A Time to Sing
By Rabbi Schiff
Israeli born Yigal Calek z”l, the world renowned Founder and Director of Pirchei London- the London School of Jewish Song, Yigal Calek z”l passed away aged 80, in London last week.
I feel a personal obligation to express a few thoughts of appreciation for the depth of feeling, emotion, expression and vision that Yigal - ר׳ יגאל ישראל בן ר׳ אהרן הכהן ז״ל
instilled in me aged 9-13 as a soloist in the choir. However, most importantly perhaps this is an opportunity to consider on a broader level some of the innovations that Yigal bravely opened up for the children of a generation trying desperately to rebuild a destroyed world. The latter I am sharing as an expression of appreciation because Yigal Calek was for the Jewish world, far more than a choir master and composer of some popular tunes!
Traditionally, Jewish music had been largely limited to the chazzanut presentation of the individual and shabbos table liturgy defined by family and local custom. Many will not even recall a pre Carlebach, MBD, Avraham Freid, Miami Boys or Chassidishe choirs ensemble, not to mention the Yishai Ribos of today. Yigal brought davening and pesukim alive with original, passionate and lively melodies and literally brought Jewish song to the world stage via large public concerts and professional orchestrated musical arrangements. The world of Jewish song, davening and simchas was changed forever via his immense contribution. Masterpieces such as Ko Amar, Be’ein meilitz, Ashira Lashem, Mareh Cohen, Podo veshalom nafshi, Chamol transformed a generation and shall forever be embedded in the cultural psyche of Am Yisrael!
A less known record of Yigal's ( from the period he taught at NWLJDS) was called עת לשיר - a Time to Sing. The mere fact that Yigal taught in diverse schools across the breadth of the communal spectrum embracing boys from Pardes House alongside pupils from North West and Kerem together with them, teaching both the same passionate love of Yiddishkeit via the combination of pesukim and song is a testament to the depth of his genuine and unconditional love of all Jews and passionate commitment to sharing the vibrancy of Torah and mitzvot with all.
Like so many trailblazing revolutionaries Yigal was a brave, single minded, creative visionary and indeed a maverick who saw that which others didn’t yet see, acted upon it with abnormal energy, passion and willpower affecting change to a post Holocaust generation that had in many cases forgotten how, why and when to sing.
Yigal Calek knew it was Time to Sing- עת לשיר; even if others didn’t necessarily yet see that which he saw ״crystal clear״- he saw, felt, lived and breathed the קולות וברקים - thunder and lightening of Sinai and knew it was time to use his artistic, musical and pedagogical flair to wake up the fervent joy and deep rooted passions of Klal Yisrael
ונתנו ידידים זמירות, שירות ותשבחות לקל עליון…Yigal felt the pain of the
שכינתא בגלותא, the קלני מראשי קלני מזרועי; he felt the Children of Silence of Soviet Russia; he recognised the yearning of the Pintale Yid, the pained Jewish soul yearning for true Connection, the קול דממה דקה, the “still small voice” so so crystal clear. He knew how to fan those fading embers still wallowing as part of the remnant that survived and take the tears of Rachel crying for her children languishing in exile
רחל אמינו - מאנה להנחם על בניה כי איננו and turn them to the magnificent energy, hope and vision of מנעי קולך מבכי ועניך מדמעה; the wailing קינה lament of אני מאמין to a march of hope driving towards משיח צדקינו and the magnificent destiny of the Jewish People.
He took post war chinuch from the traditional cheder classroom to an immersive experience of a journey of song spanning millennia and transcending time and place. Be the children of those hundreds of Pirchei London , their doting parents, grandparents and communities who never thought they would see Jewish children bursting forth in joyous song and dancing with smiling faces, sparkling eyes and passionate youthful exuberance once again.
Yigal himself was a unique combination. A Sabra- strict and tough at times on the outside, yet incredibly soft and sweet on the inside. As pupils in the classroom and at choir rehearsals, we both feared and adored him and somehow the בשם כל ישראל, the palpable love of all Jews , of תורה of the רבש״ע , seemed to bring it all together in the hands of the מנצח the conductor who brought us all together Yigal was complex; Yigal was sophisticated; Yigal was deep and penetrating in all he saw, communicated and lived and yet when he gesticulated with his hands, to those who understood, exquisite harmony burst forth. It may begin with an almost inaudible hum, break into the “oooo”, transition to a la la la and then burst into exuberant song- accompanied with his signature “ hands on friends!”
Perhaps he was also the forerunner to bring informal education into the classroom, an original and innovative pedagogue, a teacher who treated children as adults, confiding in them, believing in them, training them to appreciate both the gifts bestowed upon them and the Source of all blessing; the privilege of being a Jew, and a part of a generation that would bring back joy, depth, passion and revival to the second and third generation. Yigal appreciated the complexity of the many stripes and types of Yidden that make up the totality of the Jewish People. At a time when communities and families were simply trying their best to rebuild, he was an individual who genuinely taught and sang to the refrain of hine ma tov uma naim shevet achim gam yachad
הנה מה טוב ומה נעים שבת אחים גם יחד. His deep recognition and awareness of subtelty in musical expression was deeply reflected in his uncanny and unusual treasuring and cherishing of hues of colour, choreography of events both on stage and in the classroom.
As a כהן , Yigal Yisroel a an understood the potential of ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש and the accompanying responsibility that is wedded to such awareness. He had an incredible ability to see the big picture whilst constantly juggling an unusually deep appreciation for detail. This applies to both the ensemble and the personality and potential of each individual. The natural conductor in him managed to direct the whole orchestra whilst taking genuine interest in each pupil, each neshama, each flower of the bunch of פרחים that needed a uniquely personalised and loving nurturing.
Yigal oozed with חן and Gd given charisma and perceived Yiddishe chein in many kids that others struggled to inspire- מצא חן במדבר! He treated children as adults, gave them confidence and steered them to appreciate and strive to actualise their own potential as individuals . His כלי אומנות , profession, was song however the depth of perception, the power of his educational parables were akin to Magidim of yesteryear.
He shared with us a genuine passion for Torah, for the Land and the People of Israel, for Jews of all types. In addition he drew a magnificent vision of majesty, revitalisation and joy for a traumatised and broken generation. He taught us to dance again- as individuals and as a Klal!
There were no compromises on the תפארת of אמת מה נהדר or the authentic expression of נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי. The business of waking up the latent heart of the Jewish spirit Is a serious business in which getting it just right often could not, should not and wasn’t compromised.
Yigal taught me the genuineness inherent in straight talking, openness , vulnerability and authenticity in all. For me he imbibed a piercing passion for davening, song and devotion.
The greatest prize in the choir was to be trusted with a solo. The most coveted of those was to be invited to sing a whole song by yourself on stage. My timing was invariably off and voice not that great, (perhaps that’s why he chose me instead to act the Mother in the famous skit before שמי בני! ) However, for some reason my first solo on stage was
נכון לבי אשירה ואזמרה! עורה כבודי…. And he certainly woke my soul to do my best to pass that on to others too. I sang
למען אחי ורעי… למען בית ה אלקינו “for the sake of my Brothers and my Friends…”
. Somehow he also trusted me a few times to have one of those whole song solos. One was
שיר השלום which I think instilled in me a sense of the majesty and importance of every single Jew- irrespective of knowledge, practice, wealth or anything else. However, the most impactful of all was the singing of פדה בשלום נפשי that perhaps without knowing it, pierced my heart and soul with the concept of
כי ברבים היו עמדי- of not living life merely as an individual, but rather of connecting one’s life with the totality of the Jewish People.
I mention all this not in order to grandstand myself but rather because we often struggle today with bringing effective pathways to authentic Yiddishkeit and hashkafa to our younger generation. Sometimes we stand in shul and mumble words without thinking for a moment of the power of each syllable, we act out mitzvos as automatons and we forget the grandeur of what it is to be part of עם הנבחר and the majesty of the holy אחראיות of being a Jew.
I was one of those naughty 9,10,11 year old kids. We all were and the truth is perhaps it’s that ילד שעשועים and the chain that personifies all of ישראל . It’s something that I think Yigal recognised and fanned the yearning and creative playfulness in so many thereby blazing the way for chinuch of the last generation before משיח to not be limited only to the stender and classroom. To him I am personally and eternally grateful and as a community I believe we owe the broadest and deepest הכרת הטוב, appreciation for the התחדשות, vitality, innovation, courage and creativity he brought to us all, just at the right time.
May we be blessed to “put hands on friends” as he used to say. Am Yisrael so needs the harmony of song that bridges the loneliness in the crowd of a virtual and augmented reality world- May we bravely break the chains of those who are physically and spiritually held captive at this time and merit to join together building a world of hine ma tov uma naim shevet achim gam yachad.
