If you loved GLEE, Sing! or Pitch Perfect, get your vocal chords ready for the 2nd Annual Shabbacappella weekend hosted by Temple Beth-El of Great Neck (tbegreatneck.org).
Shabbacapella is an entire Shabbat weekend of fun and a cappella music centered around a residency by a visiting vocal ensemble. Over the weekend, the a cappella music will be enjoyed at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck (Reform) and Temple Israel of Great Neck (Conservative) as well as at their shared Kulanu Religious School.
“There’s a great tradition of Jewish a cappella music, especially on college campuses but also professionally. In recent years groups like the Maccabeats have raised the profile of the genre online to greater visibility,” says Cantor Adam Davis of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, who organized the weekend. “Since I arrived in 2020, TBE has hosted top A Capella groups like Tizmoret, Six13 and this year Pizmon. We get to hear some incredible singers, and when they lend their voices to our prayers during services, it’s like a chorus of angels singing with us… angels who beatbox.”
Pizmon (pizmon.org) is the award-winning Jewish a cappella group drawn from students at Columbia University, Barnard College and Jewish Theological Seminary. They will perform during both Friday night and Saturday morning services, as well as support and collaborate with the cantors of each congregation during worship. A special “Pajama” performance is planned for families with small children on Saturday evening after sunset for the ceremony ending Shabbat known as Havdalah.
Details on the weekend’s festivities include:
• Friday, Nov. 11 – Shabbacappella Friday evening Shabbat services with Pizmon and Cantor Adam Davis. At Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, 5 Old Mill Rd.
5:30 p.m. dinner (advance registration required $10/adult)
7:00 p.m. services, oneg to follow (no registration required)
https://tbegn.wufoo.com/forms/qp360bn1ymnj2p/
• Saturday, Nov. 12 – Shabbacappella Saturday morning Shabbat services with Pizmon and Hazzan Brian Shamash. At Temple Israel of Great Neck, 108 Old Mill Rd.
9:30 a.m. services and oneg to follow (no registration required)
A Cappella Pajama Havdalah for families with children 2-6
Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, 5 Old Mill Rd., Great Neck NY
5:30 p.m. dinner (free but advance registration required)
https://tbegn.wufoo.com/forms/q1iqdg0013iywlc/
For more information on attending Shabbacappella weekend programs, contact Joy Allen at jallen@tbegreatneck.org or call 516-487-0900.
Founded in 1928, Temple Beth-El of Great Neck is a dynamic, inclusive and engaged Reform synagogue. We are guided by our Congregational Shema, “Inspire through purpose. Be known by love.” The oldest synagogue in Great Neck and a member of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), we are a community rich in history and promise for the future.
—Submitted by Temple Beth-El of Great Neck
