Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Malawi Men's Choir Pays Tribute to Gaza Hostages Singing Israeli Song

In a video published to the X account of the Israel Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, a Christian men's choir, named ACA for Him, from Malawi in East Africa, sings the song "Home" in Hebrew, while calling for the release of the hostages in Gaza.

As the Jerusalem Post reported this week,

The video of the men's choir was filmed by Solomon Chilemba, edited by Ehud Manor, composed by Yair Klinger, and the audio was by Kingsley Tembenu. The video opens up with text reading, “On October 7 2023, Hamas conducted a terror attack on Israel and killed innocent people. They abducted over 200 people including women, children, and elderly. ACA - 4 - HIM is calling the world to bring hostages back home. Israel and Jews have the right to exist and defend themselves like any other country.”

In its X post, the Foreign Ministry wrote, “Many and diverse parties from around the world are joining the fight to return the abductees from Gaza in different and diverse ways.” The Foreign Ministry said this video, in particular, moved them. 

Malawi was the first country in Africa to open an embassy in Jerusalem.  

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Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by the Temple Beth David Choir of Westminster, California

Temple Beth David is a Reform congregation of over three hundred families in California's West Orange County.

Serving the greater Long Beach community for over fifty years, Beth David is led by Rabbi Nancy Myers. Known as the Singing Synagogue, Beth David has Adult and Junior Choirs.

In today's video, Cantorial Soloist Nancy Linder leads the Temple Beth David Adult Choir in Craig Taubman's version of Lecha Dodi.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Yigdal by Cantor Avi Davis and the Ohabei Shalom Choir

Temple Ohabei Shalom, “Lovers of Peace,” has been at the center of New England Judaism since it was founded in 1842 as the first congregation in Massachusetts. As an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Brookline congregation encourages people from all paths of Judaism to be a part of its community.

In this video, Cantor Avi Davis and the Ohabei Shalom choir sing David Sparr's arrangement of Yigdal, the liturgical poem that many congregations sing at the end of Friday night services.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Lecha Dodi Mashup by 15 Boston Area Cantors

JArts, in collaboration with MASSCreative, the Massachusetts statewide advocacy group for the cultural sector, created Arts Matter Shabbat, now known as Creativity Connects Shabbat – an annual day to collectively advocate for the arts.

Last November, 15 cantors from the Boston area joined in a virtual choir to sing five versions of Lecha Dodi, the traditional song from the Kabbalat Shabbat Friday evening service -- Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Yemenite, Contemporary, and Hasidic.

Here is the mashup of Lecha Dodi, featuring the Boston area cantors, as a part of the Creativity Connects Shabbat production. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by Kol Simcha Choir of Beth HaTephila in Asheville, NC

Tonight we welcome another Shabbat with another version of Lecha Dodi, this time sung by the Simcha Choir of Congregation Beth Ha Tephila, in Asheville, North Carolina.

Founded in 1891 and affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism since 1908, Congregation Beth HaTephila is a contemporary, mid-sized and growing Reform congregation in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Composed entirely of volunteer congregants, the synagogue's Kol Simcha Choir exists to enhance the Jewish experience of choir members and the larger congregation.

In this video, the choir sings the liturgical poem Lecha Dodi, a key part of the Friday night Shabbat service, sung to the melody of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Mizmor Shir by Guitar Choir of Radlett Synagogue in England

Radlett Reform Synagogue is a synagogue in a former church building on Watling Street in Radlett, Hertfordshire, England. It is affiliated with the Movement for Reform Judaism. 

Its Senior Rabbi, Paul Freedman, was elected in 2015 as Chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis UK, succeeding Sybil Sheridan in the role.

The synagogue choir sings while playing their guitars. During this coronavirus lockdown, they made a distance video of Mizmor Shir l'Yom HaShabbat.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Yom HaAtzmaut Special: HaZamir Beit Shean Sings Prayer for the State of Israel

HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir is a youth movement that welcomes  musically talented Jewish teens from a broad range of cultural backgrounds and levels of religious observance.  

HaZamir offers high schoolers in 31 chapters across the United States and nine in Israel the opportunity to learn and sing Jewish choral music at the highest musical standard and on the world’s greatest stages.

One of the Israeli chapters is in the city of Beit Shean, a city in the Northern Region at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley. This year, with everyone staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, members of HaZamir Beit Shean created a virtual choir to celebrate Israel's Independence Day, Yom HaAtzmaut.

Merging videos from nine indoor and outdoor locations around Beit Shean, the teenage singers posted T'filah L'Shlom Medinat Yisrael, their tribute to Israel's 72nd independence day on YouTube. 

Enjoy, and Chag Sameach!

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Welcoming Shabbat with "Shabbat Hamalka" by Chaim Nachman Bialik

Today we welcome Shabbat with Shabbat Hamalka, a song with lyrics by Chaim Nachman Bialik, one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. The music was composed by Martin Widerker.

The version in the video clip below is performed by Cantor Yaakov Rosenfeld and the Kehal Chassidim Choir.

Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. His poems have been translated into at least 30 languages, and set to music as popular songs. These poems, and the songs based on them, have become an essential part of the education and culture of modern Israel. He was the uncle of actress Mayim Bialik's great-great-grandfather.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam at Har-El Reform Synagogue in Jerusalem

Not every synagogue in Jerusalem is Orthodox. In fact, Kehilat Har-El, a reform shul, just celebrated its 61st anniversary at its home in central Jerusalem.

Kehilat Har-El, established in 1958, is the founding congregation of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism. 

Located in a classic pre-state style building (next to the Artists’ House), it serves as a home for Jewish Renewal through prayer, study, social justice, culture, and art.  
 
Last week, the Har-El choir, conducted by Cantor Evan Cohen and accompanied by harpist Gittit Boasson. sang Adon Olam, arranged by Bonia Shur as part of the Shabbat evening service in honor of the anniversary.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: South African Choir Sings 3 Hebrew Songs

Khayelitsha United Mambazo is an Isicathamiya choir from Indlovini in Khayelitsha. (Isicathamiya is a form of Traditional African Male Vocal Music.) The 11-piece group aim to follow in the footsteps of their heroes and friends, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The choir spent many years performing at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, entertaining visitors from across the world. Their rich and powerful performance is built on a varied repertoire consisting of famous traditional songs, as well as a large selection of original songs mostly themed around social issues. After their performances they work with boys in their neighborhood, acting as mentors and role models to involve the boys in constructive activities. 

In this video they sing three Hebrew songs: Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, Mikimi, and Ki Va Moed.

Enjoy! 

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On Israel's Memorial Day, a Prayer for the Israel Defense Forces by HaZamir

Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is always preceded by Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for its fallen soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence — the very existence of the state — to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.

This year Yom HaZikaron begins tonight and will be observed tomorrow until nightfall when the Yom HaAtzmaut festivities begin and continue through Thursday.

To mark these two important dates in the Jewish calendar, today we're sharing a special video of the 300+ voices of the HaZamir high school choir singing David Burger's T'fila L'Tzahal - The Prayer for the Israel Defense Forces. The song is conducted by Dr. Marsha Bryan Edelman, Conductor of HaZamir Philadelphia and accompanied by Scott Stein, Conductor of HaZamir Manhattan. It was sung at the HaZamir Gala Concert in Carnegie Hall in 2016.

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Israel's 70th birthday.

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350 Hazamir Teenagers Salute Israel's 70th Birthday at Lincoln Center

Last Sunday we attended the 25th annual HaZamir gala concert at David Geffen Hall in New York's Lincoln Center. In previous years the performance was at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and The Metropolitan Opera.

For two hours, 350 teenagers from 31 chapters of HaZamir Jewish High School Choir across the United States and in seven cities in Israel performed to a packed house, singing traditional and contemporary songs in Hebrew and English.

HaZamir, the International Jewish High School Choir, is an international network of choral chapters for Jewish teens. Local HaZamir chapters meet weekly in cities across America and Israel to rehearse and perform Jewish choral music. 

HaZamir provides Jewish teenagers the unique opportunity to sing at the highest performance level, build pluralistic community, and create strong Israel-Diaspora relations in the next generation.

Each local HaZamir chapter is directed by a talented conductor whose devotion to the highest standard of Jewish music-making helps to inspire the next generation of Jewish choral singers.

This year the group paid tribute to Israel in its 70th birthday year and to Hazamir's own 25th anniversary. 

Today we're posting a short clip of their theme song, with which they begin and end their concerts, and Psalm 97 (Adonai Malach), composed by Steve Cohen and conducted by Chris Mason, conductor of HaZamir Westchester, accompanied by Scott Stein, conductor of HaZamir Manhattan on piano. Soloists are Benjamin Sokol, HaZamir Boston; Maya Behiri, HaZamir Long Island; Sam Joffe, HaZamir Silicon Valley; and Chloe Brown, HaZamir Miami.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam from the Jewish Culture Festival in Poland

The Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Poland is an annual cultural event organized since 1988 in the once Jewish district of Kazimierz (part of Krakow) by the Jewish Culture Festival Society headed by Janusz Makuch

The main goal of the festival is to educate people about Jewish culture, history and faith  which flourished in Poland before the Holocaust, as well as to familiarize them with modern Jewish culture developing mostly in the United States and Israel, and finally, to provide entertainment.

Each festival is held in late June or early July and takes nine days, from Saturday to Sunday. During that time concerts, exhibitions, plays, lectures, workshops, tours, etc. are organized.

At this year's festival, Kolot Min Hashamayim (Voices from Heaven), a boys' choir from Haifa, Israel, participated and sang songs including this version of Adon Olam, which we hope you'll enjoy as much as we did.

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Musical Showcase: Meet the Ramatayim Men's Choir Singing a Jerusalem Medley

Music is an important part of our mix at Jewish Humor Central. In our sporadic series bringing new musical groups to your attention, we're introducing you to the Ramatayim Men's Choir of Jerusalem.

Late in 1995, four enthusiasts gathered in the Ramot suburb of Jerusalem, to sing choral music they recalled from synagogue services in their youth. Since then the choir has grown to 40 choristers, native Israelis and Olim from 4 continents who share a love of the great tradition of Jewish liturgical music and of singing together.

The choir appears regularly at concert halls and synagogues throughout Israel. Their list of approximately 250 performances includes appearances alongside some of the finest cantors in the world as well as artists in different genres. They have appeared in concert with the Israel Symphionette Orchestra 'eers Sheva, on national television and radio and have also performed at the residence of the President of Israel.

The choir's repertoire consists mainly of Jewish liturgical music and includes Chassidic and Israeli songs, pop, opera and folk music. All activities are performed on a voluntary basis. They perform regularly in support of various Israeli and Jewish charitable and social causes. A distinctive feature of the choir's activity is their active collaboration with ensembles of the same genre, inaugurating and hosting joint concerts in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The choir's name derives from Ramatayim-Tzofim, in the hill country of Ephraim, birthplace of Samuel the Prophet, mentioned in the Book of Samuel 1 (1:1) and associated with the suburb Ramot, Jerusalem.

In this video they sing a medley of songs about Jerusalem at the International Rabbinical Conference in 2014.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom !

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Hazamir Sings - Hundreds of High School Students Perform Today at the Metropolitan Opera

Today we will be attending the 24th annual HaZamir gala concert in New York's Lincoln Center. This year the performance will be at the Metropolitan Opera.

For two hours, 350 teenagers from 26 chapters of HaZamir Jewish High School Choir across the United States and in five cities in Israel will perform to a packed house, singing traditional and contemporary songs in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish.

HaZamir, the International Jewish High School Choir, is an international network of choral chapters for Jewish teens. Local HaZamir chapters meet weekly in cities across America and Israel to rehearse and perform Jewish choral music.

HaZamir provides Jewish teenagers the unique opportunity to sing at the highest performance level, build pluralistic community, and create strong Israel-Diaspora relations in the next generation.

Each local HaZamir chapter is directed by a talented conductor whose devotion to the highest standard of Jewish music-making helps to inspire the next generation of Jewish choral singers.

Last year the choir performed at Carnegie Hall. One of the selections on their program was a beautiful renditon of Yonatan Razel's V'hi She'amda. The song is an important part of the Passover Haggadah, and reminds us that the Pesach seder is only 15 days away.  

This short passage from the Haggadah has given hope to Jews over the centuries, particularly in times of oppression.

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ. שֶׁלֹא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר, עוֹמְדִים עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

And it is this [covenant] that has stood for our Forefathers and us. For not just one enemy has stood against us to wipe us out. But in every generation there have been those who have stood against us to wipe us out, and the Holy One Blessed Be He saves us from their hands.

Enjoy!

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Adon Olam Around the World: Johannesburg Jewish Male Choir Sings Adon Olam Medley

Regular fans of Jewish Humor Central know that Monday is set aside for a Joke to Start the Week and Thursday is Throwback Thursday for comedy nostalgia.

We're trying to keep a few days each week available for surprises, the Greatest Jewish Comedians, and whatever we find funny or nachas producing. But we're reserving Fridays as best we can for something musical or funny to ease us into welcoming Shabbat. 

Today we're sharing another version of Adon Olam, the concluding hymn of most Shabbat services. Since we started blogging we've posted 22 versions of the song performed around the world. We don't usually find it as a featured concert piece, but you never know what selections will appear on concert programs.

The Jewish Male Choir of Johannesburg, South Africa sang a medley of multiple versions of Adon Olam with 24 singers and a five piece musical ensemble backing up Cantor Steven Leas, Professor Russel Lurie, Cantor Chilly Chrysler, and Cantor Ezra Sher.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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