May 30, 2016
Hi and blessings Tahir. This is about Fanna Fi Allah’s upcoming performance at Chochmat Halev (Wisdom of the Heart) in Berkeley, which I’ve been trying to help Bhavani help you make a terrific success. I’m hoping some of the background in this note will be useful to you, and facilitate the goal of moving forward the core message of Divine Love shared by mystics of many traditions. I apologize in advance if what I offer here is not news to you, but I felt a responsibility to convey why I am so excited about the evening.
My sense and prayer is that the event will not only be a success on its own, but also serve to open the door to opportunity for beautiful connection(s) both now and in the future for you not only with Chochmat, but also with a number of wonderful musicians/teachers who play, lead prayer and teach there, and also lead and perform in other bands — and share the universal themes and values found in Qawwali.
For starters, a bit of background. As you may know, Chochmat began as a Center for Jewish Spirituality emphasizing Jewish meditation. It has since grown into what its website describes as “a welcoming, progressive, Jewish Renewal synagogue and meditation center in Berkeley, CA, renowned for our music! We're a community of people focused on renewing Judaism as a relevant, meaningful and joyful spiritual path.” Wikipedia describes Jewish Renewal as seeking to “reintroduce the ‘ancient Judaic traditions of mysticism and meditation, gender equality and ecstatic prayer’ to synagogue service.” Chochmat has been at the forefront of this effort.
The principle founder of Jewish Renewal, Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, commonly called "Reb Zalman” (per Wikipedia) was“an innovator in ecumenical dialogue.” And indeed, Zalman himself embodied an interfaith life: not only was he originally ordained as an orthodox Jewish Rabbi within the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic community, he was also a Sufi Sheykh. The internet has beautiful, heart warming photos of Zalman with leaders of many spiritual traditions — Ram Das and the Dalai Lama to name a few. It is no accident that many Jews who identify as Renewal also have long term practices and affiliations with Hindu, Buddhist and other mystical traditions — for example, I share a passion for kirtan, as do many. Nor is it surprising that Renewal services incorporate chant and other musical elements from those traditions — apropos of the upcoming event, harmonium became an important part of Chochmat’s music years ago.
Chochmat is beloved by many for its powerful musical offerings, which range from contemplative to ecstatic, and often seamlessly weave world music influences into the mix. A number of original shapers of that approach to music are at the forefront of Chochmat’s offerings now, decades later. Among them is Maggid Jhos Singer, who contributed in many ways in the early days of Chochmat. A self-described ‘rogue scholar” with the skill of being able “to translate experience (from the terrible to the sublime) into a fantastic story,” Jhos recently returned to serve as Congregational Leader with his spouse, Julie Batz, who has a unique ability to translate the spiritual essence of Jewish liturgy through her soulful musical interpretation.
The last many years, Chochmat’s high energy musical services have been largely conceived and developed by Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks, a young musician in the early days, who grew into being ordained by Reb Zalman as a Minister of Sacred Music. Brian’s harmonium driven services are cutting edge, and as a lover of kirtan, my favorites. The in-house Chochmat Band that Brian leads is amazing. As you can see from the Chochmat website at https://chochmat.org/music/, musicians who have been part of the band are accomplished in their own rights. Many are well known for their own bands or projects, including: Eliyahu Sills of Bolo, who I saw open for you a few years ago at La Pena; Bon Singer, one of Chochmat’s original and most beautiful voices, also a founder of Ya Elah; cantorial soloist Jeannette Ferber, who sings with Bon in Ya Elah and also with rock legend Phil Lesh at his annual Grateful Dead Passover Seders; and Lior Tsarfaty, now working on his 2nd interfaith CD, whose Prayer Songs Project brings together prayers and sacred music from different cultures — including a version of “Oseh Shalom” credited to Jhos Singer and celebrating the connection of Salaam and Shalom.
Hopefully this description of Chochmat — a humble but musically blessed community — feels more than comfortable so far. And now here’s an important piece of the puzzle, which helps explain why I feel this is a particularly good time to make the connection between Fanna and Chochmat. Over the past many years, Chochmat was blessed by having Sufism imbued in the community through the love and teachings of the beautiful, recently passed soul Dr. Ibrahim Farajaje (aka Khalvat Dar Anjuman), past Provost of Starr King for the Ministry, and the sweet energy and profound vocals of his son, Nessim Isa Enver, among others. A spiritual teacher and guide (Pir/Shaykh) in the Ajmeri Chishti tradition, Ibrahim developed Starr King’s Andalusia Project, whereby Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist, Muslim students and others study their interconnected histories and traditions together.
Ibrahim’s presence was palpable, his sermons and teachings often magnificent, always thought provoking, invariably revealing the already pre-woven ties between Sufism and Judaism. His son, Issa, beautifully brought those teachings to Chochmat musically. Together they would regularly lead Zikrs as part of services. They taught and led Sufi chants and conveyed how the teachings had counterparts in Jewish prayer. Brian wove this approach into the essence of the band, a natural extension of what he had been developing all along. All in all, a beautiful thing — All One. Add to that an extraordinary array of teachers, a few in particular who led beautiful contemplative services with Ibrahim on major holidays, amazing interpretive dance and other exquisite practices…perhaps even a miracle. I know for sure I am at Chochmat high holiday services each year when Gary Lapow sets the tone by leading the congregation in chanting “We Are The Love,” which sparks the ecstatic expression of the fire of divine love also central to Qawwali.
Zalman and Ibrahim were close, teaching together on at least one occasion that I know of with Issa. Both are now recently gone in body. Their shoes can never be filled. Others will continue and evolve the work in their own ways…including I am sure by Issa, who was recently installed as Shaykh in his father’s lineage, and also by Brian, who I know has been interested in possible uses of the Qawwali form in Jewish prayer…perhaps by others already involved in Chochmat…perhaps by other beautiful, innovative and/or non-dual oriented musicians from the Bay area — Jewish and non — who I hope will come to the event (Cantor Richard Kaplan comes to mind)…perhaps by other leaders doing powerful, things at the cutting edge of Jewish-Sufi community, such as Taya Ma, co-founder of The Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute, who chanted a profound and evocative chant of “Allah, Allah” at the overcrowded memorial service held for Ibrahim at Chochmat. And many others, including folks in the Sufi tradition wanting to explore points of connection.
When Bhavani asked if Chochmat’s sacred space would be a good fit for a Fanna Fi Allah Qawwali concert, my thought was yes, if it met your technical requirements. What excited me even more was the sense that beyond just a concert, this could be a wonderful opportunity to build and/or deepen connection(s) among a number of beautiful, positive and powerful devotional musical forces. And the idea that you needed space on Fathers Day seemed to reinforce that this might be a perfect time to honor and build upon the efforts of a great spirit, known by many as Ibrahim Baba.
I hope you agree this could be a win-win on many levels, and that the background in this note helps to uncover points of connection you may wish to explore.
See you soon! And if I can help you in any way, please let me know.
Love and blessings
Mark Rubin
P.S. These are my personal views after praying at Chochmat for more than a decade, becoming increasingly devotional via kirtan for an even longer time, and loving and learning more and more about Qawwali, thanks in large part to Fanna Fi Allah!
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