Piyyut is Jewish Soul Music

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In Memory of Zalman C. Bernstein, ZT”L, a big and bold visionary businessman, entrepreneur, and ideas-driven philanthropist

11 May 2015

Sephardi Ideas Monthly is a continuing series of essays from the rich, multi-dimensional world of Sephardi thought that is delivered to your inbox on the second Monday of every month.

Since its inaugural issue in November, 2014, Sephardi Ideas Monthly has presented six thought-provoking essays on the continuing relevance of the classic Sephardi tradition for the 20th and 21st centuries.

R’ Chaim Louk, the Moroccan Master Payytan. Click here to hear him preform a Moroccan version of R’ Elazar Azkari’s piyyut, “Yedid Nefesh”

The Piyyut is Jewish Soul Music

Beginning this month, Sephardi Ideas Monthly is changing direction and turning its attention to the world of piyyut, Sephardi liturgical poetry and (soul) music. From the 10th and 11th century poets of “Golden Age” Andalusia—Yehuda HaLevi, Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, Moshe Ibn Ezra, and Shmu’el HaNagid—through the early modern, Ottoman religious cosmopolitanism of Israel Najara, up until the 20th century master of Morocco’s medley of musical traditions, Rabbi David Buzaglo, this musical tradition has remained a vital force in Sephardi Jewish life. Piyyut, in the words of the “Invitation to Piyyut” website, “combines and refines all key elements of Jewish culture: language, music, mysticism, history, midrash, philosophy, prayer, and personal, family, and national emotions – all in one entity. The piyyut allows the possibility of experiencing all of these elements at once.”

Piyyut is not simply an interesting historical artifact. Beginning around 2005, piyyut has enjoyed a popular revival in mainstream Israeli culture. Thanks to piyyut, Israeli Jews from all walks of life—Mizrahim and Ashkenazim, Religious, Traditional and Secular—are sharing an aesthetically pleasing and spiritually nourishing way to connect to the Jewish tradition.

Sephardi thinkers and artists, not to mention Sephardi piyyutim, have played a disproportionately large role in this revival. To cite just one example, piyyutim composed by R’ David Buzaglo have been reinterpreted and performed by a variety of Israeli musicians, while his son, Hebrew University Professor of Philosophy, Meir Buzaglo, is leading the way in infusing the world of piyyut into Israel’s public sphere: writing articles, giving interviews, organizing events, and sitting on the board of the Avi Chai Foundation, a private institution dedicated to “the perpetuation of the Jewish people, Judaism, and the centrality of the State of Israel to the Jewish people,” that has financially supported a number of piyyut-related projects.

Our featured article this month is Basmat Hazan Arnoff’s introduction to Israel’s piyyut revival, “The Piyyut is Jewish Soul Music.” A writer, teacher, and theater director, Arnoff is also the daughter of an accomplished scholar of piyyut who, as she humorously recounts, labored for most of his career in relative obscurity—“For years my family and I joked with (my father) that no more than maybe three and a half people had ever read any of his books”—until he suddenly became, “a trendsetter.” Originally published in Hebrew in 2005, Arnoff’s charming essay explores the major personalities and events that have propelled piyyut into Israel’s cultural mainstream.

Read the essay

The upcoming issues of Sephardi Ideas Monthly will feature articles, interviews, podcasts and videos that explore the rich world of Sephardi piyyut. We hope you enjoy them, and we encourage you to share Sephardi Ideas Monthly with friends and colleagues who will also enjoy a taste of classic Sephardi Judaism, including Sephardi piyyut.

Israel/India/Algeria: Secular Revolutions and Religious Counterrevolutions

May 11th at 6:30 PM
at the Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY

Join the Center for Jewish History and American Sephardi Federation for a provocative evening of discussion about democratic movements and their sometimes unexpected outcomes. Michael Walzer (author of The Paradox of Liberation: Secular Revolutions and Religious Counterrevolutions) and Paul Berman (author of The Flight of the Intellectuals: The Controversy Over Islamism and the Press) will explore the secular establishments of three nations—Israel, India, and Algeria—and their post-independence reckonings with religion.

Please click here to RSVP

The Sephardic Center’s 2nd Annual Gala

Boarding at 7PM on May 12th, 2015
2430 FDR Drive at Peir 23

Enjoy a romantic atmosphere aboard the Harbor Lights, including a live traditional Sephardi concert with David Abitbol, a world-renowned Sephardi Singer and Paytan from Paris, France, and his orchestra!

Registration is now open for an evening full of surprises!

Please click here to buy tickets and to learn about advertising opportunities. All proceeds benefit the mission of The Sephardi Center to celebrate the unique and beautiful Orthodox Sephardi heritage.

Greek Jewish Festival

May 31, 2015
at the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum
280 Broome Street, New York, NY

Join the Greek Jewish Festival as we celebrate the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of Kehila Kedosha Janina. Experience authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries, traditional Greek dancing and live Greek and Sephardic music, an outdoor marketplace full of vendors, arts and educational activities for kids, and much more!

Donate now and your tax-deductible contribution will help ASF “Connect, Collect, and Celebrate” Sephardi culture throughout the year with engaging programs and compelling publications.

Contact us by email or phone (212-548-4486) to learn about opportunities to underwrite our newly designated office spaces and publications in honor or memory of loved ones.

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