On a recent Saturday night, I sat in my Upper
West Side Sephardic synagogue watching my French cousin and the ensemble
that he founded sing the traditional Baqashot, to the beat of
North African drums. In doing so, they not only perpetuated but also
transported a centuries-old tradition. The Baqashot, literally
“supplications,” are songs and chanted poems on themes related to the
week’s Parsha. They were sung in winter nights in Morocco, Syria, and
other Sephardic communities. On Saturday night, when Shabbat ended
early, the community would prolong its spirit with an evening of music
and spirituality.
New York Hevrat Baqashot,
My cousin founded the New York Hevrat
Habaqashot, the New York Baqashot Ensemble, when he immigrated from
France. The Hevra’s members, all young professionals by day, research
text, compose musical accompaniment, rehearse tirelessly, and have
revived the custom in New York City. This was their sixth annual
performance. They delighted the audience, Ashkenazic as well as
Sephardic, and as I watched my cousin lead the group it occurred to me
that our common ancestors shared the same experience in Marrakesh for
centuries, until the Moroccan Jews started leaving about 60 years ago.
That got me thinking about the resilience and
portability of Jewish culture and life through our successive Exiles. I
grew up in Paris, France, a few miles away from my cousin’s community.
Our synagogues were made up primarily of North African Jews, who left
Morocco, Algeria or Tunisia after the establishment of the State of
Israel and the independence from France. It is not easy to be an easily
identifiable Jew in Paris these days. The kippa goes off or is hidden
under a hat, and we do not readily advertise who we are.
Source Link-: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/little-marrakesh-on-the-upper-west-side/
