Rabbi José Rolando Matalon (Vocals) and Dan Nadel (Flamenco Guitar)

This concert lecture will provide an intimate exploration of beautiful piyutim and music from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East stretching from the 10th to the 20th century.

For over a decade, in concert settings as well as at the prayer services of Manhattan’s B’nai Jeshurun congregation, Rabbi Matalon and guitarist Dan Nadel have been delving passionately and deeply into the heritage of Sephardic Jews, presenting traditional melodies and poetry, while bringing the spirit of innovation and renewal in order to creatively reestablish the connection with modern-day sounds.

Piyut, a form of Jewish liturgical poetry, composed for centuries by Hebrew poets, scholars, philosophers, mystics, reached its peak in medieval Spain. Much of this poetry is incredibly beautiful and evocative, with deep insight about the human condition and spiritual yearning. Most of this poetry was influenced by Arabic poetics of the time, reflecting a symbiotic cultural relationship between Muslims and Jews in the Iberian peninsula. Following the forced migration of Sephardic Jews to North Africa, the middle east, the Balkans, the Caucasus and other areas, this poetry continued to evolve as it was adapted to beloved melodies of the host nations.

Daphna Mor joins esteemed early music ensemble, The Newbury Consort, for an exploration music of faith and longing through piyutim of Renaissance Spain and the Ladino oral tradition of the Sephardic Jews. Presented in partnership with Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Daphna Mor joins esteemed early music ensemble, The Newbury Consort, for an exploration music of faith and longing through piyutim of Renaissance Spain and the Ladino oral tradition of the Sephardic Jews. Presented in partnership with Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Daphna Mor joins esteemed early music ensemble, The Newbury Consort, for an exploration music of faith and longing through piyutim of Renaissance Spain and the Ladino oral tradition of the Sephardic Jews. Presented in partnership with Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Rabbi Roly Matalon, Deborah Sacks Mintz, and BJ Music Director, Dan Nadel lead an alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday evening of each month. With the help of soulful melodies, verses of Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), liturgical poems and Psalms we will transition gently and with full kavannah from hol to kodesh – leaving the ordinary work-week consciousness in order to enter holy time and welcome Shabbat. For more information click here. 

Featuring Abhik Mukherjee, Ranendra Das & Jessie Reagan Mann.

The Om Shalom Trio is an ensemble of award-winning World Class artists.

This sitar, cello, table ensemble draws on rhythmic and melodic similarities to create a fusion of Indian Classical and Ancient Jewish melodies.

The etymology of the trio's name, Om Shalon, is synonymous with peace in Hindu and Hebrew.

Their creations, while rooted in Far East and Middle Eastern traditions have appealed to audiences of all backgrounds worldwide.

Come enjoy a welcoming evening of peace and tranquility as the Om Shalom Trio fills your heart and mind with music.

To close out a weekend of song at Let My People Sing! NYC, join us for a joyous and rousing night of community singing.

The participatory concert featuring Cantor Ari Priven and Arielle Rosenberg ( BJ), Daphna Mor (Beineinu), Cantor George Mordecai (Temple Israel Center), Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer (Romemu), and the Let My People Sing! Organizing Team with BJ and Beinenu musicians Saskia Lane, Dan Nadel and Rich Stein.  Ticket Info: $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

Bring voice, breath and body together in this pilot 5-session series that will combine two devotional practices: Asana Yoga and Piyut (Hebrew liturgical poetry). Each month we will study a new piyut, sing and chant together, and explore the piyut’s theme through a gentle yoga practice. We’ll finish in time to head into the main service in the sanctuary for Torah reading. Rabbi Shuli Passow leads the yoga, with Rabbi Roly Matalon, Dan Nadel, and rabbinic fellow Arielle Rosenberg rotating each month to provide live musical accompaniment.

Never practiced yoga before? The yoga practice will be open level; all are welcome and no experience is necessary to participate.

Not so familiar with Hebrew liturgical poetry? You’re in good company! The piyutim we’ll study are beautiful but not well known. Transliterations and translations will be provided for everything.

Wondering what to wear to a yoga class at a synagogue? This yoga practice will be very gentle, designed to open your body and soul for the rest of the Shabbat service but not to make you sweat! You can wear the same clothes you’d want to wear in the sanctuary–just make sure you have some freedom to move.

What else should I know? We will have a limited number of yoga mats available; please bring your own, or a bath-sized towel.

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

58MF's exciting 10th Anniversary Season continues this month as virtuosic ensemble EAST OF THE RIVER returns to the 58MF roster with their new program SULTANA: Music of the Sephardic Diaspora.

Thursday March 16 at 7:30PM | Congregation Beth Elohim | 274 Garfield Place at 8th Ave, Brooklyn

Info & Tickets Founded by the woodwind virtuosos Daphna Mor and Nina Stern, East of the River explores haunting and captivating melodies from the traditional repertoires of the Balkans, Armenia, and the Middle East, as well as from the Medieval European classical repertory.

Enter promo code SULTANA for $5 off ticket price!

SULTANA celebrates the ancient musical world of the Sephardic Jewish diaspora in North Africa and throughout the Ottoman Empire, taking the audience on a journey through bazaars, kitchens, dance circles, prayer houses, and public spaces.  The program is inspired by the experiences of Mor's own Sephardic great-grandmother, Sultana Magrisso, who emigrated with her family from Bulgaria to British Palestine in 1944, traveling through Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon.

East of the River

Nina Stern | recorders, chalumeau

Daphna Mor | recorders, voice, ney

John Hadfield | percussion

Jesse Kotansky | violin

Guest artist: Kane Mathis | oud

Buy tickets now at 58MF.org

Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel will lead an alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday evening of each month. With the help of soulful melodies, verses of Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), liturgical poems and Psalms we will transition gently and with full kavannah from hol to kodesh – leaving the ordinary work-week consciousness in order to enter holy time and welcome Shabbat. For more information click here. 

We yearn for the divine just as the divine yearns to find us – simultaneous quests guided by the soulful, plaintive music of piyut. For the past 1,000 years, Sephardic and Oriental Jews have gathered for the forty days from the beginning of the month of Elul through Rosh Hashanah, and up to Yom Kippur, rising at dawn to sing and to prepare the soul for repentance and renewal. Led by Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel, our three-part series will engage us in that spiritual journey and get us ready for the upcoming sublime days of soul-searching and prayer through haunting melodies of ancient Jewish communities as well as modern Israeli poetry and song. Join us at 7:00 PM  for light refreshments; program begins at 7:30 PM. The series is free of charge and open to the public.

We yearn for the divine just as the divine yearns to find us – simultaneous quests guided by the soulful, plaintive music of piyut. For the past 1,000 years, Sephardic and Oriental Jews have gathered for the forty days from the beginning of the month of Elul through Rosh Hashanah, and up to Yom Kippur, rising at dawn to sing and to prepare the soul for repentance and renewal. Led by Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel, our three-part series will engage us in that spiritual journey and get us ready for the upcoming sublime days of soul-searching and prayer through haunting melodies of ancient Jewish communities as well as modern Israeli poetry and song. Join us at 7:00 PM  for light refreshments; program begins at 7:30 PM. The series is free of charge and open to the public.

Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel will lead an alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday evening of each month. With the help of soulful melodies, verses of Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), liturgical poems and Psalms we will transition gently and with full kavannah from hol to kodesh – leaving the ordinary work-week consciousness in order to enter holy time and welcome Shabbat. For more information click here. 

Bring voice, breath and body together in this pilot 5-session series that will combine two devotional practices: Asana Yoga and Piyut (Hebrew liturgical poetry). Each month we will study a new piyut, sing and chant together, and explore the piyut’s theme through a gentle yoga practice. We’ll finish in time to head into the main service in the sanctuary for Torah reading. Rabbi Shuli Passow leads the yoga, with Rabbi Roly Matalon, Dan Nadel, and rabbinic fellow Arielle Rosenberg rotating each month to provide live musical accompaniment.

Never practiced yoga before? The yoga practice will be open level; all are welcome and no experience is necessary to participate.

Not so familiar with Hebrew liturgical poetry? You’re in good company! The piyutim we’ll study are beautiful but not well known. Transliterations and translations will be provided for everything.

Wondering what to wear to a yoga class at a synagogue? This yoga practice will be very gentle, designed to open your body and soul for the rest of the Shabbat service but not to make you sweat! You can wear the same clothes you’d want to wear in the sanctuary–just make sure you have some freedom to move.

What else should I know? We will have a limited number of yoga mats available; please bring your own, or a bath-sized towel.

The Moroccan-born rabbi, David Buzaglo, is considered by many to be the greatest Hebrew liturgical poet of the 20th century.  His innovative writings often riffed on risqué Arab pop while remaining faithful to a centuries-old Andalusian musical tradition.  This film, directed by Rafael Balulu, takes an intimate look at how Buzaglo significantly impacted Moroccan Jews before and after many immigrated to Israel and how his legacy has contributed to an Israeli cultural revolution today.

Seating is limited - RSVP REQUIRED.  Contact RSVP.TAUB@NYU.EDU

Q&A and Discussion following the premiere with Director Rafael Balulu, moderated by Prof. Galeet Dardashti 

Light refreshments will be served

An experiential workshop for educators and beyond led by Rabbi Tsipora Gabai and Vavi Toran.

Connect with the rich heritage of this musical tradition and the different Kehillot (communities) from around the world, their history, folklore, food, customs and the special sounds and Piyutim they bring with them.

Learn a few Piyutim, try a variety of musical instruments, explore several educational curricula and discuss ways to bring it to your school, congregation or community.

Visiting artist Yair Harel’s residency at the Magnes and his workshop at Jewish LearningWorks  last year renewed interest in the ancient art of Piyut. Based on feedback from participants, we identified a need for follow-up programs that bring Piyut to Bay Area Schools in a thoughtful way. This is one such program.

For more information and to register, click here. 

Sponsored by:
Piyut North America (with support from the Alan B. Slifka Foundation), Jewish LearningWorks, Jewish Community Center of the East Bay, and Tehiyah Day School

• Saturday, February 20, 2016
• 8:45am  9:25am
• Congregation B'nai Jeshurun 

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

• Friday, February 19, 2016
• 6:30pm  8:00pm
• Congregation B'nai Jeshurun 

Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel will lead an alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday evening of each month. With the help of soulful melodies, verses of Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), liturgical poems and Psalms we will transition gently and with full kavannah from hol to kodesh – leaving the ordinary work-week consciousness in order to enter holy time and welcome Shabbat. For more information click here. 

Bring voice, breath and body together in this pilot 5-session series that will combine two devotional practices: Asana Yoga and Piyut (Hebrew liturgical poetry). Each month we will study a new piyut, sing and chant together, and explore the piyut’s theme through a gentle yoga practice. We’ll finish in time to head into the main service in the sanctuary for Torah reading. Rabbi Shuli Passow leads the yoga, with Rabbi Roly Matalon, Dan Nadel, and rabbinic fellow Arielle Rosenberg rotating each month to provide live musical accompaniment.

Never practiced yoga before? The yoga practice will be open level; all are welcome and no experience is necessary to participate.

Not so familiar with Hebrew liturgical poetry? You’re in good company! The piyutim we’ll study are beautiful but not well known. Transliterations and translations will be provided for everything.

Wondering what to wear to a yoga class at a synagogue? This yoga practice will be very gentle, designed to open your body and soul for the rest of the Shabbat service but not to make you sweat! You can wear the same clothes you’d want to wear in the sanctuary–just make sure you have some freedom to move.

What else should I know? We will have a limited number of yoga mats available; please bring your own, or a bath-sized towel.

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel will lead an alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday evening of each month. With the help of soulful melodies, verses of Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), liturgical poems and Psalms we will transition gently and with full kavannah from hol to kodesh – leaving the ordinary work-week consciousness in order to enter holy time and welcome Shabbat. For more information click here. 

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

Rabbi Roly Matalon and musician Dan Nadel will lead an alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service on the third Friday evening of each month. With the help of soulful melodies, verses of Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), liturgical poems and Psalms we will transition gently and with full kavannah from hol to kodesh – leaving the ordinary work-week consciousness in order to enter holy time and welcome Shabbat. For more information click here. 

Shira Yoga is a Piyut-inspired yoga class that weaves together creative movement and live musical performance. Come to Temple Shalom to experience Shabbat through movement, music, and spiritual practice.All are welcome, no experience with yoga or chanting required.

Celebrate the festival of lights with the first of three concerts scheduled around Jewish holidays. This series presents a diverse group of artists including some of New York’s most passionate and compelling voices and instrumentalists. Featuring Hazzan Sacha Ouazana, Hazzan Ayelet Porzecanski, Rabbi Rolando Matalon with musical direction by Dan Nadel with Brahim Fribgane and Ismail Lumanovski.

Location: JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street 

Tickets: $20/$25, purchase tickets at jccmanhattan.org/music or call 646.505.5708

Hachana LaTefillah (Prelude to Prayer) at B'nai Jeshurun invites participants to prepare for the Shabbat morning service through meditative singing of Piyut and text study. Led by Rabbi Rolando Matalon, this program runs bi-monthly at BJ's 86th Street Chapel. 

Shira Yoga is a Piyut-inspired yoga class that weaves together creative movement and live musical performance. Come to Temple Shalom to experience Shabbat through movement, music, and spiritual practice.All are welcome, no experience with yoga or chanting required.