Syrian Jews have lived in Brooklyn since the 1880s. Today their community is estimated to be over 70,000. With twenty synagogues and twenty other institutions, the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn is thriving. For hundreds of years Syrian Jewish prayer has incorporated the melodies and musical styles of Arab culture. In this presentation, Prof. Mark Kligman will discuss their history, the Brooklyn community and the musical practices of their Sabbath morning services.  This presentation will show video and audio examples that will demonstrate contemporary practices of Syrian prayer.
 
Prof. Mark Kligman, is the inaugural holder of the Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music and Professor of Ethnomusicology and Musicology at UCLA in the Herb Alpert School of Music. He specializes in the liturgical traditions of Middle Eastern Jewish communities and various areas of popular Jewish music.
 
In addition to his visit to UW, Prof. Kligman will be giving several lectures throughout the Seattle Jewish community. For more information about “Shabbat of Learning with Dr. Mark Kligman” at Congregation Ezra Bessaroth and Minyan Ohr Chadash, please contact Karen Treiger at karen@treiger.com