May 26, 2005
Soothing Music Memories
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When Len Lawrence was sitting shiva for his father 12 years ago, he found himself longing for some Jewish music to help soothe him through that difficult time, but he just couldn't find the right songs.
Now that Lawrence is general manager of Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, he has remedied the situation for others who might feel the way he did. The result is "Scores of Memory," a CD of traditional and contemporary compositions produced by Mount Sinai and Craig Taubman.
"What I wanted was music that touches people's souls and hearts in many different ways in their time of need," Lawrence said.
The CD includes songs by Taubman, Debbie Friedman and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. The latter has special meaning for Rabbi Jerry Cutler of Creative Arts Temple.
"My father was an Orthodox rabbi, so we grew up in a very traditional home where we would hear such music as Carlebach's all the time," Cutler recalled. "For someone who has lost someone and their mind is in a state of riot, if they put the Mount Sinai music on, they can start remembering beautiful times from many years ago."
Lawrence said many people around the country have written to thank him for the CD, which Mount Sinai offers free to both its clients and anyone who requests the music.
In the introduction to "Scores of Memory," Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple wrote: "From the depths of our souls, we bring our grief, our joy, our doubts, our hopes, our being in music. From the moment we are born, there is something in us that responds to the cadence and rhythm of the song."
Cutler views the use of music at a funeral or time of mourning as a very personal decision. "I always say, whatever the heart dictates."
For more information, visit www.mt-sinai.com.
