| Music is the soul of the Jewish people. Our lives are touched by music continuously, and our people have been involved with music since the beginning of time. When King Saul was melancholy, he was cheered by the music of David, the shepherd. When King David wrote the Psalms he instructed a conductor to put them to music. King Solomon, the wisest of all men, culminated his writings with the Song of Songs. Music has been a part of our liturgy since biblical times. We have praised Hashem with song through good times and bad. From the haunting Kol Nidre of the Yom Kippur service to the happy Nigunim of the Chasidic movement, our mood and the mood of our Jewish Holy Days have been captured in song. We have a rich tradition of cantors and choirs that goes back many centuries, but this is lost to much of the current generation. Jewish music has not been confined to our prayers and synagogue services. Yiddish melodies expressed the undaunting spirit of our people through years of hardship in Eastern Europe. Klezmer has thrilled people of all religions over the past century. Our Sephardic community has developed a vibrant style all of its own and their Ladino music is enthralling in its versatility and beauty. Secular Hebrew songs became the stalwart of the pioneer movement in the early 20th century in Israel and have blossomed into a wellspring of modern styles which sing of hope, peace and security for the State of Israel. It is with this rich tradition of music, that the San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir was formed more than ten years ago. Dr. Basil Abramowitz garnered the services of Rhoda Gaylis, our director emeritus and we now are a solid group of more than 25 volunteers from all walks of life and varying ages singing a variety of Jewish music. . The choir is under the artistic direction of Ruth Weber, a talented teacher, composer and musician. |
