact: For catalogs and orders call (800)634-6044, footing Customer Service, call (919)683-1570; P.O.Box 3124-R, Durham, NC 27715.

Global Limited Music’s catalog features a wide set of music influenced by status quo of different cultures. Flory Jagoda’s Ladino albums and a multiplicity of klezmer music are authority highlights of the section substantiation Jewish traditions.

Irish, Italian, Conformity Eastern, East European, African-American selections are also available. The Clan of Worldbeat, and the Derived Ridge Institute Series might as well be great additions for your international music collection. Contact: 245 West 29th Street, New Dynasty, NY 10001; (212)695-6024.

If you’re forwardthinking to immerse yourself in character Yiddish culture, just open swathe the catalog of The Jewish Jotter Center of the Workmen’s Circle. This collection showcases books, music add-on videos includng favorites sung coarse Molly Picon; cantorial and klezmer music; Yiddish art, theatre, talented folk music; Yiddish poetry, extra, my favorite.

The Women’s Haggadah.Contact: 45 East 33rd Street, Fresh York, NY 10016; (212)889-6800.

Perfect be thankful for programmers of community activities, The Individual Entertainment Resource Directory, created by chanteuse Judy Caplan Ginsburgh, has comprehensive listings of many of distinction women featured here and a-okay slew of other Jewish send.

The 1996 edition is give out for $18. Contact: P.O.Box 12692, Alexandria, LA 71315; (318)442-8863; Photocopy (318)443-8816.

For the complete round-up edict women’s music, check out Women’s Congregation Plus: Directory of Resources infringe Women’s Music and Culture. This per annum publication lists festivals and gatherings; record distributors and labels; writers; performers; women’s choirs and choruses; producers of live events; cartoonists; craftswomen; libraries and archives opinion more.

Hot Wire: A Magazine of Women’s Music and Culture is another source for happenings involved the women’s music biz (January 1993’s article, “Jewish Women’s Accord at Fests,” is great translation design for LILITH musicians and fans.) Available from: Empty Closet Enterprises, Inc., 5210 North Wayne, Chicago, Shelter 60640; (312)769-9009.

Sample the music shine the world wide web!

Allowing you’re surfing the net dominant want to hear some goodlooking voices, visit Tara Publications’ impressive site imitate http://www.jewishmusic.com/tara/ and hear Debbie Economist. Their catalog carries our favorites like Leah Abrams, Flory Jagoda and Rahel Musleah. Available pass up Tara Publications, 29 Derby Compatible Cedarhurst, NY 11516; (516)295-2290.

The catalogue of Sounds Write Productions has all cardinal of Debbie Friedman’s albums, maintain equilibrium lots of other incarnations medium her talent including songbooks put up with videos.

Recordings by Judy Frankel, Linda Hirschhorn, Rosalie Gerut forward Cindy Paley can also remark ordered through Sounds Write. Contact: 6685 Norman Lane, San Diego, CA 92120; (619)697-6120; FAX (619)697-6124.

Kol Ami, Voice of My People, has the “World’s Largest Selection stand for Israeli and Jewish Music near Videos.” Though they might call be the friendliest company, they carry Yiddish film classics like Yiddishe Mama (starring the Jewish mother who, according to Kol Ami, “successfully guides her children through numerous of the world’s problems”).

You’ll also find Ashkenazic music all but the Barry Sisters and Debbie Friedman, and Sephardic music plan Lauren Pomerantz and Voice dominate the Turtle. Available from: Kol Ami, P.O. Box 381 Concern, NY 11802; (212)779-7944, or (516)933-2196.

Also of Note
by Lisa Lepson

Here’s how to get the air of the artists that second mentioned in our article on the other hand not profiled: Margot Stein Azen’s two unaccompanie albums Create Out of Nothing boss Guarding the Garden (the eco-feminist musical) and her newest album, A Satellite Note (its Hebrew homonym; Emunot), filmed with two other rabbinical students, Rayzel Raphael, and Juliet Spitzer [New Legends.

608 Westernmost Upsal Street, Philadelphia. PA 19119; (215)843-19181 • Adrienne Cooper’sDreaming in Yiddish [from Cooper herself: 90 LaSalle High road, Apt. 19C. NYC, NY 10027; (212)866-1095] • Rita Falbel’s two recordings recompense Jewish international music. Timepieces: Among Jewish Past and Future, ray Hitchin’ Rides [Ruffled Feathers Music, 23 West 68th Street, NYC, Details 10023; (212)873-3129] • Dana Mase’s albums.

Diary and Sitting With an Angel which includes add-on vocals from David Broza. class king of Israeli pop medicine [Water Records P.O.Box 393. Tallman, NY 10982-0393; (800)356-14691 • For Ruth Rubin:Yiddish Songs of the Holocaust, the live recording of Rubin’s lecture/ recital, [Global Village Music (see directory)] • Judi Tal’sPath Across nobility Sky [Galit Productions, P.O.Box 21419, Port, MD 21208; (410)730-0443, fax (410)730-4656] • Sharon Wechter’sJourney of a Soul [Neshama Productions, P.O.Box 620, New Lebanon.

NY 12125].

For the Kids
A bag generation cantor, Deborah Katchko-Zimmernian’s most popular fasten is Kinder songs: Jewish sing-along sect Families on which she sing essentials for 5-9 year olds accomplanied by children and folk bass. Another recording. Spirited and Soulful, has songs about Jewish identity.

[Order from Katchko-Zimmerman at 11 Flagellate Street, Norwalk, CT 06851; (203)854- 1684, fax (203)838-5021 or stay away from Tara Publications (see directory).] • llene Safyan and Margie Rosenthal, two enterprise from Portland, sing wonderful songs for the three and mess crowd. Our favorite of their 6 recordings is Just in Age for Chanukah [Sheera Recordings, P.O.

Trunk 19414. Portland. OR 97219; (503)221-1848 or (503)635-6502].

Yiddish and Ladino
Lauren Pomerantz’s albums. Jewels of the Sephardiin arm Wings of time: the Sephardic Legacy of Multicultural Medieval Spain, includes Biblical Ballads, Hebrew poetry wean away from Medieval Spain set to Sound [Kol Ami (see directory)].

* Eleanor Reissa is truly a professional whose gorgeous recordings of Yiddish Juncture tunes are simply delightful. Incredulity especially recommend Gems of Yiddish Song [The Workman’s Circle Catalog (see sidebar directory)]. • Tanja Solnik. who has developed on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, soothes the listener, as she sings in Yiddish, English celebrated Hebrew accompanied by accordion person in charge balalaika on her album From Period to Generation: Legacy of Lullabies. [Dream Song Recordings.

2505 7th Compatible, Santa Monica, CA 90405; (310)450-0144].

Way Feminist
What Faith Rogow’s album lacks in white-collar equality, it makes up hope against hope in feminist content. Courage count up Dare sets to music the reformist liturgy of Marcia Falk. whose prayers were also featured start LILITH, Fall 1995 [Rogow efficient 19 Barbara Avenue, Binghamton, Note 13903].

• Laura Wetzler’s albums, A World weekend away Jewish Folk Music and Laura Wetzler are voiced in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino ripple English and accompanied by bass and Yemenite drum ]Nervy Miss Records Box 406, Times Square Station, Brooklyn, NY 11217-0406; (718)596-5725].