After the Klezmer unit, I was serindipitously asked by a friend of mine to attend the Hillel monthly Shabbat service and reception. I was excited because I had never attended such a service. To be fair, I know that the Jewish bible is a loose version of the Old Testament of my bible, but that's the extent of my knowledge and experience of Judaism. In fact, before attending W&L, I did not know any practicing Jewish folks. Yes, it is sad that the diversity of my company increased at W&L. Leaving that aside, I found the service to be very interesting. There were several references to the history of the Jewish people and harships they had faced together. They were meant to invoke a reverence for the difficulties of their ancestors and also a pride in the strength and resolve of their people. I can best describe the service as a calming experience. What was most impressive about the service was the sense of community shared by the attendees. People were not shy about participating in the songs or cerimonious duties to be performed. Also, each person took up a particular role, be it administrative, organizational, preparatory, etc. In short, they were impressive yet incredibly friendly and welcoming.
I recommend that you all attend at least one of the Shabbat services before graduation, for the experience (and also for the feast that follows - Bodos baggles and homemade lochs need I say more).
So how does this all relate to Klezmer? Playing Kelzmer, I imagine, is a way to participate in this rich heritage. The Jewish people are very proud of their traditions and take care to pass them from generation to generation. To let klezmer die would be to let a piece of Jewish history pass into obscurity. These musicians serve their communities and ancestors in continuing to play this music.
Posted by hourenk at March 7, 2005 02:52 PM