Between Tradition and Modernity: Judaism on the Move

In this study we will discuss works of Israeli modern composers who set traditional prayers (piyut) to music. People are poised between tradition and modernity – always yearning for meaning and striving for the transcendental, the eternal. We will discuss the modern interpretations of individual and congregational prayers and the role that these composers, who intertwine old and new, play in contemporary communities, in and outside Israel.

This study is of cultural significance, today more than ever. The digital generation, born into a reality where the computer serves as the backbone of its lifestyle, the generation for whom social isolation has become part of the daily routine – years to find an anchor in its life – one of tradition, of the heritage of generations, which has the potential to give support and meaning to human existence. In a world ruled by uncertainty, tradition and culture, both particular and universal, offer a genuine key to life’s treasures. In this way man finds himself part of the chain of generations. He is connected. He has a cultural identity. The song of the synagogue, the liturgical song of man to God, has become the song of the crowd, and the song of man to man.