Ensemble for Jewish spiritual and

liturgic music

 



publications

 

Four books by Navah-Tehila

 

Jewish holidays (1979)

Publisher: Bat Kol, Haifa, Israel

This is the first book van Navah-Tehila; the full title is

Jewish holidays, impressions of a woman

A little booklet with drawings and short poems in Hebrew and English. The theme is the yearly cycle of Jewish Holidays (Chagey-Israel), as experienced by a woman. As the title suggests it is a kind of lament over the unequal place of women within the culture. The inspiration for this came through an invitation to exhibit art work about Jewish holidays in the Bible museum in Amsterdam.

woman

 

 

Gam ki elech (2018)
Even if I walk through the valley
Al loop ik door het dal…

Publisher: Beyond Words

Navah-Tehila created the paintings in this book when she was recovering from an operation, in the framework of art therapy. The process was brought to completion when she added texts in three languages: Hebrew (her native language), English, and Dutch. At times she used favorite biblical quotations or her own poetry.
A musical version of Psalm 23 was an important source of inspiration at the background: that of Leonard Bernstein, performed under his baton (see his Chisester psalms).
The combination of image, music and text constituted an intense healing process, specially from a spiritual point of view.
Psalm 23 (The source is my shepherd), her favorite psalm, was during the whole period a source of strength and support for Navah-Tehila, and is such to this very day:

Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me
.

From personal reactions we learn that the book may serve as a spiritual support for persons undergoing a similar process; it is highly recommended as such.

vallley

 

 

Come give me a hug (2019)

by Michal Snunit, translated from the original Hebrew into Dutch by Navah-Tehila Shmuelit and Geert Koefoed.
Pubished by Mozaiek, ISBN 978 90  239  5643 3, Utrecht, 2019.

Michal Snunit is a world famous Israeli writer of children's books; one of her children's books, Tzipor hanefesh (The Soul Bird) , has been translated into more than twenty languages.

Come give me a hug tells in a poetic form how old the language of hugs is, how many different hugs there are and why we cannot miss them for our well-being. The subtle and colorful illustrations by Esther Leeuwrik complement the text making together a whole. It is a children's book, however no one would feel too grown up reading it.

The book was presented in theatrical form in the building of Foundation Het Wilde Westen Utrecht and in Merkaz; the complete book was read, accompanied by a music selection( piano and violin) and dance.

A quotation by the publisher:
“A warm and supporting  book,
 a book that reads like a hug.”

knuffel

 

 

ASHIRA, a jewish song/art book by Navah-Tehila (2021)

Publisher: Beyond Words, ISBN978  90 9034429 4

Ashira( I sing) is a unique collection of compositions, texts and artwork created by rabbi Navah-Tehila. Musical notation is by Marcel Doornweerd, and the book design is by Froukje Locher.

The compositions – music and text – are in part worldly, in part spiritual, including psalms and other biblical texts. One piece is a nigun, a melody without words.
There are two longer compositions, Minoratorium and The Middle East Musicollage; the words minoratorium and musicollage are coined by Navah-Tehila. A minioratorium is a short oratorium in which one singer sings all the different roles, a musicollage is a collage of music and text. The Marja Musicollage was inspired by paintings and sayings of the late Marja de Lange.

The colorful artwork is also by Navah-Tehila.

Ashira has become a beautiful unity of music, language and art, sometimes serious, sometimes witty, never too heavy, often comforting.

NB:
A selection of ten pieces was set on cd and flash, with indication of the corresponding page number in the book, so that it is possible (and recommended) to listen and follow music and text in the book at the same time.  This combination can enrich the experience and may work as a healing.

The book, cd, and flash are available through contact with Navah-Tehila (info@orbalev.nl)

 

ashira