By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – Something ignited when Debbie Mishek, M.D., traveled to Congregation Beth Am in Los Angeles to attend a presentation about Kol Tefillah (The Voice of Prayer) a few years ago. The program was about “reimagining Jewish prayer and making it more relevant and more inspiring,” the developmental pediatrician recalled. “There is something about music and prayer that is so spiritual. I access my spirituality through music.”
At her home congregation, Tifereth Israel Synagogue of San Diego, Mishek subsequently founded a Kol Tefillah group, dedicated to building a sense of community through new musical interpretations of traditional prayers and psalms.
Dan Tomsky, one of the first people recruited to the group, said slow melodies and harmonies afford participants time to reflect on the meaning of prayers, which some people previously had recited by rote, not understanding the Hebrew words.
Kol Tefillah brings to the prayers “an added level of intentionality,” said Tomsky, the son of 99-year-old retired Rabbi Mervin Tomsky, whose last pulpit was Temple Emanu El in Burbank. Music “brings people in for a Shabbat service who most often would not come otherwise.”
Mishek composes psalm melodies that members of the Kol Tefillah band sometimes tweak. Additionally, the group enthusiastically incorporates into its repertoire works by such Jewish musicians as Eliana Light (“Walking Home Niggun” and “Candle in the Window”) and Joey Weisenberg (“Halleluyah” – Psalm 148). “We’re always looking for new music,” Mishek comments.
Kol Tefillah leads Erev Shabbat services in the social hall rather than the sanctuary of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. The bima in the sanctuary is a stage, whereas the social hall permits chairs of performers and congregants to be arranged in a circle, enhancing the sense of community and encouraging everyone to join in the singing. Mishek says the idea is to sing with congregants rather than at them.
The repertoire includes nigguns, songs without words, which people can easily hum, providing further encouragement for congregants to participate in the singing. Other selections are prayers such as L’chu Neranana and Oseh Shalom, some set to different rhythms and others rendered with traditional melodies.
Mishek accompanies the group on guitar and Tomsky adds percussion. Of the ten other core members of the group – five are vocalists (Laurie Hall, Rochelle Rubinstein, Stephanie Siegel, Evelyn Smith, and Mishek’s husband, Steve Mishek) and five play instruments (Kirt Walter, bass; Larry Liebermensch and David Rafsky, percussion; David Bobrow, cello, and the youngest member of the group, teenager Jacob Oren-Winkler, flute.) The Conservative congregation’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Hanan Leberman, occasionally joins in. Mishek says any other musician or vocalist is welcome, no audition needed.
With the schedule at Tifereth Israel one Friday night every other month, Kol Tefillah has the time and incentive to perform at other venues. In 2024, the group had 16 gigs including those at Hillel of San Diego State University; Ner Tamid Synagogue; Seacrest Village Retirement Communities; and Coastal Roots Farm. Additionally, it has participated in programming of the Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice, both at Balboa Park and Ski Beach, and regularly provides music for the Shabbat services of Shir HaYam (Song of the Sea, a Jewish Renewal group.)
Kol Tefillah rehearses every Monday night at the Mishek residence in Tierrasanta. The rehearsals are occasions for the band mates to schmooze, learn new songs, and perfect their craft. Mishek says the group is so well rehearsed that performances go smoothly and professionally, even though the band members are amateur musicians from many walks of life.
Kol Tefillah’s next performance will be at a Friday evening Shabbat service, March 7, at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd.
*
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.