Reconstructing Identity: Music in Israel

Robert Seltzer Lecture Series

Reconstructing Identity: Music in Israel 

Modernity has produced several important chapters in Jewish history, including the advent of the State of Israel. This lunchtime talk explores ways in which music has been used in the development of the State of Israel, with special focus on ‘Ivriut (Hebraics), assimilation of sub-ethnic Jewish identities, and piyyutim as a force for Sephardi-Mizraḥi endemicity in the public sphere. Prof. Torjman Thomas will present several pieces of music in context, along with live performance examples.

Presented by: Dr. Samuel Torjman Thomas is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, oud, nay), vocalist (Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish), and founder and artistic director of ASEFA and the New York Andalus Ensemble. He teaches ethnomusicology and Sephardic Jewish Studies at City University of New York (Hunter and John Jay College), and is a faculty member for both the ALEPH and Academy of Jewish Religion Cantorial Programs. He is also the Director of Musical Arts at the Sephardic Community Center.

This lecture will be held online via Zoom. 

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