Contemporary Ashkenazi Synagogue Music in Israel: Some Aspects of Change in a Relocated Tradition

Adapted from a lecture given at the 14th WCJS, 2005, this article is not a conclusive statement of findings but rather as a provisional report of research currently being done on Ashkenazi prayer nusach in Israeli synagogues. A few examples of musical change are given and analyzed in terms of their musical and social meaning. The wider context of the encounter between eastern and western European traditions in Israel is also referred to.