TLS

This past shabbat TLS met in the most glamorous space we have ever met in: the Josephine Butler Center.

After a couple last minute cancellations I pinch hit and led K"Sh. David Sendor did a beautiful job with maariv and the potluck spread out over balconies, red-carpeted stairs, and grand corridors.

In prepping I remembered a beautiful tune I heard used once in my childhood for ana bechoach. Called New Britain, it is most commonly used in conjunction with Amazing Grace. As in our own tradition, niggunim, apparently Hymn-related melodies are historically distinct from, but heavily associated with, specific liturgical texts. There were (and still are?) other Hymns which use the New Britain niggun and other niggunim used for Amazing Grace. This is also common with Jewish music. Lecha Dodi (a liturgical text), for instance, has many tunes used for it and the Cracow Niggun has many uses though the latter is often used with the former.