Elana Arian: Judaism Unbound Episode 503 - Jewish Music
Elana Arian, a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, is one of the most important voices in contemporary Jewish music. She joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about what the phrase "Jewish music" means, what sacred music does to/for us, and the extent to which there even is a definable boundary between "Jewish music" and other music. This episode is the first in an ongoing mini-series of Judaism Unbound episodes mobilizing Jewish music — past, present, and future — as a launching point into conversations about contemporary Jewish life and experience.
[1] Head to JudaismUnbound.com/classes to check out our up upcoming courses in the UnYeshiva! Amazing learning opportunities are available for registration exploring the book of Jubilees, Jewish Exile and Liberation, the Talmud, and Antisemitism Unbound. Financial aid is available via this link.
[2] Purchase Elana Arian's most recent album, If We Loved Like That, via this link (digital) or this link (vinyl).
[3] Arian mentions Alex Edelman, a Jewish comedian. Learn more about him at AlexEdelmanComedy.com.
[4] Lex references his undergrad thesis about Kol Nidrei, when discussing the ways that music generates meaning far beyond its words. For his thesis in full, click here.
[5] For an article exploring Debbie Friedman’s composition of her Mi Shebeirach blessing — and its context in the 1980s amidst the AIDS epidemic — click here.
[6] Listen to the song Unholy (Sam Smith and Kim Petras) via this link, and learn more about it here.
[7] Learn more about Jewish musician Gracie Abrams, who Arian mentions toward the end of the conversation, via this article in Hey Alma.