NARR 30-31

CCAR RESPONSA

New American Reform Responsa

18. Popular Israeli Song in the Synagogue

QUESTION: A youngster in our community has brought an Israeli melody back from a visit to Israel. The words which usually accompany it are rather wild, however, he has successfully set a portion of our liturgy to it and it has become popular with our young people. Should this adaption be permitted? (Lloyd Lehman, Los Angeles CA)ANSWER: The sources of Jewish music are varied. Some of our music may be traced to melodies used in the ancient Temple (E. Werner The Sacred Bridge: A Voice Still Heard; A. Z. Idelsohn Jewish Music). Other melodies have been composed specifically for liturgical settings by Jewish and Gentile composers. In addition a great deal of music comes from anonymous sources. When musicologists have investigated those sources they found that they have sometimes reflected popular songs of another era. This has included military tunes as well as dance and folk melodies (A. Z. Idelson Jewish Music pp 379 ff). The melodies were soon forgotten by the general public, but continued in Jewish liturgical use. There would be problems in using the melody which you have described in an Israeli setting. There the association with the profane words would make it objectionable to those acquainted with the song. In our American setting the words are not known, so we are simply left with an appealing melody. The song will probably be quickly forgotten in Israel, and its place taken by other pop tunes. It may, however, survive in its American liturgical setting and so add to our musical heritage.January 1991

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