For the first time in many years, The Rashi School’s choir participated in Kol Haneshama – a Boston-area Jewish day school choir convention. There were seven choirs present from the Boston area, ages Kindergarten through high school. With the intent of raising charitable support for HIAS, a non-profit organization (and former Tamchui honoree) whose mission is to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees, more than 500 people were in attendance and nearly $1500 was raised.
Director of Music, Shirel Gidekel reports, “We were welcomed with open arms and genuine excitement from our fellow Jewish schools’ community. Ours was the only choir who was accompanied by its own students – all other choirs had professional accompaniment. Our students were inspired by older choirs and a cappella groups who sang in a wide variety of styles.”
Rashi’s choir, composed of students in grades 3-4, performed Debkah Rafiach – Dance of Jerusalem. The music for the song was inspired by the Druze music heard by Moshe Presser while imprisoned following the Black Sabbath of 1946. Its lyrics, written in Hebrew by Emanuel Zamir, is about freedom and helping the world to become a better place. “We sang this song for Chanukah because of its reference to light,” explained Morah Shirel. “And, of course, its connection to changing the world.”