Singer-songwriter Debbie Friedman has been appointed to the faculty of the Reform cantorial school. This fall, Friedman will teach rabbinical and cantorial students at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s School of Sacred Music in New York. She also will coach cantorial students. Friedman’s appointment is being heralded as an official stamp of approval of her style of contemporary music. School officials say it already is taught alongside traditional chazzanut, or cantorial music, in Reform congregations. From her start as a composer of Jewish summer camp songs in the 1970s, Friedman has penned hundreds of songs for worship and performance. Some, like “The Water in the Well,†are originals. Others, such as “L’cha Dodi†and “Sim Shalom,†are reworkings of traditional Jewish prayers. Her tune for “Mi Shebeirach,†one of her best-known musical compositions, is used in many synagogues.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
