I’m in week two of my adventures in Israel, and there’s so much that I can’t wait to share with you when I return - but here’s a taste.
Most of the time, I’ve been learning at the Shalom Hartman Institute with 150 mostly North American rabbis on the topic of “Why Israel?” Passionate and brilliant scholars from Israel and North America have been articulating their visions for the future of the Jewish state, contending with many of the greatest challenges that Israel faces in the 21st century, and it has left me feeling inspired, curious, and - dare I say it - hopeful. More on that when I return, because it’s way too much to unpack in this short message.
In my free time, I’ve been exploring Jerusalem’s Jewish music scene. On my Friday morning walk, I noticed a poster for a concert happening that afternoon called “קבלת שבת, קצת אחרת” (Kabbalat Shabbat, A Little Different) featuring a musician we had met the night before, Shai Tsabari. He’s a rising star in Israel, bringing poetry from the siddur onto the main stage, and you couldn’t help but get caught up in the energy. I caught a clip of the concert toward the end when he led us in Rachamana, a piyyut (poem) sung on Selichot and during the High Holidays that often can have a yearning quality, but here, it feels like a mosh pit at a concert. What an incredible way to bring in Shabbat.
And then on Sunday night, some friends and I went downtown for another show, this time by Yahala Lachmish who is part of the band Tandu with her sister, Shani. They just released their first album called Savtuna, named after their grandmothers, also featuring piyyutim from the span of traditions of the Jewish diaspora and Israel - Persia, Chabad, Algeria, Afghanistan, and here in Israel. It was a windy night for a rooftop concert, but hundreds of people filled the space - and once again, there was this infectious joy that permeated the rooftop. Here’s Tandu performing Mah Navu Alei, an Iraqi piyyut that’s gained widespread popularity throughout Israel, along with a snapshot from the show below.
Seeing the Jewish music renaissance here and watching how traditions from all corners of the diaspora are shaping and informing one another - that’s just one of the things that I love about this place.
Tomorrow night, I have the real privilege of going to the Maccabi Games opening ceremonies with Rabbis Analia and Mario (I may catch a Biden sighting too!), but for now I’ll leave you with this picture. This was taken Monday evening when I went to see our teens who are having the time of their lives on Ramah Seminar - Johanna Epstein, Miriam Nadler, Izzy Wachter, and Isabel Neuman.
