Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Jewish music, including klezmer and other traditions.
Music
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Community Singing is Just the Beginning
In the spring of 1947, a small group of Hazzanim joined together to lay the foundation for a cantorial association designed to address the immediate and anticipated future concerns of practicing cantors in North America. Their most pressing objective was to professionalize the Cantorate. In doing so, they had to establish the Cantor as a…
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Community A Road to God, Paved With Sick Beats
I was 16 when I first posted a video of myself beatboxing to Chris Brown and T-Pain’s “Kiss Kiss” on YouTube. Few things embarrass me more than watching the video or knowing that thousands of people have watched me attempt vocal percussion when I should have just moved on. And yet, 8 years, 171 videos,…
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The Schmooze WATCH: African American Hasidic Rapper in Star-Studded Music Video
Nissim Baruch Black’s religious path has been winding. He was raised a non-practicing Sunni Muslim, converted to Christianity at age 14, embraced Messianic Christianity as an adult — and ultimately converted to Orthodox Judaism between 2010 and 2012. Seattle-born, he immigrated to Israel last year. Black is also an accomplished rapper — and this week…
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The Schmooze How Kanye West’s ‘Famous’ Video Perpetuates Rape Culture
Lena Dunham was right to situate Kanye West’s latest video — which features Taylor Swift’s likeness laying naked on a bed — in rape culture. I, not you, control who sees you naked, West seems to be telling Swift in “Famous.” Dunham lashed out at West on Monday in an emotional post on her Facebook…
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Opinion If A-Wa Wants Real Mizrahi Revival, It’s Time To Get Political
A-Wa, the groundbreaking band made up of three Israeli Yemenite sisters who famously sing in Arabic, has just released its first album “Habib Galbi” in the U.S. The band was listed by Rolling Stone last week as one of the 10 New Artists You Need To Know. The group’s first music video, “Habib Galbi,” has…
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Breaking News Israeli Embassy Steps in To Sponsor Noa Concert
In a surprising twist, the Embassy of Israel in Canada has stepped in to sponsor a Noa concert after the Jewish National Fund of Canada withdrew its sponsorship for the singer’s supposedly anti-Israel positions. The Israeli Independence Day concert, which will take place on May 11 at the Chan Centre, looked to be threatened by…
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Opinion Why Accuse Israeli Singer Noa of Backing BDS, When She Rejects It Outright?
True story: Born in Israel to Yemenite parents, the girl was raised in the U.S. from a very young age. At 15, she went on a summer hiking trip in Israel and fell in love with an Israeli man. The next year she left her yeshiva in New York and moved to Israel, where she…
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Opinion VIDEO: Noa Talks Israel, Anti-Semitism, Sexism and Songwriting
Misogyny in the music industry, anti-Semitism in Europe and the glory of Carole King were just a few of the topics that Israeli singer Noa and Forward editor-in-chief Jane Eisner covered during a February 16 conversation at New York City’s Temple Emanu-El. Noa took to the stage earlier that evening, performing an hour-long set packed…
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Fast Forward Why neo-Nazis marched in Ohio this weekend, and almost every weekend in the US
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Opinion The group behind Project 2025 has a plan to protect Jews. It will do the opposite.
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Opinion Just about every interpretation of Trump’s narrow election victory is wrong
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News Texas schools want to add Queen Esther to the curriculum. Here’s why Jews (and many Christians) are opposed.
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Fast Forward Chabad rabbi killed in United Arab Emirates; Israel denounces ‘despicable antisemitic act’
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Fast Forward Rep. Ritchie Torres, outspoken pro-Israel advocate, is dropping hints that he could run for NY governor
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Fast Forward Ursula Haverbeck, infamous German Holocaust denier known as ‘Nazi grandma,’ dies at 96
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Fast Forward A Jewish museum in Tulsa held a funeral for remains of Holocaust victims it kept for years
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