Building Bridges Speakers Program 2025-26: Kolot Zemirot: The Many Voices of Jewish Music
We are thrilled to announce the theme for this year’s speaker’s series titled Kolot Zemirot: The Many Voices of Jewish Music. This six-part series celebrates the depth, diversity, and vibrancy of Jewish music and identity. In a year when our community and the broader Jewish world continue to face challenges, our series offers opportunities for inspiration, education, and connection through the universal language of music. Beginning in November/25, all monthly events are offered free on Zoom at 11 AM PT. Pre-registration is required.
Meet This Year’s Exciting Line Up of Speakers
Dr. Lori Şen (Mezzo Soprano and Sephardic Art Song Scholar, Shenandoah University, USA), Classical Echoes in Ladino: Sephardic Songs Reimagined, Sunday, November 2
An internationally recognized scholar and performer, Dr. Şen will share insights into the world of the Sephardic art song and the ongoing revival of Ladino music in the Western classical tradition. Her talk will illuminate how music serves as a bridge between generations and cultures, preserving and reimagining Jewish heritage. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/uCIG6xiJSkKGZ6ZesEr2Dw
Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz (Musician, composer, educator and Director of Tefillah and Music, Hadar Institute, NY, USA) Harnessing the Potential of Our Comfort Songs, Wednesday, December 3
An educator, practitioner, composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, and facilitator of Jewish communal music, Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz will explore how we use the internal strength we source from singing our own anchor songs to serve our communities in times of profound disruption . For Rabbi Mintz the power of communal music ignites spiritual creativity, fosters participation, and deepens connections within Jewish life. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wTs5mPUeQlqVNgSbvYDiog
David Benkof (The Broadway Maven, Jerusalem, live in-person in Victoria & online) Spotlight on Jewish Broadway with the Broadway Maven, Sunday, January 11/
A Broadway historian and popular lecturer, David Benkof will be traveling to Victoria to join us in person, with hybrid access for our wider audience. David’s presentation will dig into Jewish creators, characters, and themes that have shaped—and continue to shape—the world of Broadway, revealing how musical theatre reflects and influences Jewish identity. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/c8b8LOw2Sk2zp8-Cz7vTsQ
Dr. Naomi Cohn-Zentner (Ethno-musicologist, Bar-Ilan University, Israel) Music and War: An Optimistic View, Sunday, February 8
A leading voice in the study of contemporary Israeli music, Dr. Cohn-Zentner observes that Israeli songs about the war and the army have always been about a hope for peace, especially after October 7th. Her talk will examine how Israeli musicians have responded to historic recent events—offering a timely exploration of music’s role in processing grief, inspiring resilience, and connecting community in times of crisis. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9GSDdu0NT3i6pHdNThCukw
Dr. Joshua Jacobson (Author composer, scholar and Choral Director, Northeastern University/Boston Zamir Chorale, USA) Jewish Music: What’s That? Sunday, March 8
Widely known as one of the world’s leading authorities on Jewish music, Dr. Jacobson will share his expertise in the history and ongoing evolution of Jewish music. His presentation will invite us to consider what we mean by Jewish Music and how musical expression is a rich part of our identity. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7TVkM1xXQTixlXqEwM0PXw
Michael Posner (Author/Biographer, Toronto, Canada) Hallelujah and Beyond: Leonard Cohen’s Torah of Song, Sunday, April 12
Best-selling author and biographer Michael Posner will explore Leonard Cohen’s Jewish heritage, philosophy, and musical legacy and how Judaism influenced his lyrics, philosophy and life. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/LbNfD9_cThKXJzGy9lAVLQ
We hope you will join us for this fascinating series of talks about how music is an essential part of the Jewish journey.
