Sydenham rings the changes with removal of shul choir

JORDAN MOSHE

“The decision may seem sudden, but it has come after lengthy discussion,” says Sydenham Shul’s Rabbi Goldman. “We wanted to ease the community into a period of change, but things are moving very quickly. Reality demands that we innovate. We need to adapt or die.”

Goldman says the decision to discontinue the choir was not easy to make, but he believes it is necessary. The choir is being removed as a regular fixture to create a clean slate to allow for more innovative approaches to the service.

Sydenham Shul’s Rabbi Goldman, Rabbi Stern, and the shul council communicated the decision to the community last week. In their communique they explained that chazzan Yudi Cohen will continue leading all shul services, but will do so unaccompanied by the shul choir until the end of Pesach. It is at this point that the shul leadership will “reassess and establish from feedback received if this style of davening has had the required effect”.

“Personally, I love chazonus,” Goldman says. “But the reality is that there are very few people left who appreciate it. Whether we like it or not, we have to acknowledge that the age of chazonus and old-style liturgical choirs is coming to an end.”

Goldman stresses that the decision is a response to the pressing reality all big shuls face today. “Big shuls everywhere are having to redefine themselves. There is no established route or answer available. While the shul has always enjoyed a reputation for the finest shul music in the country and the Jewish world, it is not our responsibility to be the guardians of liturgical music. It is our sacred responsibility to remain relevant and inspirational to our current generation of shul-goers, and at the same time, to build the next generation.”

Both Goldman and Cohen stress that the drive to innovate does not mean that the choir has been disbanded entirely, nor that the shul will become a shtiebel (a smaller, more casual shul). Rather, they aim to create a space in which new styles and approaches can be tested and a lasting solution found.

Says Goldman, “What we are looking to do is simply to explore all options. We will be experimenting with a variety of models. A new sound, a fresh sound, more participation, a shul music that will set the benchmark for music in big shuls for years to come.”

Cohen says the choir was not the only element considered in the discussions. “The entire product the shul offers is being re-evaluated,” he says. “We are not saying that the choir was no good, nor that it has no place here. Rather, we are interrogating the very reason for the shul’s existence, taking into account everything it offers the community. The choir is just one piece of the puzzle.”

He continues, “We are living in challenging times, and our job at the shul is to bring positivity to people. After a long week, we need to give people a reason to come to shul. Twenty years ago, big shuls could boast excellent attendance. That was then. Nothing in South Africa has remained unchanged over the past two decades, and shuls are no exception.”

Although they admit that there is no definitive strategy in place at the moment, both Cohen and Goldman highlighted some of the steps they will take in coming weeks. These include ad-hoc singing groups, the active inclusion of younger members in the services, participatory services which include the community, and similar experimental approaches.

Cohen, Goldman, and the shul committee are determined to work closely with the shul’s members, and aim to encourage more people to become involved. “We ask our congregants to please bear with us. We are making bold and hard decisions which will be for the ultimate good and success of the entire congregation,” they say.