Tuesday, November 10, 2009
An East Village Synagogue Gets a Jazzy Rabbi
At first glance, the term “jazz rabbi” might seem incongruous, but the recent installation of Greg Wall, a well-known jazz musician, as the rabbi at the Sixth Street Community Synagogue, a modern Orthodox congregation in the East Village, shows that the porkpie and the yarmulke are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
In an Oct. 31 concert to mark the start of his tenure as senior rabbi, Rabbi Wall brought his blend of the sacred and the avant-garde to the sanctuary of the 70-year-old building, which was originally a Lutheran church. Several weeks earlier, Rabbi Wall had stood in the same spot giving a sermon on Yom Kippur, but at Sixth Street, this night was different from all other nights.
“I doubt these walls have ever heard music like this,” said Seth Glass, who recently joined the synagogue and played guitar in the concert.
More than 100 people, many of them senior citizens, attended the concert, despite a heavy rain and the distractions of Halloween in the streets. Accompanied by nearly 20 musicians from several continents, Rabbi Wall played in a variety of styles, including straight-ahead jazz, klezmer and African drumming.
“Two of my greatest passions come together with this job, where I don’t have to choose if I’m a musician or a student of our religion,” Rabbi Wall, who was also celebrating his 50th birthday, told the congregation. “I still can’t quite make a living as a rabbi, though, so I need to have something to fall back on — like being a jazz musician.”
Earlier that night, Rabbi Wall, dressed in a black suit and draped in a tallis, or Jewish prayer shawl, finished the week’s prayers and left to prepare for the concert. Minutes later, he returned to the sanctuary in a loose-fitting maroon paisley shirt and a decorative, arabesqued yarmulke. But the change in outfit didn’t mean he had abandoned his rabbinical duties for the night.
“If you start talking about spirituality during a show, then you’re seen as a fanatic, but if you’re a rabbi, they cut you some slack,” he said. “It’s like James Bond getting his license to kill. I get a license to talk about spirituality.”
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/an-east-village-synagogue-gets-a-jazzy-rabbi/
In an Oct. 31 concert to mark the start of his tenure as senior rabbi, Rabbi Wall brought his blend of the sacred and the avant-garde to the sanctuary of the 70-year-old building, which was originally a Lutheran church. Several weeks earlier, Rabbi Wall had stood in the same spot giving a sermon on Yom Kippur, but at Sixth Street, this night was different from all other nights.
“I doubt these walls have ever heard music like this,” said Seth Glass, who recently joined the synagogue and played guitar in the concert.
More than 100 people, many of them senior citizens, attended the concert, despite a heavy rain and the distractions of Halloween in the streets. Accompanied by nearly 20 musicians from several continents, Rabbi Wall played in a variety of styles, including straight-ahead jazz, klezmer and African drumming.
“Two of my greatest passions come together with this job, where I don’t have to choose if I’m a musician or a student of our religion,” Rabbi Wall, who was also celebrating his 50th birthday, told the congregation. “I still can’t quite make a living as a rabbi, though, so I need to have something to fall back on — like being a jazz musician.”
Earlier that night, Rabbi Wall, dressed in a black suit and draped in a tallis, or Jewish prayer shawl, finished the week’s prayers and left to prepare for the concert. Minutes later, he returned to the sanctuary in a loose-fitting maroon paisley shirt and a decorative, arabesqued yarmulke. But the change in outfit didn’t mean he had abandoned his rabbinical duties for the night.
“If you start talking about spirituality during a show, then you’re seen as a fanatic, but if you’re a rabbi, they cut you some slack,” he said. “It’s like James Bond getting his license to kill. I get a license to talk about spirituality.”
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/an-east-village-synagogue-gets-a-jazzy-rabbi/
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