City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2017 Music in Haredi Jewish Life: Liquid Modernity and the Negotiation of Boundaries in Greater New York Gordon A. Dale The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2156 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] MUSIC IN HAREDI JEWISH LIFE: LIQUID MODERNITY AND THE NEGOTIATION OF BOUNDARIES IN GREATER NEW YORK by GORDON A. DALE A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2017 © 2017 GORDON A. DALE All Rights Reserved ii Music in Haredi Jewish Life: Liquid Modernity and the Negotation of Boundaries in Greater New York by Gordon A. Dale This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Ethnomusicology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _____________________ ________________________________________ Date Samuel Heilman Chair of Examining Committee _____________________ ________________________________________ Date Norman Carey Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Mark L. Kligman Peter Manuel, First Reader Jane C. Sugarman, Advisor THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Music in Haredi Jewish Life: Liquid Modernity and the Negotiation of Boundaries in Greater New York by Gordon A. Dale Advisor: Jane C. Sugarman In this dissertation I seek to understand tensions regarding boundary maintenance, music, and cultural continuity among the contemporary Haredi (“Ultra-Orthodox”) Jewish community of Greater New York in the context of sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of liquid modernity. While Bauman suggests that modernity has melted familiar institutions and created an unstable and rapidly shifting world, I argue that for Haredim, the non-liberal religious community and its cultural productions solidify social bonds. While many Haredi Jews strive to continue the musical practices of pre-WWII Europe, some Haredi musicians push or disregard the boundaries of accepted practice by experimenting with Western popular music to varying degrees. This has led to vibrant debate that often invokes rhetoric of spiritual health and danger. This dissertation examines four spheres of music making in order to better understand how these negotiations play out in contemporary cosmopolitan environments. First, I examine Hasidic niggunim, with a focus on composer Ben Zion Shenker and the Modzitz Hasidic dynasty in order to show the manner in which they are believed to encapsulate an idyllic Haredi life. Second, I study tensions over traditionalism and assimilation in the context of Haredi popular music, particularly a watershed moment involving Hasidic singer, Lipa iv Schmeltzer. In this chapter I offer an example of music as a site of public reasoning in which the inherently pluralistic Haredi community continually negotiates its identity. Third, I look to Haredi boys choirs, arguing that they stage a secure future through the display of cultural continuity in the next generation of Haredi Jews. Finally, I examine music of the “Haredi periphery.” Individuals in this community have one foot in the Haredi world and the other in the larger host culture, a negotiation that they believe ultimately enhances their religiosity. Through examining these four domains of music making, I demonstrate that Haredim are adept at negotiating boundaries and that their cultural productions help them to reinforce social bonds within their community. v Acknowledgements I have been fortunate to receive support, guidance, and kindness from a countless number of people throughout the course of researching and writing this dissertation. I must begin by thanking the many people who agreed to take time out of their busy lives to speak to me about the music that accompanies, enriches, and frames their lives. While there are too many people to list here, I would like to call special attention to the members of the Modzitz community, particularly the Nathan family, Gavriel Greenberg, Andy Statman, Rabbi Dovid Sears, Zev Zylberberg, Eliezer Zimmet, and David Zeira. You have welcomed me into your community, and your music has enhanced my life. I offer a special thank you to Rabbi Ben Zion Shenker, may his memory be for a blessing. Rabbi Shenker was a true friend and taught me more than I could possibly describe in these pages. I also wish to thank the many musicians, music fans, and activists who have taken the time to share your beliefs, practices, and values. I particularly thank Rabbi Meir Fund, who has opened doors for me, not only musically, but also spiritually. The Hevria community, in particular, has been a source of inspiration and excitement for me, and I wish to thank those who devote so much time and effort toward creating space for this brand of Judaism and its wonderful art. I give a special thank you to Matthue Roth for his friendship, and for being a sounding board for ideas throughout this project. I also extend thanks to the many friends that my family and I have made throughout our time living in Brooklyn, and to the friends who, despite a farther distance, have supported me on this journey. Your friendship means so much to me, and has truly enabled this dissertation to come to life. vi I am so grateful to have completed this dissertation under the guidance of a committee of distinguished, kind, and brilliant scholars. Dr. Jane Sugarman has been an attentive and reliable advisor throughout my Ph.D. studies. I am so fortunate to benefit from the close eye and dazzling grasp of critical theory that I first saw in her scholarship, and have now seen in her countless, and brilliant, edits to this dissertation. Prior to ever studying with her, Professor Sugarman’s work was responsible for shaping many ideas in my MA thesis, and I am forever grateful for her guidance through my doctoral studies. Dr. Peter Manuel has been an inspiration to me since I first discovered the field of ethnomusicology. His ability to make profound observations, and present them in an engaging, thought-provoking, and clear manner continues to be a model for what an ethnomusicologist should do. Dr. Samuel Heilman’s work simply opened my eyes to just how fascinating the Orthodox Jewish community can be. His work spans a depth and breadth to which few can compare, and he is truly one of the most astute observers to ever contribute to the field of Jewish Studies. Finally, Dr. Mark Kligman has been an endlessly kind mentor throughout my graduate studies. His scholarship fills me with excitement about this field. I thank all four of my committee members from the bottom of my heart for their guidance and input. During my Ph.D. studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY, I have been fortunate to study under incredible scholars. I particularly wish to thank Dr. Stephen Blum, Dr. Tina Frühauf, and Dr. Aryeh Tepper for sharing their wisdom. In addition, I wish to thank the music faculty at Northeastern University, where I completed my Bachelor’s degree, and Tufts University, from which I received my Master’s degree. I especially would like to thank Dr. Rabbi Jeffrey Summit for his mentorship and friendship. I also thank the vii faculty of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, particularly my colleagues in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. I treasure your friendship, and your interest in my work. I wish to thank the members of the New York Working Group on Jewish Orthodoxies, run by Ayala Fader and Isaac Bleaman, for creating a platform for the sharing of ideas. This dissertation has certainly benefited from our meetings. I also thank my fellow graduate students at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Your brilliance and passion for music inspire me. Throughout my studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY, I have been privileged to receive financial support from several generous grants, fellowships, and awards. I thank The Graduate Center for a five-year Graduate Teaching Fellowship, without which my education would likely have been impossible. I thank Francesca Bregoli and the Center for Jewish Studies for grants that enabled me to conduct specific fieldwork tasks in 2015- 2016 that proved central to my dissertation. I also thank the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund for a Dissertation Award that enabled my reseach in New York City in 2016, and the Advanced Research Collaborative for their Student Research Praxis Award. I am grateful to the Doctoral Student Research Grant that helped to fund my research in Israel in the winter of 2014-2015. Finally, I wish to thank the Mellon Committee for the Study of Religion, run by Dr. Bryan Turner, for a five-year graduate student fellowship. I have benefited greatly from the committee’s weekly meetings, and am grateful to all of the regular attendees for sharing their work, and commenting on my research. Finally, I wish to express my love and deepest thanks to my family. To my parents, William Dale and Marilyn Dale, I thank you for encouraging my passion for music and believing that I could succeed in this pursuit. Since my earliest days you have viii nurtured my interests, and I am forever grateful. To my brother Seth, I thank you for the friendship that we’ve developed over the past years, and for your generosity in visiting often. I admire your ambition in following your dreams; it nourishes my own goals. I wish to especially thank my grandparents on both sides of my family, with special mention of my grandfather, Milton Wilkow, who passed away in the final stages of completing this dissertation.