“It is a great virtue of composers . . . that they draw people to sanctity and distance them from transgression.”
Rabbi Shalom Mashash, A’ira Shahar

Kehillot Sharot – Singing Communities

The role and relevance of Jewish song, especially piyut, in the lives of individuals and communities, were central in the Diaspora. Piyutim were communal poems that answered the needs of the Jewish community. They expressed and dealt with communal cycles of life, be they ritual, social or political.

The poems were written to be set to music and sung by the members of the community. The songs were clearly dedicated to the main goal of preserving the communal dimension through music, which formed an integral part of every sociocultural event, in the synagogue or elsewhere. They met cultural, aesthetic, and emotional needs and turned every such event into a festival.

The Piyut faced a huge challenge with the assimilation of Jewish etnicities into the state of Israel . However, it continues to play a significant role for many Israelis. The piyut is far from realizing its potential vis-à-vis Israeli society as a whole: The piyut holds the promise of strengthening the concept of community in general, bridging generational gaps through cultural experience, providing Israeli society a different, more accessible kind of exposure to the Jewish sources, and deepening the existing affinity through a shared musical "event" which brings diverse population groups together.

Access to piyut: The general public, including secular Jews, rarely had access to piyut or opportunities to be exposed to the essence of piyut before Kehilot Sharot set out on its mission.

Through “the enchanted journey of piyut” workshops all over Israel, Kehilot Sharot reaches out to diverse population groups and tries to expose them to the wealth and diversity of the Jewish tradition in a friendly, enjoyable way. The activities, which combine songs and piyutim with discussion and midrashim on piyutim together with the experience of a rich and pluralistic human encounter, are open to everyone, irrespective of religious affiliation, sex, ethnic group, age, and so on.

The positive impressions of these workshops evinces the belief that piyut is not only one of the main mechanisms for the transmission, preservation, and evolution of the tradition, but that it may also serve as a non-threatening, non-coercive agent for furthering the bond among different factions of the Jewish people.

From an external Evaluation Report about Kehilot Sharot - Singing Communities, submitted by Zofnat Institute for Organizational Consulting, Development and Research, 2006

"Our impression is that the strength of the Singing Communities lies in the convergence of several powerful channels of socialization working simultaneously: community, spiritual, musical, Jewish. A majority of the participants experience community singing as having immense power. In sum, one can say that piyut is viewed as something that is wonderful and enchanting, unique and special, that contributes pleasure and meaning."