From the Cantor - March 1999

Rabbi Pinchas said: "When one is singing and cannot lift his voice, and another comes and sings with him; another one who can lift his voice, then the first will be able to lift his voice too. That is the secret of the bond between spirit and spirit."

These words began to ring true for me many years ago in my conservatory days when I heard performances by the Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs. The "Clee Glubs," as they jokingly called themselves, had the biggest percentage of non-voice majors of any vocal ensemble at the University of Cincinnati, but their sounds were "like buttah!" The surprising results of combining ordinary voices into one great swell had to come from hard work, cooperation, and the sheer joy of making music together. Nowhere is this more truly realized than in a congregation and its choirs. Many thanks to the Zamir Chorale for making our Shabbat Shirah service what it was meant to be…an evening of prayer in song. This was made all the more possible by the congregation who, moved by the spirit of Shabbat or possibly just tired of my nagging, opened their throats and sang fully with the choir and me. I hope that the service supplements helped you to feel comfortable singing with us, and I’ll be listening for any suggestions on how further to enable your comfort in participation.

The next time you hear HaShirah will be Monday night, March 1st at our Purim Service and spiel. When you do, you will be as proud as I am. We now have twenty-five young voices ranging from ages 4 to 12. They are so terrific I can’t contain my naches (that’s Yiddish for "joy," not a Southwestern snack). They are also preparing for their part in the Cantor’s Concert on Saturday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. What’s more, we have fun together while working really hard. And they’re really good secret keepers too, so don’t even TRY to find out about the Purimspiel from them…just come, laugh, and be proud of your kids. Chag Purim Sameach (Happy Purim!)!

B'Shalom u-v'shir,
Cantor Jacqueline Shuchat-Marx

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