Introducing IHC Music

Shiru l’Adonai, shir chadash! Sing a new song unto God!

Cantor Aviva Marer

Each week when we gather to celebrate Shabbat, we chant these words from Psalm 96. The Kabbalat Shabbat portion of our Friday evening service intentionally calls on each of us to bring all of ourselves into our prayer experience. We join together in our sacred spaces and raise our voices in song. We chant the ancient psalms, alongside members of our congregational family, and the music brings us together. Since IHC’s inception in 1856, the community has always understood the critical role that music plays in our worship services. But nearly 166 years later, what does it mean to "sing a new song unto God"? I am thrilled to be launching our new musical brand called IHC Music. Under this umbrella, I will be presenting multiple musical experiences, some participatory while others will focus on performance. The goal is to offer a wide array of musical genres to the entire community, both inside and outside the walls of our beautiful building. My hope is to rebuild our wonderful program and turn it into something that appeals to everyone. This year, we began our Spring Series. On March 1, I teamed up with revered conductor Dr. Eric Stark and presented a talk at Clowes Memorial Hall in partnership with the Butler performance of Verdi’s Requiem. This infamous masterwork became known as the Defiant Requiem after prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (Terezin) performed it sixteen times while experiencing the depths of human degradation. At the time, conductor Rafael Schächter told the choir, “We will sing to the Nazis what we cannot say to them.” It was an honor to be able to share this part of Jewish history with the entire Indianapolis community at large, and I look forward to continuing IHC’s relationship with the Butler Performing Arts department. Our Spring Series will continue on Sunday, April

24 at 5:00pm with a performance at Trinity

Episcopal Church. My friend and colleague Cantor Janice Roger and I will perform Jewish Classical Reform pieces with Dr. Michael Messina. Having recently had their magnificent organ re-voiced and restored, Dr. Messina will undoubtedly feature solo Jewish works on this beautiful instrument as well. All are welcome at this free performance. On May 8 at 4:00pm, IHC Music is proud to

present our first-ever partnership with the IU Jacobs School of Music’s Opera department.

We are excited to bring Opera: Unstuffed! to our IHC community, which will feature a hilarious take on some of the greatest opera classics. Five graduate students from the opera department will be joining us for this performance, which is generously sponsored by the Marks Fund in memory of Sophia Marks. All are welcome to join us for a Mother’s Day musical treat! Finally the Spring Series of IHC Music will conclude on Friday, June 3 with guest performer Elana Arian. Elana will join us on the bima at 6:15pm for our Shabbat evening service, and will then present a concert for all to enjoy. A composer, multiinstrumentalist, prayer leader, and recording artist, Elana inspires communities across the country with her soulful songwriting and spirit. She brings a sense of joy and passion to her performance that is unmatched, so you will not want to miss this wonderful event!

There is so much more in store for IHC Music, and I cannot wait to share my vision with each and every member of our congregation. In the meantime, mark your calendars for our upcoming spring series so that we can truly sing a new song unto God, together.

IHC Music's Spring Series

Organ and Voice Recital

Sunday, April 24 at 5:00pm Trinity Episcopal Church in Indianapolis

Opera: Unstuffed! with IU Jacobs School of Music

Sunday, May 8 at 4:00pm The IHC Sanctuary

Shabbat Service and Concert with Elana Arian

Friday, June 3 at 6:15pm The IHC Sanctuary

Students stay active with Soccer Shots enrichment. We think pink tutus & soccer are a perfect match! Don't you? The Sharks love celebrating Shabbat each week with Rabbi Jordana and the other wonderful IHC clergy.

Inspired by the Olympic ski jumpers, students used pool noodles and marbles to make their jumps. This was a part of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) curriculum.

V is for Volcano! The Penguins were so excited to see their volcano erupt! Don’t worry, they were wearing their protective eyewear. The Hedgehogs spent time learning about the five senses. On this day, students were focused on the sense of Touch.

A middle grader book received during the pandemic merits wide recognition. Turtle Boy, by M. Evan Wolkenstein, is the story of Will Levine, a seventh grader who is bullied by some peers because of his receding chin. At home, Will mostly spends time in his room taking care of his turtles (he’s a turtle expert) , but a science teacher tells him to let them go. As Will unenthusiastically prepares for his bar mitzvah, he learns his community project will be to visit Ralph (RJ), a seriously ill boy in the hospital. Will dreads this assignment because when Will was young his father died in a hospital. Will and RJ get off to a rocky start, gradually become friends and he helps with much of RJ’s “bucket list” before RJ’s illness takes a dire turn.

Will also worries about his own corrective surgery to fix micrognathia-an undersized lower jaw. Will is operated upon and slowly continues to come out of his “shell.

At his bar mitzvah service, Will speaks of his challenges, and thanks all who helped him including his mother, the rabbi, and some classmates. In the end, Will finishes RJ's bucket list. What makes this book special? The writing is clear and believable. The main character has many obstacles to overcome and matures as the story progresses. The physical conditions Will encounters in himself and others are true to life. The author is a teacher at a Jewish high school in the Bay area and captures the way youngsters think and express themselves. Of course, the story is dramatic but it is done in a finely crafted, warm way so that both youth and adults will find this to be a worthwhile, inspiring read. Families can discuss issues that are raised, among them bullying, loneliness, grief, anxiety, memory and hope. Turtle Boy was the 2021 Sydney Taylor Middle Grade Book Award winner. In our opinion, rightly so. The IHC Caring Community Committee has partnered with the library to offer a book loan service to homebound congregants, which you can read more about in the section below. We encourage you to look for Temple Library books with labels on the spine: Children (yellow), Youth (red), Teens/Adults (white, some with dots). We appreciate your returning IHC’s library books. Happy Passover to all and, as always…There’s a Jewish book waiting for you at the Temple Library!

Other Library News

Jewish Book Club Selections Tuesday, April 12

How to Find Your Way in the Dark by Derek B. Miller

Tuesday, May 10

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline IHC’s Jewish Book Club continues to meet eleven times a year at 12:00pm on the second Tuesday of the month. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been meeting virtually. Contact Evelyn Pockrass for further details.

Volunteers with the Caring Community are ready to deliver books to homebound congregants as part of a new partnership with the IHC library. Here's how the program works: homebound congregants can choose up to 3 books to borrow. The form to request books can be found on the Announcement section of the ihcindy.org. Then, an IHC Caring Community volunteer will pick up books, deliver them to the congregant’s home, and will retrieve them 3 weeks later. Book requests can also be submitted by emailing IHC librarian Evelyn Pockrass at evelynp@ihcindy.org or the Caring Community at ihc.caringcommunity@gmail.com. You may also call the IHC Library at 317-255-6647 ext. 2203.

The Caring Community is a team of caring and compassionate individuals who fulfill the Jewish responsibility to perform deeds of loving kindness by serving our IHC families. If you or someone you know needs assistance or wants to volunteer, please email the Caring Community.

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