Reprinted with permission from SnowAngelz.  Article by Ninaf.

Why is a nice Jewish woman listening – in quite an obsessive way, no less – to a Christmas album, you may ask?  Good question. To answer that, let me tell my own Christmas Story.

Growing up in New York City, the Christmas season for me was always a wonderful time.  As a kid, it meant family time, school vacations, great movies and shows … and shopping!   And beyond that, the holidays are a magical time in New York – from the stores with their fairy tale windows to the bustling shoppers and streets with snowflake decorations and lights and, of course, the delicious smell of hot pretzels and chestnuts on every corner.

What Christmas wasn’t to me, however, was a religious or spiritual time.  Yes, we had Chanukah, but in the list of Jewish holidays, this one seemed near the bottom of the totem pole.  It seems each year the Chanukah presents got more and more elaborate, though (probably in response to all the Jewish kids who started getting envious of all their Christian friends).  When I was young, a Chanukah gift was some coins or a pretty hairbrush.  My own children’s gifts ran the gamut of American Girl dolls and Game Boys when they were little to, more recently, iPods and cell phones.  How did this all happen? But I digress.

A lifetime of song

Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember.  My father loved the old standards – composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin as well as the Broadway classics. Listening to this music marked the beginning of a lifetime of pleasure for me.  During the Christmas season we sometimes listened to what my father would describe as “holiday music.”  The songs were limited to the more secular types, the ones that didn’t mention church, Christianity or God.  The radio would play our favourites, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and, of course, the Queen of all Christmas music, adored by Jews the world over, “White Christmas,” which was composed by Irving Berlin, who happened to be Jewish, himself.

Judaism in my life

I grew up in a non-religious Jewish home in Brooklyn.  We didn’t spend much time in synagogue, but I was always aware and very proud of my religion.  The spirit didn’t need to be drummed into me – it was all around.  My neighborhood was 95% Jewish and I just thought that was how the rest of the world was.  Christmas to me was something I watched on TV in great holiday movies, or read about in fascinating books – it was never real to me, it was a fairy tale.

I brought my own children up with more of a religious awareness than I had.  Maybe it was the different times we lived in, but I felt that I wanted more of a spiritual connection to my religion and the Jewish community, so my husband and I joined a neighbourhood temple.  One of the things I realized immediately was how embedded music was in the Jewish religion.  All prayers are sung (in Hebrew), and at all services there is a Rabbi as the officiator, as well as a Cantor, who is specifically trained to sing the prayers.  What I found most humorous was the funny bickering that would sometimes go on about what synagogue had the Cantor with the best voice – voice competitions go on even in temple!

Experiencing The Voice

Loving David’s voice was a no-brainer for me.  From the moment I heard the first few lines of “Heaven,” I knew I was witnessing something very special.  Are there other singers who have perfect pitch, incredible phrasing and an innate knowledge of drawing out the special nuances in music?  Perhaps.  Are there other singers who can emote and connect to you with their heart?  Maybe.  But it is the combination of these two things that puts David’s voice and talent on a whole other level.  Then to top things off, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better then this, you have “David.”

That non-judgmental, optimistic, child-like and yet profound, funny person, who gets more joy out of giving than receiving. This mixture of talent, emotion and character seeps through every note he sings.  And that’s what I find contagious, that’s the killer combo – that’s what keeps me coming back for more.

I remember last Christmas when I first heard David sing, “O Holy Night” at the tree lighting event.  I have heard that song sung many times before – I even heard it being performed live by a talented opera singer.   However, I never really heard that song, not until David performed it that night with just a piano in the background.  I thought I would blow out my iPod with all my repeated plays and listens.  It was just one of those performances that transformed me and although he is singing about Christ, it touched me in a very spiritual and personal way.

I can only describe it as that feeling I get every once in awhile, of total contentment and happiness.  Where I feel so blessed that I literally can’t move. I just want to drink in every second of it, because I know that what I’m feeling is fleeting, that it won’t last, that’s what makes it so special.  David’s voice in that particular performance brought me to that place, that feeling, and it was oh so perfect.

Christmas From the Heart, the album

I didn’t think twice about purchasing CFTH.  My husband gave me a strange look though and said, “You’re not really buying an album of Christmas music?”  With that I answered, “It’s David doing ballads with orchestras and choirs.  Does it really matter what he sings?”  And my assessment was correct.  David’s voice was its usual exquisite instrument and even though in my eyes, nothing can ever touch last year’s performance of “O Holy Night,” this recorded version comes pretty close.

There is no need for me to wax poetic about this album – that’s all been done before my many who are much more eloquent and musically proficient than I.  What is most important is that I now understand that the pleasure of this album has nothing to do with religion.

The connection of emotion and spirit experienced through his music is non-denominational – it breaks all barriers of race and religion.

How David does this, I do not know.  I am just glad I am here to experience and take part in this incredible journey.

To leave Ninaf a comment, please go HERE.

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~ by Kizzi on December 3, 2009.

David Archuleta

Tags: a jewish perspective on christmas from the heart, Christmas From The Heart, David Archuleta, fan experience, Snow Angelz