Explicitly paraliturgical Jewish music — defined in my research as music that is labeled by its composer as Jewish and/or directly pulls from Jewish text and themes without being liturgy — is a regularly occurring phenomenon throughout all of Jewish history.

Ancient examples, like Shir HaShirim (the Song of Songs), to medieval poetry that has become liturgy over time (called piyyutim), prove that the desire to capture the human experience and one’s relationship with Judaism through sung text outside of the matbe’ah (the expected structure of prayer) runs deep in the Jewish people.

Song is an important part of not only Jewish worship but also our culture, ancient texts, and beyond. The Jewish people have continued to use the medium ever since to explore ideas, emotions, and themselves in ways that go beyond prayer.

My thesis takes the time to understand the ways that paralitugical music has reflected shifts and patterns in the American Reform movement, as well as the ways that this music has had the power to change the Movement itself since the explosive 1960s. Three major themes come up most often in this music:

  • From the feminist impact of Debbie Friedman’s works, like Devorah’s Song, to the intersection of Jewish-American identity found in music like Jacob Spike Kraus’s Proud 2 B, paraliturgical music allows us to explore who we are as Jews on a deeper level.

  • In response to many issues in our world, paraliturgical music gives artists the ability to directly apply Judaism and Jewish values to the here and now. Nefesh Mountain’s response to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, Chava Mirel’s climate change anthem, and Doug Mishkin’s Make Those Waters Part are all prime examples.

  • Without the bounds of traditional liturgy, composers can explore the nuances of what Reform Jews believe, on a wide spectrum. Values and terms like B’tzelem Elohim have become mainstream due to popular paraliturgical songs. Other pieces explore relationships with God (or a lack thereof). Some pieces have become so beloved that they have found their way into our prayerbooks, like Debbie Friedman’s Mi Shebeirach!

Read it here.

Beyond the Matbe’ah: Senior Recital

Presented on November, 16, 2022, this recital reflects my love for expansive contemporary Jewish music, as well as the power and influence it can have. Highlights include Dan Nichols’ “Love is Love is Love,” with a non-binary cantorial student trio (timestamp - 15:30), a medley of Social Action music arranged by myself (33:15), and my own choral arrangement of Eric Hunker and Rabbi Noah Diamondstein’s “The Sun Will Rise Again (57:30). There’s lovely special feature of Elana Arian on her own piece, “I Have a Voice,” at the end, too (1:03:00).

Please enjoy the live recording below, and follow along in the program here.