If you’re bored skip to about the 2 minute mark, I think this is awesome and she has a wonderful voice. Don’t worry I was not turned on by her voice enough to waste any seed.
Hat Tip Dov Bear
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The subway doors beep on two notes: E then C. Her Kol Nidrey began just sharp of F#, but not quite G. Her Lecha Dodi was also slightly sharp. Its probably nerves that are causing this. At least she did not have a beatbox guy on the other side of the train competing with her.
She’s cute, and although her voice is not a turn on — singers can sure vocalize during their big “O” moment. That would be worth recording.
Very disturbing.
Something very wrong between the ears.
Come on, seriously? Why the negativity?
Sorry, Gella.
its not a chauvenistic bias as I sense you are upset about.
I’ve just bumped into too many weirdos that can get up and make an ass of themselves on the rush hour train.
Certainly, none of the goyim on the train are interested in hearing her sing Kol Nidrei, at least not with her clothes on.
Chill out, bro. Your disapproval can be communicated without hostility.
I agree with Feh here. I said the same thing a few days ago here:
http://yeshivaforum.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/its-not-rude-if-its-for-youtube/
Aren’t there always people on the subway singing or playing instruments or begging for money? Don’t New Yorkers just tune it out?
She’s not a street performer, she is (was) a cantorial student doing her “internship” (it was a Purim video). It paid off… she’s now the cantor of a very well regarded Conservative shul in NJ
well regarded Conservative shul
thats an oxymoron.
Conservative Judaism is way dead.
She couldve been road kill and theyd hire her if she promised to show up for services.
How is conservative Judaism way dead?
Why you gotta be a hater? Chill on the sinat chinam.
please don’t feed the trolls
Sad to see someone so normal looking, behave is such a pathetic way.
Sad to see a person so lacking in a sense of humor.
And don’t judge people by their appearances. She’s not normal… she’s awesome.
Not too hard to figure out that she is behaving in a nutty way and this very little to do with humor.
No no being nutty in public for no good reason isn’t awesome, it is stupid and sad.
Is kol isha or jts more assur?
Neither — this activity is actually very frum. Consider — she is making money using religion. Can’t get more charedi than that.
Is this supposed to be satirical or spiritually uplifting? To me at least it doesn’t pass muster on either count?
Just interesting and that it is
It is satirical. Like I said, it was a video made for purim. It was a joke. The joke was that JTS students are so broke and desperate for internships that singing on the subway for change counts as an internship.
I didn’t realize and wrote a whole nasty thing on my blog about how rude she is. Whoever made the video should not have posted it to youtube. Definitely not without your background explanation.
If you had watched from the beginning, you’d have seen that she’s talking to a Rabbinical student about going to her internship, and then it turns out her internship is singing on the subway. It’s pretty clear that it’s a joke if you watch the whole thing.
Did you notice the part at the end where it says “JTS Purim Shpiel?” I think *that* gives it away, even if nothing else does.
Did you seriously write a blog post about a video without actually having watched the whole thing?
Welcome to the world of you tube and blogging – do you know how often people comment on this blog based on title alone without actually reading or understanding the post.
I watched the whole thing. I saw it said purim spiel. I just didnt see anything funny.
Now i understand what was happening because of gella’s background info, but all i saw was a woman getting in everyones faces without asking, and using traditional pieces to promote herself online.
Youre not an outsider. I am. And thats what it looks like at face value. Someone needs to use some common sense before posting videos online.
How would you react to this if it was an Orthodox guy instead? Very differently, I’m sure. Face it, your issue is not with her actions, but the fact that she’s the one doing them.
Making sexual comments about her doesn’t make it look like *she* lacks tznius, it makes it look like *you* do.
And of course it was silly… it was a purim shpiel. That’s the point.
I heard Kol Nidre in shul this year from a Chazzanit. This video made me very, very uncomfortable, and I don’t think changing the gender would make it any better. Maybe it would be worse, because at least I figure fewer people on the train could tell that this was a Jew singing in Hebrew, and probably assumed it was Opera. A guy wearing a kippah would have been MORE embarrassing to me.
Also, the fact that I, and apparently half the people who saw it, couldn’t tell it was supposed to be funny, probably means that it just wasn’t THAT funny.
I actually think she’s a pretty girl. Heshy – If I marry her do you get shadchanis fees?
I feel bad for you, Mendy.
You sound desperate, but I have a hunch, she’s playing for the other team…
I actually think Gella has something going on with her; she’s totally infatuated. I think I’m starting to get turned on just writing about it.
Wow, that is so very rude. Jen happens to be a friend of mine, it is true. But must you objectify us both with your sexual fantasies? Seriously, where’s your tznius?
Gella, didn’t mean anything besides hyperbole.
You just seem overly vested in her weird little performance.
She is definitely due for some constructive criticism.
I’m sure you can hear some other points of view that this may not have been the best venue for a chazzanus concert.
I wouldn’t want to hear some fat Italian belting out his Pavoratti piece, and the homeys on the train don’t want to hear her.
Wow… how so very rude. Do you always objectify women in this way?
Five years in cantorial school? What do they teach? Tell you what kid-o, you give me the half 60,000 you spent and I’ll teach you cantering faster and cheaper.
Go to shul. Every day. And, pay attention.
Can we get an occupy sheeble movement?
Hehe, not gonna disagree with you there. JTS Cantorial School? Not their best program. #OccupyShul
Astro,
Yes 5 years sounds excessive, but in Conservative shuls the cantor is more than just a ba’al(at) tefilla, but is sort of a second rabbi.
I thought the video was great and that’s why I posted it. I’m actually quite surprised that there are so many critical views here and I’m willing to bet that if this was a frum looking man it would have been different. It looks to me like every commenter who’s hating is a frum guy who can’t get out of their little bubble of self made periodical stringency’s which they don’t even keep to.
Orthodoxy is not the only way to practice, and the comment about conservative Judaism is way overblown, considering most of the Conservative Jews I know are sincere Jews who are far from dead. Just because you never stepped foot in JTS or a conservative shul and believe everything you read on the news or that your Rabbi tells you doesn’t mean it’s true. We can flip this statement around to match with any sect including Chassidim, modern orthodox or chabad – frequent groups which are wrongfully judged by “mainstream” Jewish media.
Hear hear on the achdus, Hesh. I respectfully disagree that this is about gender (at least for some of us). See my comment above.
Hey Hesh!
In Ortho circles a professional chazzan gets mocked. They are viewed as somewhat mercenary and full of themselves. If you ask one of the current popular ‘heimish’ chazzanim what they are they’ll say they are Ballaie Teffila.
Heshy,
Your level-headed and non judgmental approach on this blog is a great example. If only more approached things this way…
Shkoyach.
Heshy makes a good point.
I think I am so busy thinking that Conservative Judaism is not judaism, that I forget it is still a religion.
Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam, Opiscopalianism, Conservative judaism, all are false, but they are religions, and they are ways people worship. So it is no more false than the other religions.
Of course, it is very rare to find an actually devout conservative jew, who actually is connected to some sort of spiritual experience through it. So maybe that is why I am so cynical towards it.
Dan,
I read your post and it confused me….I’m not an expert on Orthodoxy (even though I grew up Orthodox in upstate NY), but I have found that what one community defines as Orthodoxy, would not be perceived as Orthodoxy in another. We cannot deny there are spectrums within spectrums of what defines a Jew. It is factual that some Ultra-Orthodox Jews believe it is wrong to even listen to women singing or read Frum Satire. So, within the Ultra-Spectrum wouldn’t all the posters here who watched the video be perceived as not truly Orthodox? Don’t get me wrong, but how would your Rabbi perceive your religiousity if he walked in on you watching the video. Criticizing Conservative or Reform Judaism as false religions is patently wrong. They are simply on a different level of the Jewish spectrum than you are. I know many Conservative Jews in LA that simply object to the Mehitzah and little elae. They keep Kosher and wear kippahs….etc. Unfortunately, I believe many Jews simply emulate their Rabbi’s teachings as to what defines their Jewish identity. To me, it is more complex and it starts with acceptance of diversity.
+1 Izzy. well said.
Wow, I’m really surprised at all the negative comments. I, for one, thought it was hilarious.
This is America, a land where anything is possible.
Now, if this young Chazzan was on a bus in Mea Sharim in Jerusalem…what would happen….we all know.
I have no problem with her singing, and the subway is a great venue for performances. But a prayer, kind of an important one too, just for the kicks, is a bit too far.
Couldn’t you find some Tehilim to perform…?
This trivializes something that is held dear by many.