The Women Who Kept the Songs: From India to Israel, the Musical Heritage of Cochin

Embassy of India
Embassy of Israel
University of Maryland Center for Jewish Studies and Office of International Programs
B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum
Library of Congress Asia Division
Washington DC Jewish Community Center

Invite you to a unique program

THE WOMEN WHO KEPT THE SONGS
FROM INDIA TO ISRAEL: THE MUSICAL HERITAGE OF COCHIN

Date: Monday, April 7, 2008
Time: Noon-1:00pm
Location: Mumford Room, 6th Floor, Jefferson Building
(Metro stop: Capitol South on the Blue/Orange Line)

Accompanied by a special exhibit of books on the Cochini Jewish community from the Asian collections of the Library of Congress
Asian Reading Room, LJ–150, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress
10:00 am–5:00pm

The program and book display are free and open to the public.

Description:
For centuries Jewish women along India’s Malabar Coast filled songbooks with Jewish-themed music sung in Malayam at weddings, community celebrations and rituals. Indian, Israeli and American researchers aided a group of Cochini Israelis, who gathered monthly in Israel over five years, to re-learn each precious blessing, biblical narrative or ode to Israel. They strung them together musically from recovered songbooks into what has been deemed “a palmful of pearls.” They have brought to modern ears the voices of their aunts and grandmothers by forming the Nirit Singers. Their music has been painstakingly collected into CD recordings in Israel, and been a part of an international conference in India that looked deeply at the thousand years and more of cultural interchange among Hindus, Christians and Jews in the vibrant multi-ethnic Kerala region.

A short introduction to the songs and stories will be featured. The program will be accompanied by a special exhibit of books on the Cochini Jewish community from the Asian collections of the Library of Congress in the Asian Reading Room, LJ–150, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress from 10:00 am–5:00pm.

For further information, contact Dr. Allen Thrasher at (202) 707-3732 or athr@loc.gov; Dr. Anchi Hoh at (202) 707-5673 or adia@loc.gov

Partner programs:

Sunday, April 6, 3:00 pm, Stamp Student Union, Prince George’s Room (1210), University of Maryland, College Park.
A combined musical and academic panel will focus on Malayalam-language songs and expert commentary. For further information, contact Dr. Saul Sosnowki at (301) 405-4772 or sosnowski@umd.edu

Monday, April 7, 7:30pm
Washington DC Jewish Community Center
THE WOMEN WHO KEPT THE SONGS FROM INDIA TO ISRAEL: THE MUSICAL HERITAGE OF COCHIN
Israel’s Nirit Singers, with Indian and American experts
Venue: Washington DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW (16th & Q)
Tickets: $15, Discounted Member Price $10 (for JCC Members, students with ID, seniors, persons under 25 and groups of eight or more.)
To order: online at www.washingtondcjcc.org/dialogues
Same-day tickets will be available starting one hour before the event, subject to availability. All ticket sales are final.
Information: (202) 777-3207; (202) 777-3254 dialogues@washingtondcjcc.org; www.washingtondcjcc.org/dialogues