Jewish American Heritage Month: Articles and Databases

Women’s vocal leadership in synagogue practice began when educated women served as zogerin (women’s prayer leader). In America, the idea of Jewish women singing religious songs became refracted into dramatic productions on the Yiddish stage. Starting in the nineteenth century, women participated in mixed choral and community singing, and some opera singers were called upon to act as cantors in important Reform congregations. Subsequently, new technologies allowed women “khazntes” to produce recordings or sing hazzanut (cantorial singing) on the radio. Although not considered professional cantors, some women began to lead worship services in synagogues. The Reform (1975) and Conservative (1987) movements began formally investing women as cantors, opening the floodgates of participation. Today a plurality of cantors in liberal movements are women.

This chapter examines several significant Jewish music sound-recording collections in the United States, most of which originated as private collections but are now housed at academic institutions. Their origins provide insight into individual agency tied to different understandings of Jewish music. A discussion of their complexities from a library-science perspective focuses on conservation and preservation as well as bibliographic control and other issues in which the complexities of Jewish music unfold more clearly. Authenticity, comprehensiveness, and other constructions demonstrate how sound-recording collections reflect the overall difficulties of defining and delimiting Jewish music. Subsequent discussions and observations on access and audiences inside and outside the academy ultimately reveal the fine line of individuality and collectivity that Jewish music sound-recording collections navigate.