About us

The Piyut & Tefilla website and intiative

Preservation and Renewal of Jewish Musical and Liturgical Traditions

A collaborative project of “Invitation to Piyut” by the Snunit Foundation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the National Library of Israel.

Welcome!

This English-language site represents a milestone in our efforts, inviting you not only to explore its rich content but also to actively contribute to and share in the vibrant world of piyut, fostering a global community united by its cultural significance.
At this point the English language website contains a sample of the full Hebrew site. Our goal is to expand the English site and to introduce other languages as well.

About Us | Our Goals | Our Team

About Us

Piyut & Tefilla is a broad, interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to preserving and rejuvenating centuries of musical, liturgical, and poetic traditions, from across the varied social and geographical landscapes inhabited by Jews across time. We aim to make the richness of varied Jewish musical and poetic traditions, both sacred and mundane, accessible as a relatable corpus of human creativity that can offer individuals and communities in both present and future, the gift of contacting the fullness of their own traditions in music, poetry, prayer, sacred texts, life rituals, and folk traditions. 

Launched in 2004 through the generous support of the AVI CHAI Foundation, “Invitation to Piyut” has made a dramatic contribution to an unfolding socio-cultural revolution, both in Israel and abroad, a movement which is quietly reclaiming the Jewish cultural heritage, and helping to redefine modern Jewish identity in the process. 

Referring to the broad corpus of music, song, and prayer, written over centuries of Jewish diasporic existence, piyut, has proven capable of stirring a strong, unmediated contact with heritage, empowering people in the present to embrace what is theirs, grounding the shifting identities of modern Jews, and helping them find their own voices in the broad tapestry of Jewish existence. 

Through broad embrace by the local education system, the cultural and artistic establishment, and the media, piyut has been able to transcend the familiar sectarian social divides in Israel. In parallel, global Jewry, particularly in the United States, has grown progressively more conscious of the vast cultural treasure troves that lie in the world of piyut. In communities and schools, educators are tapping into this rich cultural reservoir to help young Jews, fostering a deeper connection to their own heritage, promoting Jewish renewal and a sense of peoplehood, and strengthening ties to Israel.

By refashioning a vibrant and inviting cultural sphere, piyut has been able to foster a sense of shared meaning and joint ownership over a rich and inspiring cultural heritage that belongs to everyone.

Goals and Objectives

Our main mission is to complete a Comprehensive Documentation and Conservation of the Jewish Musical, Liturgical and Poetic Heritage.

Informed by a sense of urgency to reach and document cultural treasures while living bridges to other cultural landscapes still exist, we aim to continue our efforts at comprehensive documentation of the full range of Jewish liturgical and musical traditions. We aim to undertake the following projects to this end:

• The production of professional recordings documenting sacred and mundane texts of the full range of Jewish traditions, recorded by singers and cantors intimately familiar with these traditions – mostly people native to Jewish diasporic cultures - and uniquely qualified to preserve them. This includes recordings of the traditional prayer book (siddur), life cycle rituals, biblical chanting (leyning, or Torah reading), folk songs in Jewish languages, and Hassidic musical traditions. 
• The production of documentary short films featuring leading figures and customs within the different traditions
• The commercial production of select portions that reflect the varied dimensions of the Jewish musical heritage: Jewish sacred song, prayer, Hassidic musical traditions and Jewish folk songs. 

The Piyut & Tefilla website  – Preservation and Public Accessibility in Hebrew, English, and additional languages, as well as a children’s feature 

We currently operate an advanced searchable Internet database, the largest of its kind, which brings the world of Jewish musical and poetic traditions to life through an interactive interface. This platform provides users with access to thousands of audio and video recordings – both archived and original -- from various Jewish traditions along with transcriptions, explanations, interpretations, and other helpful resources. The website runs on an advanced technological platform provided by the National Library of Israel, which is committed to its long-term sustainability. Moving forward, we aim to expand the content further and develop separate channels for the different types of musical traditions (sacred song, prayer, folk song etc.) that jointly offer a clear portrait of the greater whole. We further aim to develop a feature on the website designed specifically for children. 

The Soundtrack of Jewish Culture – Entrenching Music and Jewish Poetry in the Education System

We wish to bring the fullness of the experience of traditional song to young people throughout Israel and the Jewish World. To that end, we aim to build on our existing collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Education – our preschool program is already in operation in over 2000  pre-schools across Israel -- on the design and implementation of musical curricula that address the needs of students of all ages, from preschool to high school. 

The Secret of Many Voices : An International Conference and Music Festival at the National Library 

We aim to continue to the precedent set in 2018, when we launched our first annual piyut conference, hoping to become a leading international event of its kind. The gathering is designed to leverage the range of artistic languages to offer leading artists, intellectuals, scholars and educators a platform to gather and experience first-hand the vitality and vibrance of contemporary musical and broader cultural creative endeavor. Drawing on the richness of Jewish traditions, the gathering offers musical performances, singing and meditation circles, workshops, lectures, dance and performance art, and film exhibits, amongst a range of experiential registers.

Watch also the clip of 2022 program

Our Team

• Yair  Harel – Founder, editor in chief and artistic director
• Michal Brilant – Director
• Uri Kroizer – Prayer, Education and Community Coordinator.
• Ran Huri – Content and Language Editor
• Dr. Netanel Cohen – Music coordinator
• Aharon Manor – System and Production Coordinator

We welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and contributions via email at: [email protected]