Passover at The Synagogue

The Passover seder describes an explosive release, propelling its participants from the strictures of slavery to a vision of Sinai and the world beyond it. Much of our liturgy bears witness to this moment, but the seder is the ceremony in which it is most fully realized. Because many Jews struggle with Hebrew language, the great melodies of the holiday are losing ground. Some seders are experiences of quiet recitation, a style that may fulfill the demands of the liturgy, but doesn’t communicate the surging enthusiasm of the holiday. Our souls crave eruptive joy, but we don’t have access to the right liturgical tools.

The B’nai Emunah seder works against this tendency. Thanks to years of experimentation, we’ve assembled melodies that work in our own congregation and may help to enrich the experience of your table. This is the work of many hands. For well over a decade, Jon Glazer has anchored the group we now call Klay Kodesh (“Instruments of Holiness”) at the Synagogue. Imagine a man who can play anything by ear and construct melodies and chord progressions with a kind of miraculous fluidity. He is supported on this album by Greg Raskin and Pat Savage, who are mainstay instrumentalists on the mandolin and guitar, respectively. Together, they produce a rounded, definable sound that is a credit to their musicianship, taste, and careful listening.

This album is only part of our melody set; much more will be released in the coming years. In the meantime, we hope you are benefitted. We think that making this music is an enormous privilege, and we take great pleasure in placing this album in your hands.

Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman | April 2016