During this Kabbalat Shabbat service, on Friday, January 20 at 6:00 PM, we will weave together traditional liturgy and wordless nigunim: spiritual melodies that allow us to express emotions, experiences, and prayers that words can’t capture. We will also explore brief meditations to invite in all the parts of ourselves, practicing self-compassion as a foundation for showing up with love in our lives and the broader world. Kabbalat Shabbat will be followed by a traditional Ma’ariv service. Please come as you are and feel free to sing, listen, stretch, breathe, and engage however is most nourishing to you!
Rena Branson (they/them) is a Jewish composer, ritual leader, and educator who uplifts personal and collective healing through song. They founded A Queer Nigun Project, which organizes singing events for LGBTQIA+ folks and people in the Jewish community who are incarcerated. Rena is an alum of the Rising Song Residency and serves as the Cantorial Soloist at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir in Philadelphia on unceded Lenni Lenape land. They write melodies on commission and offer workshops, concerts, and song circles that weave together original music and Chassidishe nigunim (Hasidic tunes). Rena’s first full-length album, “Love Is the Ground,” is out on all streaming platforms. Learn more at renabranson.com!