Kirtans with the Bene Israelis – mid-day.com
Posted By admin on September 6, 2022
How did a Jewish sect start singing local devotional songs? Drop by for a lecture-performance to learn about the revival of the syncretic tradition
The clink of hand cymbals, beats of dholak and singers caught in a trance come to mind when we think of kirtans, be it to invoke the blessings of Sherawali Mata or Sai Baba. But in the 1880s, long after the ship-wrecked Bene Israelis had put down roots in the Konkan soil, kirtans were giving voice to the stories of creation, Noah, Abraham and Moses. Composed by a new breed of kirtankars, who were Bene Israelis, the devotional songs - primarily in Marathi then - were being sung to not just invoke the almighty, but to also preserve the history of the community. "Our ancestors had lost everything in the shipwreck. In the villages where they resided, kirtans were a major form of religious discourse among Maharashtrians. To keep the Biblical traditions of Judaism and what happened to our forefathers alive, they adopted kirtans, using drama, narration and music to impart knowledge," shares Elijah Samson Jacob, a member of the Orot Ha Tanakh kirtan group. Jacob, along with the group, will open up about the history of this syncretic tradition at a lecture-performance hosted by the Mumbai Research Centre of The Asiatic Society of Mumbai.
Benjamin Shimshon Ashtamkar, the first Bene Israeli kirtankar
Jacob, former executive director of American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, India, recalls growing up listening to the catchy tunes of Bene Israeli kirtans, thanks to his grandfather. A former cantor at the Sha*ar Harahamim or The Gate of Mercy Synagogue near Masjid Bunder, his grandfather would often hum kirtans. "Kirtans started becoming popular in the community in the 1880s. He must have heard them and would often sing or hum the songs, while dropping us to school or sitting at the Victoria Gardens," Jacob reminisces.
Shimshon Akhyan (1934), a book of kirtans
Despite some early resistance, the community warmed up to the songs that became a regular feature at naming ceremonies, weddings and housewarming parties. Between 1880 and 1960, 42 kirtans became part of the repertoire. Although Bene Israeli kirtans started fading away after India and Israel*s independence, they were briefly revived by Flora Samuel in Israel and Rachel Gadkar in India. Sustained revival efforts started in 2015, when Jacob, and many others like him, started discovering that they had musical memories of these didactic songs, thanks to their grand, or great-grandparents. "I thought, why not compile these kirtans. Fortunately, Dr Nathan Aston, a community member from Pune, had a bundle of 22 kirtans that his great-grandfather, the first kirtankar, Benjamin Shimshon Ashtamkar, had left him." Their efforts were boosted by Anna Schultz, an ethnomusicologist, who sponsored the first kirtan recital in Matunga.
The early kirtans were centred on Biblical stories, Jacob notes. "It started with the concept of creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Noah, the forefathers, and continued with prophet Moses. Most kirtans in the early days were based on The Torah. Some of the later prophets were also included, along with other writings and events in Jewish history."
Elijah Samson Jacob
On Wednesday, Jacob and the kirtan group will delve into the different influences that shaped the tradition - from Bollywood songs such as Ae malik tere bande hum to the Shabbat liturgy. Viewers can expect to hear kirtans in Marathi, Hindi, English and Hebrew, accompanied by the quintessential sounds of cymbals, dholak and harmonium, rendered through a synthesiser and a mouth organ. "We*re also going to have a sale of our compiled publication, Bene Israeli Kirtans. The proceeds will go to an old age home for the community in Panvel," Jacob adds.
On: September 7; 5 pmAt: Durbar Hall, The Asiatic Society of Mumbai, Fort
Originally posted here:
Kirtans with the Bene Israelis - mid-day.com
- Judaism - Wikipedia - February 11th, 2023
- The Jewish Denominations | My Jewish Learning - February 7th, 2023
- Judaism - Basic beliefs and doctrines | Britannica - January 12th, 2023
- Beliefs and branches of Judaism | Britannica - December 15th, 2022
- Judaism: Beliefs, Rituals, Celebrations And Symbols - Edubirdie - December 15th, 2022
- The Patient is best when it focuses on Judaism, not serial killers - Haaretz - December 9th, 2022
- The Great Revolt (66 - 70 CE) - Jewish Virtual Library - October 15th, 2022
- Wanting in, wanting out: Phoebe Maltz Bovy contemplates the soup of beliefs found in a new book called 'Bad Jews' - The Canadian Jewish News - October 15th, 2022
- THIS BEAUTIFUL FUTURE to Host Talkback with Jewish Faith Leaders This Month - Broadway World - October 15th, 2022
- The myth of the lost golden age - OnlySky - October 15th, 2022
- USAFA cadet forced to choose between her religion and key training told the issue is being Jewish - Daily Kos - October 15th, 2022
- The power of prayer - Cleveland Jewish News - October 15th, 2022
- Path of the Spirit: Our environment witnesses to the sacred - Las Cruces Sun-News - October 15th, 2022
- Judaism and Human Creativity - aish.com - Aish.com - October 6th, 2022
- Do Jewish converts have to believe in God? - Forward - October 6th, 2022
- 'The Patient': Why Ezra Converting to Orthodox Judaism Is Such a Big Deal - Showbiz Cheat Sheet - October 6th, 2022
- After 500 Years, Closing the Circle - aish.com - Aish.com - October 6th, 2022
- Sukkot Belongs to Every Jew - Jewish Journal - October 6th, 2022
- Judaism - InfoPlease - October 4th, 2022
- Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Here's what that means - Rockdale Newton Citizen - October 4th, 2022
- Pro-abortion Stances Are the Norm Surveying Islam and Judaism - A Little Bit Human - October 4th, 2022
- As a Jewish new year begins, reflections on my career and faith | Greenbiz - GreenBiz - October 4th, 2022
- Student Voices: Celebrating Rosh Hashanah with the Second Gentleman - GW Today - October 4th, 2022
- The belated birth of a Jew - JNS.org - October 4th, 2022
- Graffiti in the Sukkah | Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - October 4th, 2022
- Jews. In Their Own Words. Review - LondonTheatre.co.uk - October 4th, 2022
- Calls to fear Soros and the globalists are nakedly antisemitic, and must be rejected - Colorado Newsline - October 4th, 2022
- My great-grandparents died in the Holocaust and were almost forgotten - Salon - October 2nd, 2022
- 'Deciphering The Gospels Proves Jesus Never Existed' review: Chapter Eight - Freethought Blogs - October 2nd, 2022
- A new cookbook highlights women of the Talmud - Press Herald - October 2nd, 2022
- Messianic Jews vs. Orthodox Jews: Now a Libel Case (Over Allegations of a Non-Theological Fight) - Reason - September 27th, 2022
- Rosh Hashanah 2022: What you should know about the Jewish New Year - PennLive - September 27th, 2022
- Judaism's greatest mystery: Where are the ten lost tribes of Israel? - Ynetnews - September 27th, 2022
- How Rosh Hashanah compares to the coronation of a monarch | Opinion - Commercial Appeal - September 27th, 2022
- D.C.-based org ready to 'Gather' young Jews in Bay Area J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 27th, 2022
- Does pagan mean what you think it does? - Aleteia - September 27th, 2022
- This vintage video of a Jewish boys choir goes viral and you need to see it - St. Louis Jewish Light - September 27th, 2022
- Where to Worship for the High Holidays - Scarsdale10583.com - September 27th, 2022
- Martha's Vineyard and the high price of liberal Jewish 'compassion' - JNS.org - September 27th, 2022
- From the Shabba-tent: My Relationship to Judaism and the WJC Camping Trip - Wesleyan Argus - September 23rd, 2022
- Can Reform and Conservative Judaism support for Zionism be revived? - JNS.org - September 23rd, 2022
- Progressive Jewish group launches think tank to counter spread of right-wing ideas - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - September 23rd, 2022
- Politics from the Pulpit | Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - September 23rd, 2022
- What Is The Significance of The Challah Cover? - aish.com - Aish.com - September 23rd, 2022
- The Mitzvah of Eating on Yom Kippur - jewishboston.com - September 23rd, 2022
- Who is the star on Rosh Hashanah; the pomegranate, apple or both? - The Times of Israel - September 23rd, 2022
- OPINION: Caught in the poignancy of an era-defining day - Jewish News - September 23rd, 2022
- How is it not our responsibility to help them?' - The Jewish Standard - September 23rd, 2022
- How Judaism and science come together every month in St. Louis - St. Louis Jewish Light - September 11th, 2022
- Concerns about Germans converting to Judaism carry resonance in land of Holocaust - The Irish Times - September 11th, 2022
- Opinion: We need stories that represent - The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle - September 11th, 2022
- Rav Kook: The Leading Thinker of Religious Zionism - Brandeis University - September 11th, 2022
- Moroccan Muslims Are Reviving Jewish Heritage in Former Jewish Neighborhoods - The Media Line - September 11th, 2022
- The Fabelmans - Toronto 2022 - Solzy at the Movies - September 11th, 2022
- "A World Where Justice and Righteousness Prevail" in the Rosh Hashanah Amidah - Brandeis University - September 11th, 2022
- Yamma Ensemble will bring music of the Mizrahi Jewish Diaspora to Sheffield's Race Brook Lodge - Berkshire Eagle - September 11th, 2022
- To The Third And Fourth Generations - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - September 11th, 2022
- Love is a Skeleton Key - aish.com - Aish.com - September 11th, 2022
- Congress of World and Traditional Religious Leaders to Address Social Status of Women - Astana Times - September 11th, 2022
- Creators Behind FX Series 'The Patient' Explain How the Show Explores Jewish Trauma, Themes of Intolerance - Algemeiner - September 6th, 2022
- Kenden Alfond Finds Culinary Inspiration from the Talmud - aish.com - Aish.com - September 6th, 2022
- At a time of conflict, religious leaders are coming together to stand for peace - The Parliament Magazine - September 6th, 2022
- The Black Jews of Ghana who discovered their roots through a vision - Face2Face Africa - September 6th, 2022
- Opinion: When Judaism Considers the Long Term, It Looks to the Past Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - September 2nd, 2022
- Rabbis of LA | Rabbi Laura Geller: Seeing Everyone in the Image of the Holy One - Jewish Journal - September 2nd, 2022
- What's the Most Pressing Issue Facing American Jews? Answers from a New Generation of Jewish Leaders - brandeis.edu - September 2nd, 2022
- In Ulster County, Service Beyond Politics With A Dose Of Judaism - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - September 2nd, 2022
- Are We Ready to Show Up? - Jewish Journal - September 2nd, 2022
- Bishop Robert Stearns wants to reinvent evangelicalism without leaving it behind - Religion News Service - September 2nd, 2022
- Hillel in Hoboken: Perfect together - The Jewish Standard - September 2nd, 2022
- Liberal Jewish groups are the same as the Democratic Party - JNS.org - September 2nd, 2022
- Foley Library hosts Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibit - Bulletin - September 2nd, 2022
- Netanyahu seeks to keep Haredi UTJ party united, but some prefer he not interfere - The Times of Israel - September 2nd, 2022
- Which Will Be Worlds Largest Religion By 2100 - NewsPatrolling - September 2nd, 2022
- Letters to the Editor | Opinion | dnews.com - Moscow-Pullman Daily News - September 2nd, 2022
- On Jews, Muslims, and Matters of Life and Death - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - September 2nd, 2022
- The Fictionalist Approach to Religion | Gene Veith - Patheos - August 30th, 2022
- The Judaism And Zionism Of David Sarnoff - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 30th, 2022
- New documentary, 'Illumination: Light of Am Yisroel on the World,' follows the stories of Jewish heroes - Cleveland Jewish News - August 30th, 2022
- Joseph D. Steinfield: Looking Back My holidays and the change of seasons - Monadnock Ledger Transcript - August 30th, 2022
Comments