Rabbi Danny Bergson from Manchester builds a thematic bridge between the Purim festival and Passover. His concert focuses on “the redemptive power of this period”. With his guitar, he sings and contextualizes modern Hasidic and traditional Jewish music. These include settings of Psalms such as My Soul Thirsts for You (Ps. 63), various niggunim since 1745, gospels based on traditional melodies in English and Hebrew as well as other prayer hymns by Rabbi Schlomo Carlebach, Rabbi Israel Goldfarb, Max Janowski and others.
Jewish music reflects cross-generational experiences of exile, combined with the uprooting and transplantation of entire communities over many centuries. In every place, Jews are influenced by the sounds and tonal motifs of their surroundings. They weave these musical threads together into a tapestry of hope and faith. Rabbi Danny believes that at the core of Jewish music lies a transcendent sound that connects the Jewish soul to its divine source beyond the dimensions we know. The period between Purim and Passover spans approximately four weeks. Immediately after the exuberance of Purim, with its victorious and carnival-like conditions, preparations begin for the eight-day Passover festival, which commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and thus plays a central role in Jewish identity. This time of preparation is accompanied by spiritual purification and spiritual upliftment.
