June & July 2013 - Congregation Beth El

THE MUSIC ROOM
A Year of Medieval, Renaissance and
Baroque Jewish music at Beth El
by Rabbi Reuben Zellman
Between June 2013 and June 2014, our congregation
welcomes to our sanctuary a rare and beautiful concert series:
four productions of Jewish and Jewish-themed music of the
Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.
For several years I have been a singer with the professional
ensemble San Francisco Renaissance Voices (SFRV). This
ensemble puts on high–quality, creative concerts of early music
— that is, music written before the year 1750.
What many of us don’t know is that some of the music that
has survived from the 12th – 18th centuries is Jewish music.
Imagine music that sounds very much like Bach or Gregorian
chant but with Hebrew words. It is truly a joy for me that SFRV
has dedicated its 2013 – 2014 season to this glorious and littleknown
repertoire, and that Beth El will be hosting one of each of
these performances.
We begin on Sunday, June 30 (4:00 pm) with the Latin play,
Ludus Danielis (The Play of Daniel). The remaining three
performances will be entirely in Hebrew. Complete English
translations will be provided. This September’s concert will
feature cantatas, prayers and chants for the final days of Sukkot.
On Purim evening 2014, we’ll host the 1774 Hebrew oratorio/
opera T’shuat Yisrael al y’dei Ester (The Salvation of Israel by
Esther) with soloists, chorus and chamber orchestra — and we’ll
be able to boo Haman. Finally, late spring 2014 will feature
music for weddings, circumcisions and synagogue dedications.
Even more exciting is that our own Beth El chorus and other area
musicians will be collaborating as performers for some of these
works. There is still a little time to be included in the chorus so if
you want to join in, contact me right away!
As each of these concerts approaches, I will be featuring more
information about the upcoming music and the marvelous
histories behind it, as well as the dates of the performances.
Ludus Danielis (The Play of Daniel)
Sunday, June 30 in the Beth El Sanctuary
3:30 pm Pre-concert talk by Rabbi Reuben Zellman
4:00 pm Performance
In the year 1140, the students of Beauvais Cathedral in
Northern France composed one of the earliest music dramas in
existence. For their subject, they chose the Hebrew Bible — the
mysterious, fiery Book of Daniel.
I will be portraying the prophet Habbakuk. If you’ve ever wanted
to see me in a den of lions, well, now is your chance. The text has
been slightly adjusted, removing the invocations to Jesus that the
young Catholics added to the story — they were required to, but
we’re not! Otherwise, you’ll see the Play of Daniel as originally
written. The music is in the style of Medieval chant and dance tunes,
with soloists and choir, costumes, and Medieval instruments and
dance. I will give a short pre-concert talk about the Book of Daniel
and how Jewish tradition has understood it (or not!) over time.
For complete information and tickets, go to sfrv.org. Tickets will
also be available at the door, $15.00-$30.00. Whether tickets
are financially possible for you right now or not, we want to see
you at there! If you need to, please contact me confidentially so
we can make sure you can join us: (510) 848–3988, ext. 228.
I hope to see many of you at these performances over the next
year—rare and wonderful opportunities to hear incredible
Jewish music.
Going Overseas and Want to VISIt a Reform Congregation
How do you find your larger Progressive/Reform/Liberal family when travelling outside of North America The process is different than what you find in
North America, where synagogues and Jewish institutions generally have an “open-door” policy and regularly welcome visitors. Elsewhere, there is a
pervasive security consciousness. Many synagogues do not publish their street addresses, return phone calls or emails, or openly declare their presence.
A random visitor, even one claiming affiliation with a Reform synagogue in the U.S. or Canada, is likely to be turned away if visiting unannounced.
The best way to connect is to have the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), the institution that serves, nurtures, and supports 1,700+
Reform/Progressive/Liberal Jewish congregations worldwide, make the connection for you. Several weeks in advance of your vacation, go to the
World Union for Progressive Judaism website, wupj.org. On the main page, use the dialogue box to search for WUPJ congregations by country and
then city. Once you verify the presence of a congregation in the area you plan to visit, email or call Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor (gary@wupj.org
or 212-452-6531) at the WUPJ’s New York office. Provide your travel dates, planned accommodations, when you would like to visit the congregation,
the number of people in your party, and a way to contact you once you are there. If given sufficient time, the WUPJ can arrange a personal visit.
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The Builder: June & July 2013