Do you have an interest in Jewish musical traditions and practices?  Would you like to deepen your connection to Torah? A set of symbols, called trope, above and below a Hebrew text indicates how to pronounce its words. The beauty of the melody embellishes the story.  The practice goes back to the time of Ezra. When the Jewish people returned from their Babylonian exile, following the destruction of the first Temple (about 510 B.C.E.), Ezra would go to the market on Mondays and Thursdays and read from the Torah. Ezra stood in the marketplace surrounded by squawking chickens, braying animals, and unruly children, and competed with the sounds of life. Exaggerating the highs, lows, and cadences of normal speech, Ezra projected the holy texts in a style caught somewhere between speaking and full-blown singing.

Cantor Ellen is offering a Torah trope class for adults. During each session, we will be learning a phrase of trope. We will take those musical phrases and put them to the words of Torah. We will take a look at the portion of the week and have a bit of learning before beginning the trope study.

If you would like to participate in the class, but don’t feel confident in your knowledge of the aleph-bet, Cantor Ellen and Education Director Julia Gross Alexander can help you! Be in touch with us to schedule a few refresher sessions!

Logged in BHA members receive 50% off the student pricing.

On principle, BHA does not turn people away for financial reasons; at the same time, we can only continue to operate because of the funds received from our members and supporters. 

To try and balance these needs, we have instituted an Open Gates fee option - on the honor system, if you are facing financial difficulties, please select the Open Gates Fee Option for reduced fees. If you are a member of BHA, please be sure to log into the website first, as all fees - Standard and Open Gate - are lower for members.