Nourish the next generation of liberatory singers

Some people have heard me talk about this community I'm a part of called Let My People Sing. I'd love it if you helped us in creating a new generation of Jewish liberatory singers. This next century will be challenging, and liberatory singing community can be a way forward for those who are lost or struggling to find space amidst a world in the darkest of times.

My story is one of many who have felt the power of this community; feel free to read on how I've been transformed.

There are not a lot of spaces that can lift up BIJOCSM, queer, trans Jews in the way LMPS has done. It is a space that evolves and continues to learn how to be stronger and more supportive.

I am hoping you can help us meet LMPS's goal to help others transform in ways parallel to mine. Thank you in advance for considering <3

__________

Has's Jewish Journey

For the most part of the last decade, I have been participating, leading, and melting slowly with all the harmonies at Let My People Sing.

I hope you can join me in helping support the next generation of liberation-focused singers and culture workers as we continue to grow a movement for good in song and harmony.

My story is pretty simple: I had disconnected from many Jewish communities for about 4-5 years because of a non-alignment and feeling of overall non-belonging. 

What lurches me back to Jewish community though (and what drew me to it) was song.

I grew up at Beth El in Durham, North Carolina through the early 2000s at a time when the community deeply leaned into songmaking and harmony as a way of finding spirituality and connection.

I learned how to harmonize from hearing others do the same. We passively taught each other how to express our spirit through melody, and find replenishment for the week to come. I learned how to teach, I learned how to lead, and I learned what it meant to be Jewish without pressure. I became liberated in a way I didn't anticipate through my high school years.

Over the years into adulthood, I started to find that I needed more to find a sense of belonging – issues around my identity as a mixed interfaith person of Jewish and Muslim lineage, along with my being a POC, became surfaced as I continued to navigate Jewish spaces. I also noticed Jewish values I had grown up with became very difficult to reconcile with devotion to the state of Israel. And my trans identity started to lift me in a different direction than more ritualistic aspects of the religion.

I arrived at Let My People Sing in 2018 pretty much at the last minute. I reached out to the leadership and they said "YES COME PLEASE. Also would you like to lead something." I was like omg um I am NOT prepared; let me just participate first.

I had heard a lot of people come to this one to open up into deep love and warmth they hadn't felt in years, with a specific emphasis on song and music. I felt that this was probably one of the last shots I had to deeply engage again. But I still came hesitant and guarded – lots of communities had come and gone for me, and I wondered if there actually was a space I could feel at home. Over the years my cup had run on empty. I doubted it would be filled again.

Over that first weekend, I became overwhelmed by how quickly and constantly my cup filled. I didn't know how much my spirit needed to sing until it did. I couldn't stop and neither could others around me. My voice never broke – it just kept going. By the time I left, everything came down. I was back and open once again.

That first year I met people and a community that ultimately saved my connection to Judaism. I found spaces to be that weren't tokenizing or forced. I found spaciousness to lead and (re)shape. And I found models of what a liberatory song-filled community could be like.

I've been back 4 or so times since (I joke that I forget how many times because the number isn't important to me – the feeling of knowing I keep coming back, however, is). Every time, I grow in a new way. I've led workshops, created new ritual tunes, and created space for my songmaking to thrive. I've found every time everyone else around me transforms in the way they need to (seems to me like it is always for the better). 

I've found where to be Jewish and held again. It seems like I will be stopping here for a long long while this time.

______

Thank you for considering giving and keeping this community strong and growing. Any amount will help <33333