music

An oral song tradition

Shenandoah University Prof. Lori Şen spoke about Sephardic music on Nov. 2, as part of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s 2025/26 lecture series. (PR photo)

Kolot Mayim Reform Temple started its 2025/26 Building Bridges Zoom lecture series – six music-themed talks running through April – on Nov. 2, with Lori Şen, a professor of vocal pedagogy at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.

The title of Şen’s lecture was Classical Echoes in Ladino: Sephardic Songs Reimagined.

“This talk is especially meaningful to me, as it reflects a journey that began about eight or nine years ago with my doctoral dissertation in voice performance,” she said.

“What started as an academic project has since grown into a broader exploration and celebration of a rich and underrepresented genre within the Western classical tradition – Sephardic art song.”

Şen spoke about the Sephardim, their history, language and culture, before discussing the elements of traditional Sephardic music. Later, she introduced Western classical arrangements of Sephardic folk songs for voice and various instruments, and spoke about the development of this genre, playing excerpts from a variety of songs.

Within the expanse of what constitutes Sephardic culture, there is a language, most commonly called Ladino or Judeo-Spanish, a mix of 14th- and 15th-century Castilian, with contributions from Galego-Portuguese, Catalan, Valencian, Aragonese, Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic and others, such as Greek, French, Italian and Balkan languages.

“A certain linguistic creativity is inherent to Judeo-Spanish, which has even been used as a vehicle for expressing verbal revenge through humour in an oppressive society,” Şen said, citing examples of plays on words that can be found in Ladino.

Şen quoted from linguist Marie-Christine Varol, author of Manual of Judeo-Spanish: “Irony, distance, puns and endless plays on meanings and stylistic nuances bouncing back and forth make this language of quotations, double entendres, discrete jokes that seem undecipherable of implied and overly clear meanings into an original and eternally renewed linguistic system steeped in a devastating sense of humour that can only be achieved through a knowledge of several languages, a knowledge that gives it its strength, its richness and its freedom.”

Şen said the types of Sephardic song are defined based on musical parameters such as structure, melody and rhythm, as well as the text and the relationship between the music and text. Many songs were passed down orally, making their origins difficult to trace. Others are Ladino translations or adaptations of Turkish, French and Balkan songs, incorporating dance rhythms like tango and foxtrot, and sometimes referencing familiar operettas.

“Since this repertoire represents such a wide range of cultural exchange, the musical analyses of them require vast musical knowledge,” Şen said. “Sephardic music possesses elements of Western classical music of all periods, starting from medieval, Spanish, Moroccan, Balkan and Greek musical traditions, and Turkish folk and classical forms, including makam.”

Makam is the Middle Eastern modal practice with more pitches than we’re used to in our Western 12-tone notation system.

According to Şen, although instruments were employed on occasion, the Sephardic song repertoire is essentially vocal. When instruments were involved, they were mainly percussive, a tambourine, for instance, though mandolin and oud were also employed.

Traditional Sephardic folk songs, since they were transmitted orally, incorporate a large amount of improvisation. Thus, the melodies of the same songs can differ significantly between communities and across generations.

On her website, lorisen.com, Şen has a catalogue she compiled that includes lists of Sephardic works and composers, works categorized by instrumentation, and songs. Based on archival research and interviews she has conducted with Jewish musicians and music scholars, Şen has identified more than 45 composers who have arranged more than 190 different traditional Sephardic folk songs in the art song form for voice and various instruments. Also on her website is a Ladino diction guide designed to assist singers interested in performing Sephardic songs.

A mezzo-soprano and Fulbright alumna, Şen’s range spans opera, art song, musical theatre and jazz, and she has performed throughout Europe and the United States. Her teaching and research specialize in vocal literature, pedagogy and voice science. Further, through her background in physics, she explores the art and science of the singing voice.

The next lecture in the Kolot Mayim series will feature Broadway historian and lecturer David Benkof on Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. Benkof will deliver his talk – Spotlight on Jewish Broadway with the Broadway Maven – in Victoria in person and on Zoom. For information, visit kolotmayimreformtemple.com.

Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

Explore Jewish music

On Dec. 3, Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz will speak on Harnessing the Potential of Our Comfort Songs, as part of Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s Building Bridges Speakers Series. (photo from Hadar Institute)

Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s annual six-part series of free lectures – the Building Bridges Speaker Series – returned earlier this month with the Nov. 2 talk by Dr. Lori Şen of Shenandoah University on Classical Echoes in Ladino: Sephardic Songs Reimagined. It continues Dec. 3, with Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz of the Hadar Institute speaking on the topic Harnessing the Potential of Our Comfort Songs.

The Building Bridges Speaker Series’ theme for 2025/26 is Kolot Zemirot: The Many Voices of Jewish Music. In the wake of the dramatic rise in antisemitism following the events of Oct. 7, 2023, it is more important than ever to celebrate and amplify the rich tapestry of Jewish culture, history and heritage. This series of lectures will explore the role of music in shaping and sustaining Jewish identity across generations and around the world, delving into the diverse expressions of Jewish music – its history, traditions, and its cultural, religious and secular aspects. Music has always been a source of strength, resilience and hope for the Jewish people, and this series will highlight its power to unite communities and inspire pride in our shared heritage.

An educator, practitioner, composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and facilitator of Jewish communal music, Sacks Mintz will explore, on Dec. 3, how Jews use the internal strength we source from singing our own anchor songs to serve our communities in times of disruption. For Sacks Mintz, the power of communal music ignites spiritual creativity, fosters participation and deepens connections within Jewish life.

Historian and lecturer David Benkof, “the Broadway Maven,” will speak in person in Victoria on Jan. 11, with hybrid access for a wider audience. His presentation will dig into Jewish creators, characters and themes that have shaped – and continue to shape – the world of Broadway, revealing how musical theatre reflects and influences Jewish identity.

A leading voice in the study of contemporary Israeli music, ethnomusicologist, Dr. Naomi Cohn-Zentner of Bar-Ilan University observes that Israeli songs about the war and the army have always been about a hope for peace, and this was even more the case after Oct. 7. Her Feb. 8 talk – called Music and War: An Optimistic View – will examine how Israeli musicians have responded to the tragedy, offering an exploration of music’s role in processing grief, inspiring resilience and connecting community in times of crisis.

On March 8, Dr. Joshua Jacobson, author, composer, scholar and founder and director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, will speak on Jewish Music: What’s That? One of the world’s leading authorities on Jewish music, Jacobson will share his expertise in the history and ongoing evolution of Jewish music. His presentation will invite listeners to consider what we mean by Jewish music and how musical expression is a rich part of our identity.

Toronto author and biographer Michael Posner wraps up the 2025/26 series on April 12 with the lecture Hallelujah and Beyond: Leonard Cohen’s Torah of Song. Posner will explore Cohen’s Jewish heritage, philosophy and musical legacy and how Judaism influenced the singer-songwriter’s lyrics, philosophy and life.

The Jewish Independent will feature coverage of the lectures in future issues, including Şen’s Nov. 2 lecture, which can be viewed on Kolot Mayim’s website.

Kolot Mayim, from the Hebrew “Voices of the Water,” is Victoria’s Reform Jewish Congregation. The Building Bridges lecture series is partially supported by the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island and donations are gratefully accepted, with tax receipts available for contributions over $25.

The webinars are free and mostly occur monthly mostly on select Sundays (with the exception of Sacks Mintz’s), at 11 a.m., on Zoom. Pre-registration is required via kolotmayimreformtemple.com.

– Courtesy Kolot Mayim Reform Temple

Series explores music

Building Bridges, Kolot Mayim Reform Temple’s annual six-part free lecture series, returns this year, beginning Nov. 2, 11 a.m., on Zoom. The theme for this season is Kolot Zemirot: The Many Voices of Jewish Music, exploring the role of music in shaping and sustaining Jewish identity across generations worldwide.

The series opens with Dr. Lori Şen presenting Classical Echoes in Ladino: Sephardic Songs Reimagined. Rooted in the folk melodies of Sephardi Jews and shaped by centuries of migration, Sephardi art song brings a distinctive voice to the Western classical stage. Şen explores the transformation of Ladino folk songs – an expressive Judeo-Spanish language enriched with influences from Turkish, Arabic, Greek and other cultures encountered throughout the Sephardi diaspora – into Western classical art song.

Through musical examples, historical context and stories from her research, Şen reveals a genre that not only preserves Jewish memory but also expands understanding of what Jewish classical music can be. Her presentation offers listeners a rare sound world that bridges history, culture and art.

Şen is a Turkish mezzo-soprano and Fulbright alumna known for her versatility across opera, art song, musical theatre and jazz, with an international performing and teaching career. She uniquely bridges the worlds of art and science with a background in physics coupled with vocal pedagogy and voice science. As a dual citizen of Turkey and Spain, her multicultural perspective drives her pioneering research in Sephardi art song. She is recognized as the first to catalogue Western classical settings of traditional Sephardi folk songs and to create a Ladino diction guide specifically for singers.

Currently assistant professor of vocal pedagogy at Shenandoah University and part of the voice faculty at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Şen has shared her work worldwide.

For more information about the Building Bridges series, visit kolotmayimreformtemple.com. The series is partially supported by the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island. Donations are gratefully accepted, with tax receipts for gifts over $25.

– Courtesy Kolot Mayim Reform Temple

A complicated family legacy

Neshama Carlebach comes to Vancouver for Selichot at Congregation Beth Israel on Sept. 13. (photo by Michael Albany)

After more than two decades, Neshama Carlebach returns to Vancouver. But not for a concert.

The award-winning singer-songwriter will lead, with her band, a musical service at Congregation Beth Israel for Selichot, the night of Sept. 13. The holiday – whose name translates as forgiveness, or pardon – marks the beginning of a period of penitential prayers that runs through Simchat Torah. In addition to participating in the service, Carlebach will speak with Rabbi Jonathan Infeld about her father, the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, his spiritual and musical legacy, and also the pain caused by the sexual misconduct of which he was posthumously accused.

In January 2018, Carlebach wrote a blog on the Times of Israel that addressed the allegations against her father, who died in 1994. She also shared that she had been sexually abused as a child by one of her father’s friends. Writing that blog, she told the Jewish Independent, “was one of the most painful and soul-wrenching things I have ever done. I was standing at the edge of a precipice, holding the truth of my own pain, the pain of others, and the love I still carry for my father, who was no longer alive to respond. The world was shifting in the wake of the #MeToo movement, and I felt an overwhelming need to finally speak and honour the voices of those who had been hurt and silenced – including my own.

“Simultaneously, my career was, in many ways, canceled. Doors closed. Invitations disappeared. People I loved and trusted turned away from me in anger, some even accusing me of betraying my father and his legacy. Perhaps just as painful was watching my family’s music – music that has brought meaning to so many – be rejected and erased.

“Acknowledging my father’s transgressions broke my heart,” said Carlebach, “but it was time for me to speak out – to stand with those who were hurt and to be a part of the possibility of healing, and for the belief that we must be honest to be whole. We must hold space for truth, even when it shatters the fabric of the life we once clung to.”

From the age of 5, Carlebach’s father invited her to share Chassidic stories for his audiences and, by age 15, she was performing alongside him. Since her first album in 1996, she has released 10 records and, worldwide, is one of the bestselling Jewish artists. She is also an advocate for religious pluralism and human rights, as well as being a community leader in other respects. Living in New York with husband Rabbi Menachem Creditor and their five children, she is in the midst of writing a memoir, as well as studying to become a rabbi at the Academy for Jewish Religion.

In 2026, a documentary about Carlebach’s family will be released, with the support of Jewish Story Partners. The blurb on JSP’s website reads: “Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, ‘the Singing Rabbi,’ ignited the spiritual landscape for legions of Jews in a post-Holocaust world. Soon after his death, he is accused of sexual abuse. Thirty years later, with intimate access to his family, inner circle, and his victims, Carlebach Project Untitled grapples with a complicated legacy and how – or whether – to separate the art from the artist.”

“I was just 20 when my father died and, in many ways, I was still a child,” Carlebach told the Independent. “He wasn’t just my father; he was my rabbi and my closest friend. Losing him was like losing my grounding in the world. And when, years later, I began to fully confront the complexities of his life and the pain that others experienced because of him, the grief became more complicated. My career crumbled. I lost community. I lost friends.

“I think what helped me to continue was the music and my connection to God. Even when I wasn’t able to sing professionally, within my own heart I sang and I prayed.

“I still carry and honour my father because I am his daughter and because I believe that love and accountability are not opposites,” she said. “Music has a life of its own, it has always been bigger than the entity which creates it. The legacy I hope I’m building now with my sons is one rooted in truth, in justice, in faith and in love. I choose to believe these are the things he wanted for me, and for the world.”

photo - On Selichot, Sept. 13, Neshama Carlebach will speak with Rabbi Jonathan Infeld about her father, the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, his spiritual and musical legacy, and also the pain caused by the sexual misconduct of which he was posthumously accused — On Selichot, Sept. 13, Neshama Carlebach will speak with Rabbi Jonathan Infeld about her father, the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, his spiritual and musical legacy, and also the pain caused by the sexual misconduct of which he was posthumously accused. (photo by Joan Roth)

It was after the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, that Carlebach began creating music with her sons, Rafael and Micah.

“To share the sacred legacy of our family with them, and to witness their light, their depth and their gifts has been one of the greatest blessings of my lifetime,” she said. “My Rafael sadly can’t be with us in Vancouver, as he is starting college, but my Micah will be! We will also be joined by my longtime musical collaborators, pianist and musical director Seth Farber, bass player Brian Glassman and drummer Joe Nero.”

The video Carlebach created with her sons – Invincible Spirit (In Solidarity with Israel), an interpretation of the song “Am Yisrael Chai” – is on YouTube.

“Originally written in support of the Soviet Jewry Movement, ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ has been an anthem of the Jewish people for over 50 years,” Carlebach wrote in a Times of Israel blog last year. “The melody and words have brought energy, sustenance and unity whenever it’s been sung, often in response to hardships facing the Jewish world. In times of need, it is simultaneously a call to action and a prayer, a defiant cry and a message of reassurance. The words, translated as ‘The People of Israel Live,’ were set to music by my father in the 1960s and embraced as part of the Jewish canon. Today, since the horrors of Oct. 7, they have once again become a constant refrain in the Jewish community.”

In another blog, Carlebach, who was born on Simchat Torah, explains why she decided to become a rabbi. “After Oct. 7, Simchat Torah, my heart, my essence and my birthday changed forever,” she wrote. “My Jewish identity and desire to learn have never been stronger. I feel a greater sense of urgency to do my part and bring meaning and holiness to our communities, both in the diaspora and Israel.”

She shared with the Independent the importance of participating in the event at Beth Israel.

“Selichot is the beginning of the High Holy Day season, our holiest time of year,” she said. “It is when we begin to turn inward and ask ourselves the hardest questions: Who have I been? Where have I fallen short? What do I need to repair – in myself, in my relationships, in the world? It’s a time of vulnerability, of accountability and of profound possibility.

“I’ve always envisioned that, on Selichot, the Great Gates of Teshuvah – of Return – first begin to creak open, but slowly, almost in a whisper. Selichot is softer than Rosh Hashanah, more intimate than Yom Kippur. We gather, often late at night, to begin to open our hearts as a community – with prayer, with song, with tears. It’s a time for truth and tenderness.

“It will be incredibly meaningful to gather with the Vancouver community in prayer and in conversation this Selichot. This is the kind of gathering I love most!” she said, commending Rabbi Infeld and the Beth Israel community for being “open and brave enough to engage in this complicated topic.”

“Every year, we work hard to make sure that our Selichot service and program makes a difference in people’s lives,” said Infeld. “The topics are often not easy to discuss, but, every year, people leave the synagogue looking at a situation from a different perspective and as better human beings because they came. We love when people discuss the content of what they heard at the synagogue after Selichot. We believe that this year that will happen as well. Shlomo Carlebach is extremely well known, but the underbelly of the person and his personality are extremely important for us all to discuss – and there is no one better in this world to do that than his daughter, who is also extremely musically talented.”

To invite Carlebach was “a natural choice,” he said, given that the event will honour Harley Rothstein.

“Since we had decided to honour Harley for his many years of service this year, I decided I wanted to do something very special from a musical perspective,” said the rabbi.

“Harley is one of the most humble and generous people I know. He is a constant supporter of our synagogue in many ways. We have been honoured to have him lead services over the years. He has a fabulous voice with great kavanah [intention/devotion],” explained Infeld. “He has a magical ability to engage people in congregational singing and to help engender a warm feeling among all the participants. Harley has gone above and beyond by helping to teach the next generation of service leaders. One of his most important aspects of leadership each year has been the Selichot service with our ba’alat tefillah [prayer leader], Debby Fenson.”

On Sept. 5, during the synagogue’s Shabbat with a Difference Kabbalat Shabbat service, the congregation will honour Fenson on her 20th anniversary with Beth Israel. On Sept. 13, she and Rothstein will lead Havdalah.

The Selichot event with Neshama Carlebach is open to the entire community. To attend, RSVP via bethisrael.ca.

Forgotten music performed

Through a chance conversation with a curator at the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, conductor and composer Leo Geyer came across musical scores composed by concentration camp prisoners during the Holocaust. June 3 to 7, at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre, the music Geyer documented was played for the first time in 80 years. (photo from Sky Arts)

In 2015, London-based musician and composer Leo Geyer was commissioned to write a tribute honouring British historian Sir Martin Gilbert, who had recently died. Visiting Oświęcim, Poland, to better understand the Holocaust historian’s research, a chance conversation with a curator at the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum led Geyer to a trove of forgotten musical scores composed by prisoners who had been forced to perform in the SS-run orchestras in the Nazi concentration camp, where more than 1.1 million died in gas chambers, mass executions, torture, medical experiments, exhaustion and from starvation, disease and random acts of violence.

The deteriorating and fragile sheets of music, written in pencil, were faded and ripped. Many had burn damage. Intrigued, Geyer devoted nearly a decade of detective work to studying the documents and filling in missing gaps, and the music formed the basis for his doctorate at Oxford University. From June 3 to 7, at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre, the music Geyer documented was played for the first time in 80 years, to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz in January 1945. The opera ballet included the unfinished scores that Geyer completed and choreography by New York-born choreographer Claudia Schreier.

“The musicians took incredible risks to make brazen acts of rebellion. When good news of the war [of the Allies’ June 6, 1944, D-Day landings] reached the men’s orchestra in Auschwitz I, they performed marches not by German composers but by American composers,” Geyer said in an interview with France 24’s daily broadcast Perspective.

The guards couldn’t distinguish between a Strauss waltz and a John Philip Sousa march.

The musicians “would also weave in melodies from Polish national identity such as St. Mary’s Trumpet Call (a five-note Polish bugle call closely bound to the history of Kraków). We also know of secret performances [that] would take place, which would principally encompass Polish music, but we also know Jewish music was performed as well,” said Geyer.

The story of the orchestras at Auschwitz was popularized by Fania Fénelon, née Fanja Goldstein (1908-1983), a French pianist, composer and cabaret singer whose 1976 memoir Sursis pour l’orchestre, about survival in the women’s orchestra at the Nazi concentration camp, was adapted as the 1980 television film Playing for Time. The orchestra, active from April 1943 to October 1944, consisted of mostly young female Jewish and Slavic prisoners of varying nationalities. The Germans regarded their performances as helpful in the daily running of the camp in so far as they brought solace to those trapped in unimaginable horror. As well, the musicians held a concert every Sunday for the amusement of the SS.

Geyer explained that the SS organized at least six men’s and women’s orchestras at Auschwitz, and perhaps as many as 12. The groups principally played marching music as prisoners trudged to the munitions factories and other industrial sites, where they worked as slave labourers, he explained.

“Musicians had marginally better conditions than other prisoners,” he noted. Nonetheless, he said, “The vast majority of the musicians and composers did not survive the war.” Most of their names are lost. Geyer was able to track down the composer of one unsigned composition by comparing the handwriting to a document found at a conservatory in Warsaw.

Adding poignancy to the performances in London, the musicians played from copies of the original scores.

“We poured our heart and soul into these performances,” said Geyer. “I am neither Jewish nor Romani. But I am human.”

Gil Zohar is a writer and tour guide in Jerusalem.

* * *

A replica of Auschwitz

Due to conservation issues, the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum no longer permits the filming of movies at the historic site. Using advanced spatial scanning technology, the museum employed a team of specialists, led by Maciej Żemojcin, to create a digital replica of the Auschwitz I camp. The project was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival.

Museum spokesperson Bartosz Bartyzel told Euronews Culture that the replica was created “out of the growing interest of directors in the history of the German camp.”

“The Auschwitz Museum has been working with filmmakers for many years – both documentary filmmakers and feature film directors,” he said. “However, due to the conservation protection of the authentic memorial site, it is not possible to shoot feature films [there]. The idea to create a digital replica was born out of the need to respond to the growing interest in the history of the Auschwitz German camp in cinema and the daily experience of dealing with the film industry. This tool offers an opportunity to develop this cooperation in a new, responsible and ethical formula.”

– GZ

Enjoy the best of Broadway

“It may sound like a cliché, but I really believe that music is a unique language. You don’t have to know how to read it, you might not understand the lyrics, but it can still touch your heart and soul,” Omer Shaish told the Independent. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what genre you listen to, it will always make you feel something. That’s what I always hope to do when I get on stage – use the music to touch people’s hearts and souls.”

photo - Omer Shaish brings My Broadway Shpiel – stories, Broadway tunes, popular Hebrew songs and original music – to Vancouver Aug. 21 — Omer Shaish brings My Broadway Shpiel – stories, Broadway tunes, popular Hebrew songs and original music – to Vancouver Aug. 21. *(photo from omershaish.com)*

Shaish brings My Broadway Shpiel to Vancouver Aug. 21, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Sholom. In addition to offering a night of Broadway tunes, popular Hebrew songs and his own original music, the performance will raise money for Temple Sholom’s campership program.

While Shaish never attended summer camp growing up, he did talk about growing up in the Jewish community.

“We’re one big family and I love that about us,” said the singer, who was born and raised in Rishon LeZion, which is about 20 minutes south of Tel Aviv.

“I spent most of my teenage years and my early 20s in Tel Aviv, where I was surrounded by great art, amazing people and incredible food!” said Shaish, who knew from a young age that he was going to be a singer.

“My parents say that, as a toddler, I’d pick up anything that could resemble a microphone and sing at the top of my lungs – everywhere. I always loved having an audience,” he said. “Even though, in real life, I sometimes come across as a bit shy and introverted, having an audience to sing for always made me feel at home. Up until today, having an audience, no matter how big or small, brings me to life.”

Shaish started his career as a vocalist in the Israeli Air Force Band, performing on military bases and in Jewish communities in Europe and Canada. He also is an actor, performing in Israel before moving to New York City in 2007 and graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He has numerous theatre, vocalist and soloist credits to his name, but mainly has been touring internationally as part of the classical vocal trio Kol Esperanza and with his self-produced, one-person show My Broadway Shpiel.

“Even though I love acting, I’ve been focusing on singing in the past few years,” he told the Independent. “I realized, throughout the years, that I feel more at home just being myself on stage. I enjoy sharing these moments with the audience and it makes every show feel different and so alive. Playing a character can be interesting, too, but, for me, there’s nothing better than simply being myself.”

At the moment, Shaish calls Baltimore, Md., home. Previously, he toured the United States for many years, and lived a few years in Los Angeles and in Miami.

“I absolutely love traveling, seeing the world and meeting lovely, interesting people,” he said. “My friends always make fun of me and say that they never know where I’m at, to which I reply with, ‘neither do I.’ It can be exhausting at times, but it’s always worth it. I feel very lucky to do what I love and that gives me a lot of energy to keep at it.”

He’s looking forward to performing here.

“I love Vancouver!” said Shaish. “I’ve been there many times and I think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. The last time was only a few months ago, for rehearsals and a recording session. I’ve performed in Vancouver before and I can’t wait to be back and enjoy the views, the fresh air and, of course, the wonderful people!”

About the show he’s bringing with him, My Broadway Shpiel, he said, “As I tell my story and share some anecdotes about the Jewish story of Broadway, I sing some classics from Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story, and all the way to some surprises by ABBA and Elvis Presley!”

One of his favourite moments in the performance is when he shares the experience of living in the United States with a foreign name.

“I have heard so many variations of my name from so many people that I have met,” he said. “‘Omer’ apparently isn’t very easy to pronounce. So, one day, I thought, why not write a song about it? I took Liza Minelli’s ‘Liza with a Z’ and turned it into ‘Omer with an E.’ At first, I wanted that to be the name of my show, but My Broadway Shpiel felt more fitting.”

As for the importance of music, he said, “This brings me back to how I see music as a language. It has superpowers. It can take us away from one reality and bring us to a completely different one within a split second. It triggers our emotions in such a powerful way. When people talk to me after a show and say that I made them laugh, made them cry, or made them forget about their day, I know I did something right.”

For tickets to My Broadway Shpiel, visit tickettailor.com/events/templesholom/1702794.

Workshops, shows & more

This year’s Eastside Arts Festival, which runs July 18-27, features an expanded list of unique and affordable art-making workshops. (photo by Wendy D Photography)

Eastside Arts Society returns with an expanded edition of its summer arts event, Eastside Arts Festival, at various Eastside Arts District (EAD) studios, breweries and performance venues, plus an all-day outdoor musical event at MacLean Park, from July 18 to 27.

“We are thrilled to mark our fifth anniversary of the Eastside Arts Festival with our most dynamic and culturally rich exploration of the EAD’s vibrant arts and culture scene yet,” said Jewish community member Esther Rausenberg, who is artistic director of the Eastside Arts Society. “We welcome arts lovers and community members, especially those familiar with our annual Eastside Culture Crawl, to dig deeper – learn about our district’s rich cultural heritage, enjoy a behind-the-scenes art-making experience and soak in a live performance from musicians and dancers who call this incredible community home.”

The festival features an expanded list of unique and affordable art-making workshops, including a series of never-before-offered workshops, such as eco-printing, a natural textile dyeing technique using plant materials, from indigo artist Naomi Yamamoto; goldwork embroidery from textile artist Candice Weber, incorporating metallic threads in intricate designs; and felted mason jar cozy covers from felt expert Chantal Cardinal. These workshops, and many others, will run at artist studios and breweries daily throughout the festival.

In partnership with the Rickshaw Theatre, the festival will include a show by up-and-coming artists Young Friend, Babe Corner, worrywart and Kylie V on July 25 at 8 p.m. Drew Tarves, aka Young Friend, captures the nostalgia of post-adolescence through his indie rock sound, while Babe Corner brings a nostalgic rock vibe with catchy riffs and four-part harmony. They’ll be joined by five-piece band worrywart and lyrical indie-pop innovator Kylie V.

This year’s festival will also introduce more opportunities to explore the district, including guided neighbourhood walking tours from Hogan’s Alley Society and Heritage Vancouver Society, and the 360 Riot Walk – offered through Powell Street Festival Society and created by artist Henry Tsang – on July 19, 20 and 24; the Dance Deck with Belle Spirale Dance Projects on July 19, 20, 26 and 27; and Creative Cultural Collaborations (C3) Big Print Powell Street/Paueru Gai Carving demonstration on July 24.

On July 26, the festival brings back its popular, free all-day outdoor event, this year at MacLean Park, sponsored by Strathcona BIA. The event features live music presented in partnership with the Rickshaw, a festival shop with handmade artworks and goods from local Eastside artists, free art activities for all ages and abilities, food trucks (Midnight Joe’s and Planted Love) and a beer garden hosted by Strange Fellows Brewing. The music lineup includes Janky Bungag, Twin River, ReViberators and singer/songwriter Madelyn Read.

Free afternoon live music returns to MacLean Park on July 27, presented by the long-running MacLean Park Music series and supported by Strathcona BIA and Eastside Arts Festival.

New this year is the Eastside Arts Society Beer Passport. Running July 18-Aug. 4, passport holders enjoy a beer at four different participating Eastside breweries. Patrons who purchase both passport variations can enjoy drinks at all eight local brewery partners: East Van Brewing Company, Luppolo Brewing Company, Off the Rail Brewing, Parallel 49 Brewing Co., Storm Brewing, Strathcona Beer Co., Strange Fellows Brewing, and Superflux Beer Co. All proceeds from the $35 Beer Passport go to supporting artist programs in the EAD.

Art workshops are $35, walking tours are $20, and ticketed performances range from $20 to $60. For a full festival schedule and to purchase workshop, guided walking tours and live performance event tickets, as well as the Beer Passport, visit eastsideartsfest.ca.

– Courtesy Eastside Arts Society

Ruchot Hatzafon headlines

Ruchot Hatzafon members, left to right: Gil Melamood (bass guitar), Adam Halfi (keyboards), Ofir Baz (drums), Liraz Moalem (stage manager) and Eyal Shavit (vocals and electric guitar). (photo by Yannay Shifron)

“We will dance again” is the theme of this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut community gathering on April 30 to celebrate Israel’s 77th anniversary amid the heartache that continues since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. In addition to Nova Festival survivors, other special guests will be the band Ruchot Hatzafon, some of whose members still have not returned to their homes in Israel’s northern region because of the continued threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Better now, but it was very traumatic for everyone,” Eyal Shavit told the Independent about how he and his fellow musicians were doing since Oct. 7. “It’s difficult to put to words. We all live very close to the Lebanese border. A couple of us, Liraz [Moalem] and Gil [Melamood], live right on that border, in Kibbutz Malkiya and in Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, so they had to move to more central places in Israel and to this day they still haven’t come back to their homes.

“For the rest of us, it wasn’t as bad, but it still affected our lives in so many ways. Not to mention financially, as well as the mental trauma, the fear and the grief. However, we are among the luckiest ones in the grander scheme of things and we do what we have to do, both as individuals and as a people. We keep living, we keep moving forward and we keep celebrating our lives, all the while remembering [those] who are still held in Gaza by Hamas and grieving with anyone and everyone who has suffered the most terrible losses on that day.”

Shavit said he left his kibbutz, Kfar Szold, a couple of days after Oct. 7, “because the feeling at the time was that it can happen again at any given moment by Hezbollah in Lebanon, but, within a couple of weeks, I realized that it would be safe enough to go back … so I’ve stayed there since.”

Shavit is Ruchot Hatzafon’s lead vocalist and he plays the electric guitar. (He is also, as it happens, co-author of the book Hilarious Hebrew with Hebrew teacher Yael Breuer, which the Independent reviewed in 2016: jewishindependent.ca/from-nonsense-knowledge.) In Vancouver, Shavit will be joined by Melamood (bass guitar), Adam Halfi (keyboards), Ofir Baz (drums) and Sapir Breier (vocals).

“In this instance, Sapir will be with us in Vancouver, as Vered [Sasportas] couldn’t join us this time,” said Shavit of the band’s other primary vocalist.

Moalem is the band’s stage manager.

The group has been together about six years, and Shavit explained its evolution.

“It was a bit of luck really,” he said about his joining. “I’d just returned from the UK to Israel, having lived in Brighton, England, for 13 years, where I studied music and made my living playing gigs in pubs and events.”

Friends from high school – Melamood (who also was in a military band with Shavit during their army service) and Baz – contacted Shavit and asked him to be a part of the band, along with another high school friend, Halfi, so that they could play at an event.

“We then immediately got booked for a second event by Liraz Moalem, who then became our band manager,” said Shavit. “It was a lot of fun and a nice opportunity. We all aspired to do this for a living.”

A couple of years after that, he said, Sasportas, who they met through a mutual friend and colleague, became part of the group and, said Shavit, “she fit right in, as well as being a brilliant singer and performer.”

Ruchot Hatzafon – which translates as the Northern Winds – has two types of shows.

“One is an energetic set of very popular songs both in Hebrew and in English that everyone likes to dance to, and the other show is a tribute to Israel’s army bands, who have a huge legacy in Israeli culture and used to dominate the charts back in the ’60s up until the mid-’70s,” explained Shavit. “That show includes a bit of storytelling and mostly wonderful and famous songs by the old army bands.

“In Vancouver, we will play our party music set, along with some special requests, like ‘Yerushalayim Shel Zahav’ by Naomi Shemer, for example.”

Other songs that Vancouverites will hear on April 30 include “Ahava Besof Ha’Kayitz” (“Love at the End of Summer”) by Tsvika Pik; “Ein Makom Acher” (“No Other Place”) by Mashina; “Naarin Shuva Elay” (“My Boy, Come Back to Me”) by Margalit Tsan’ani; “Natati La Chayai” (“I Gave Her My Life”) by Kaveret; and some Israeli Eurovision songs.

“And, in English, probably ‘Think’ by Aretha Franklin, ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen and more,” said Shavit.

The band members have similar musical tastes, he said, perhaps because they all grew up on a kibbutz. “We’re generally more drawn to Western-influenced rock and pop music and songs in English, rather than Mediterranean-influenced songs, which are another genre of cover bands in Israel,” he said. “We play only a few of those.”

This will be Ruchot Hatzafon’s first time performing outside of Israel. They’ll arrive April 28 and return home on May 2, but Shavit said they’re thinking about extending their stay a couple of days.

“I can say for all of us that we feel this is an honour and a privilege to be invited to play for the Jewish communities in Vancouver – especially after what we’ve all been through as a people,” Shavit said. “We are thrilled to come and celebrate with everyone there.

“In addition, we get to visit a little bit of Canada, which, personally, I’ve always wanted to visit.”

Tickets ($18) for the Yom Ha’atzmaut event must be bought in advance. To do so, visit jewishvancouver.com/israelhere.

About the 2025 Passover cover

After the Israelites escape from Egypt and the Sea of Reeds has returned to its normal flow, with the enslavers either drowned or on the opposite side, Miriam leads the women in singing a song of praise. Apparently, it is the only time in the Torah where women are recorded as seinging their own song.

They did so with instruments they had brought along with whatever necessities one takes when fleeing a bad situation. The women had such a strong belief that they and their people would be free, that there would be occasions to celebrate with song, music, dance, that they made room among their provisions for instruments.

Miriam is older than her brothers Moses and Aaron. “Having been born at the time when the bitter enslavement began, her parents named her ‘Miriam’ (from the Hebrew word meaning ‘bitterness’),” explains an article on chabad.org. However, she was anything but bitter. She was extraordinarily hopeful, continually thinking of the future and how it would be better.

“Miriam was about 6 years old when Pharaoh decreed that all Israelite baby boys be killed,” notes another chabad.org article. “Hearing this, Miriam’s father, Amram, divorced his wife, Yocheved, because he couldn’t bear the possibility of having a son who would be killed. Seeing the actions of Amram, one of the leaders of the generation, all of the other Israelite men followed and divorced their wives as well.

“Miriam told her father, ‘Your act is worse than Pharaoh’s! He decreed that only male children not be permitted to live, but you decreed the same fate for both male and female children!’ She then predicted that her parents would give birth to a son who would save Israel from Egypt.”

The young girl convinced her father to remarry her mother; the other men remarried their wives, as well. Moses and Aaron would not have been born, the Israelites would not have been freed, if not for Miriam.

She also looked over Moses after Yocheved placed him in a basket in the Nile to save him from Pharaoh’s decree. Miriam made sure that Pharaoh’s daughter, Batyah, who rescued Moses, chose Yocheved as his wet-nurse.

There are other stories of Miriam’s courage. Another translation of her name is “rebellion,” and she lives up to this interpretation in many ways. She and her mother were among the midwives who defied Pharaoh’s order to kill any Hebrew boys born, for example, and Miriam is said to have spoken up to Pharaoh when she was only 5 years old.

The multiple symbolisms of Miriam and the often-overlooked importance of women throughout history seemed to call for a medium of similar complexity with roots as ancient. And so, I chose embroidery as the means to express the image of Miriam, timbrel in hand, optimistic about her people’s future, the Sea of Reeds and their lives as slaves behind them.

Family fun with City Birds

Tamar Eisenman, left, and Sagit Shir bring their children’s music project, City Birds, to Vancouver for a March 23 concert at the Rothstein Theatre, as part of Chutzpah! Plus. (photo by Javier Ortega)

Looking for fun, positive music for your kids that will get you moving to the beat and singing along with them? Check out City Birds on March 23, 11 a.m., at the Rothstein Theatre.

The creative and talented duo with seemingly boundless energy is coming to Vancouver for the Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition, which runs March 19-23.

“Our goal is to weave a musical tapestry that captivates the imagination of the children and to accompany them on their mammoth journey of growing up, while also resonating with the hearts of older kids and parents,” write Tamar Eisenman and Sagit Shir on their City Birds website. “Our work is a celebration of families and about telling stories where children and parents find comfort, joy and inclusion.”

Even people without kids will appreciate the music’s playfulness, its folk and rock rhythms, and unique lyrics, all intended to uplift.

“It’s a lot of fun, and the inclusive elements are a key part of our craft – whether it’s mentioning all types of families, using different pronouns, or embracing a creative, childlike perspective that also serves as a wonderful reminder for grownups,” Eisenman told the Independent.

Both Eisenman and Shir are accomplished musicians. Eisenman has released multiple albums over the years and is currently touring with a couple of shows, including City Birds. Shir is the co-founder of the indie rock duo Hank & Cupcakes, and she teaches music and songwriting, specializing in early childhood music education. They each have some 20 years of music writing and touring to their credit.

“We met through Ariel, Sagit’s husband/partner,” said Eisenman. “Ariel and I went to high school together, and we’ve been really good friends ever since. I think I was about 18 or 19 when I first saw Sagit perform. She was singing with her trio in small music venues around Jerusalem, covering my favourite songs by Tori Amos, Suzanne Vega and others. Her voice and performance completely blew me away!”

“I remember that cover band!” said Shir. “Tamar was always a musical presence I was aware of beyond her years-long friendship with Ariel (who was also her bassist at some point). I remember being in awe of her musical and performative talents and generally admired how she ‘had it together’ at an age where I was just starting to seriously explore my musical tendencies.”

After Shir and her family moved back to New York City, she and Eisenman reconnected and started meeting up more often, sometimes with their kids.

“If I remember correctly, in September 2023, Sagit invited me to a friend’s show in the Lower East Side, where we first talked about the idea of writing and composing songs for kids and families, with LGBTQ awareness at the core. I personally felt there was a gap in family entertainment in that space,” said Eisenman.

“Sagit had her ukulele with her and, after the show, we hung out outside the club, brainstorming our first ideas for the project. From there, we each worked individually on some concepts, exchanging demo recordings, lyrics and ideas back and forth. As the songs took shape, we rehearsed, and, once we had about six songs ready, we performed at our daughters’ schools for the first time.”

The feedback was wonderful, said Eisenman. “That’s when we knew we wanted to keep folk Americana as the foundation of our sound – while adding some punk rock, of course. We wanted the music to feel close to home, reflecting the styles we personally connect with,” she said.

“It was also important to keep it organic and live, creating something that we, as adults, could relate to just as much as kids,” she continued. “The music is for everyone – it exists in that ‘in-between’ space: for kids growing up, for parents who were once kids, and for all of us witnessing that journey. It’s a fascinating timeline when you think about it. And then there’s our secret ingredient – Ariel. He’s such an incredible musician and he plays bass and other instruments on the record.”

While the meeting at the club may have been the first time the two musicians sat down together and brainstormed about writing and performing music geared towards children, Shir said the idea for City Birds came earlier.

“Tamar brought it up when our families went on a small vacation in upstate New York some time before,” said Shir, “and I was so excited at the prospect of collaborating with Tamar, whom I secretly admired, that I wrote the first lines of ‘The Family Song’ that very night.”

That Shir had worked on some songs already helped when the two started working together. For those pieces, Eisenman said, “we refined the lyrics, arranged the music together and made adjustments as needed.

“Other times, we each brought in songs, fragments or ideas and we’d have a little creative ‘ping-pong’ session to develop them,” she added. “For example, I wrote the verse of a lullaby I was working on, and Sagit added the B section musically, then we expanded the lyrics together from there. There’s really no single format or structure; we try to keep the process open, flexible.”

While their being Jewish doesn’t necessarily inform their music, Eisenman said their cultural heritage is an inherent part of who they are – “both in a traditional sense and as part of our roots,” she said. “The Hebrew language is, of course, dear to our hearts and, as my native language, it’s especially meaningful to me. Being able to incorporate it into our songs is a lot of fun as well.”

Shir’s background in early childhood music education no doubt plays a key role in their songs’ appeal.

The daughter of two teachers, Shir said, “I’ve found myself specializing in teaching language through music, especially Hebrew. I find that, with very young students, teaching them Hebrew through music almost works like magic. They find themselves learning important basic concepts such as colours, body parts and feelings without even realizing it’s happening. Music makes the language-learning process effortless and fun. I started the company Global Kids Music LLC a year ago and feel lucky to have found my calling.”

The March 23 Chutzpah! show will be City Birds’ Canadian premiere. The two musicians are “so happy for the opportunity to share our music with the Vancouver community and go on this musical journey together,” said Eisenman. “We’ve got a few surprises planned – including a special tribute to the music from back home.”

For more on City Birds, go to citybirdsmusic.com. For tickets to their Chutzpah! show, visit chutzpahfestival.com.

Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition includes theatre March 19 (Iris Bahr), comedy March 20 (Talia Reese), dance March 21-22 (Belle Spirale Dance Projects & Fernando Hernando Magadan) and music March 22 (Yamma Ensemble).