Music Comes to B'nai Israel

Join the Singing! Or Just Hum Along! Abq Jew would like to say he's sorry about the old Dad (see below) "hummingbird" joke - but he's not.

Abq Jew saw this marvelous hummingbird photograph on Abq photographer Jerry Goffe's Facebook, and he just couldn't resist.

Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they don't know the words!

Besides which - Abq Jew is a Dad (and a Popsie). So he's absolutely entitled.
At least once in a while.

But let's continue with the main topic of this blog post: music. Specifically, Jewish music. Even more specifically, Jewish music that people can sing (if they know the words, or can read them) or hum along with (if they don't or can't).

Now, you may (or may not) know that Congregation B'nai Israel of Albuquerque has a new-ish (he's been here for weeks) Interim Rabbi.

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg answered all the quiz questions (see Wanna Be Our Interim Rabbi?) correctly (or close enough) and got the job!

Rabbi Gartenberg comes to CBI from Seattle, where (among a few other activities) he was deeply involved in getting that Jewish community to sing. And now us.

Friday November 8 @ 6:00 pm

Congregation B'nai Israel

4401 Indian School Road NE, Abq 87110

RSVP: (505) 266-0155 or office@bnaiisrael-nm.org

Abq musical cognoscenti will of course (of course!) recognize that B'nai Israel is coming late to the music game - Cantor Barbara Finn at Congregation Albert and Cantor Beth Cohen at Nahalat Shalom have been musicalizing for years.

However - as Abq Jew noted (pun fully intended) back in 2016 (see Peace in the High Places) -

When you daven exclusively at stodgy, old,
set-in-their-ways, "traditional" Conservative shuls,
you miss a lot of the fun.

Congregation B'nai Israel will soon (2020)
celebrate its 100th year, and will even sooner
(November 12) celebrate its building's listing
in the National Register of Historic Places.

Yes, you can call Congregation B'nai Israel "old" and "traditional." Just don't call B'nai Israel "stodgy". Or "set in their ways." Not any more.

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg is in the building.

Here are a couple of selections from Friday evening's set list. Singing will be led by Rabbi Gartenberg and - yes, by Nahalat Shalom's Cantor Beth Cohen. And by a few friends.

Lecha Dodi (Maccabeats; to Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah

Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they don't know the words!

And if you'd just like to hum along - where you don't need to know the words -

Bina's Nigun (Joey Weisenberg and the Hadar Ensemble)

You can see more of B'nai Israel's music
by visiting the CBI Songs playlist
on Abq Jew's YouTube channel.

Like what you see here?