This song was written by Eric Bogle, a Scottish songwriter. He wrote it about a man in South Africa who was sentenced to death. Eric was inspired by the music of the anti-apartheid struggle and this final section of the song was designed to be sung in a mashup with "Shoshaloza" one of the most famous anti-apartheid anthems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHe7DJjS7KI

Such a beautiful call for unity and courage.

A chant to lean into Elul in three parts

Part one: I'm going deep, deep within, mmmmmm (inspired by the practice of cheshbon hanefesh and teshuva during Elul)

Part two: I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine (acronym of Elul from Song of songs 6:3)

Part three: Whom shall I fear? Nobody! (inspired by Psalm 27, the psalm read/chanted daily during Elul)

Elul Chant 5781

Ozi v’Zimrat Yah - melody by Rabbi Shefa Gold  
Ozi v’Zimrat Yah Vayahi li lishuah (Psalm 118:14 and Exodus 15:2)
My Strength (balanced) with the Song of G!d will be my salvation.

Recorded by IfNotNow Boston Summer 2016.

Ozi Vizimrat Yah

Courage - adapted from the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement, sung as protesters were being taken to jail and as a way to learn people's’ names in the jail cells. 
Courage, my friend, you do not walk along. 
We will, walk with you, and sing your spirit home.

Courage

Ozi v'zimrat yah vayihi li lishua 
My strength and the divine song will be my deliverance (Psalm 118:14, Exodus 15:2) 

A prayer for courage, strength, and surrender as we navigate these trying times.
lyrics
Ozi v'zimrat yah vayihi li lishua 

Claim your place in the fabric of creation 
Know your face as the face of the divine 
This is our time, we've come to unwind 
the tangled patterns of history. 
Lifetimes fall and rise 
surrendering to the Mystery. 

Don't stop now, don't turn back 
It's just beginning to flow 
Let go and see what your body knows 
You were made for this, made for this 
Open wide and shed your skin 
Through fire we begin again
credits
released September 14, 2017 
Composed by Cedar Ranney 
Arranged by Cedar Ranney & Madhu Anziani 
Vocals: Cedar Ranney & Madhu Anziani 
Percussion: Madhu Anziani 
Produced by Madhu Anziani 
Hebrew Lyrics: Psalm 118:14, Exodus 15:2 

With deep gratitude to my bright and well ancestors, Kohenet community and beyond, and my teachers Taya Shere and Ibrahim Baba. Thanks to Rabbi Shefa Gold for inspiration and Madhu Anziani for collaboration, allyship and recording.

Ozi V'zimrat Yah ft. Madhu Anziani

Tu Bshvat Nigun by Batya Levine sung live at Let My People Sing! 2018.

LMPS 2018

Tu Bshvat Nigun - Batya Levine - LMPS 2018

Moses' prayer for his sister Miriam when she is sick -- Ana el na refa na la - "please Gd, heal her." 

Ancient Jewish words from Numbers 12:13. Music written and recorded in 2016 by Aly Halpert for a friend who was in need of healing.

Songs for Healing

Ana El Na

Mishpacha Nigun (Molly Bajgot & Sol Yael Weiss)

Modah/Modeh Ani is a prayer said upon waking up in amazement that the spirit has returned from the dream world to the body! There are so many beautiful and joyful melodies for this prayer, but sometimes waking up and discovering oneself alive, while beautiful, is also kind of eerie and bizarre. Here's my slightly emo Modah Ani for you to try out when the right moment hits <3 

I thank you, vital and present Ruler/Spirit of the Universe, for you returned my spirit to me with compassion. Your faithfulness is abundant. 

מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקיים, שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה, רבה אמונתך
מודה אני לפניך רוח חי וקיימת שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה רבה אמונתיך

Modah/Modeh ani lefanekha/lefanayikh, Ruach/Melech chai v'Kayam/Kayemet, shehekhezart/a bi nishmati b'chemla raba emunatekha/emunatayikh.

Modah Ani (in Existential Dread)aka Emo-dah Ani

Origin:
Words from Selichot liturgy
Melody is a Chabad tune
This is a recording that Batya Levine made for NSP in preparation for co-leading High Holiday services with Rabbi Joseph in 2020

Words:
Rachamana d’anei (de’anei) la’ani’ei
oy vey! aneina(n) 

Rachamana d’anei l’tvi’rei lieba, 
oy aneina(n)! oy aneina(n)!

Translation:
Compassionate One, who answers/responds to the oppressed. 
Oy Vey! Answer/respond to us!

Compassionate One, who answers/responds to the brokenhearted. 
Oy! Answer/respond to us! 
Oy! Answer/respond to us!

Rachamana - Chabad Melody

Birkot HaShachar / Queer Morning Blessings - Dori Midnight & Randy Furash Stewart

This is a chant grounded in the resilience, courage, and hope of our Jewish ancestors, reminding us that when we fight for life and for justice, we are weaving ourselves with all justice-fighters who came before us. No fight is too big for our fierce and courageous hearts. 

As the story goes: In 1939, Nazis surrounded a group of Jews from Lublin, Poland, backed up against barbed wire and ordered them to sing to their own execution. One man began to sing: "Mir veln zey iberlebn, iberlebn, iberlebn” —"We will outlive them.” The song took hold among the entire people, who, as they awaited their deaths, began to dance. They danced with joy, with resilience, with a life that could not be destroyed by fascism, militarism, or genocide. The commander saw this resilience. He recognized their defiance. They continued, even as the SS troops charged at them. Most lost their lives that day. And some lived to tell this story. We are here. We will outlive them. We will join forces and voices with others to fight so we can all outlive them, together (thank you, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice!). 

Vocals: Avra Shapiro
Melody: Avra Shapiro
Arrangement: Avra Shapiro & Nadav Simon 
Bass: Matt Coglianese
Drums: Nadav Simon
Violin: Mallory Linehan
Production and Mixing: Nadav Simon
Mastering: Steve Marek 
Recorded and Mastered at Cybernetic Meadow
Art by Micah Bazant (poster can be bought here: https://www.micahbazant.com/buy-art/we-will-outlive-them).

Mir Veln Zey Iberlebn

IfNotNow is a movement led by young Jews to transform our American Jewish community’s support for the occupation into a call for freedom and dignity for all. Learn more about the songs we sing in our movement here: http://bit.ly/2mIZUks
>on singing songs from other movements of today and from the past:
We are lucky to have the songs of our own Jewish traditions -- they are for us to sing.  Some of us have ancestors who have been deeply involved in movements across the world for social change for generations, both as those directly affected and as allies.  We are also singing their songs. 
And.
We recognize that this can easily turn into cultural appropropriation, particularly when we do not have direct links. So, before we sing a song we have a practice of honoring where it comes from: we share the movement, the struggle, or the people who birthed this music. Singing these songs is one way of acknowledging that we’re in a long line of movements for justice. 
We continue to create new movement songs. We write new lyrics. We get inspired by old text- Jewish and non-Jewish.  We do not simply translate movement songs into Hebrew in order to connect with them. One possibility instead is to incorporate Jewish text with similar themes and vision. 
From the beginning, IfNotNow leaders have been building relationships with leaders from Cosecha, BlackLivesMatter, The Dream Defenders, and other movements through the Momentum Community where we have been creating and sharing our songs with each other. Diversity keeps our movements strong and interconnected. We understand this as an ecological system of access, ancestries, struggles and strategies for resistance. Song is part of the way we arrive in interdependent relationship. We are building a culture that is accountable, compassionate -- and vibrant as all hell. Please honor the history of each song -- learn it, share it. 
We will lift each other up.

Courage

IfNotNow

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