Nevel
The Jerusalem Harp Network
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NEVEL StoriesNEVEL It seems so natural to use the harp for therapy in Israel. King David is the most famous harp therapist the world has ever known. But, in Israel today, the harp is rarely seen out of the orchestra. A group of harp players is about to change this by forming the non-profit organization, NEVEL. (Nevel is the Hebrew word for harp.) NEVEL has several distinct areas of activity and includes the Jerusalem Harp Circle and Tiferet Harps—the therapeutic branch. (Tiferet means glory, but it is also the sphere of compassion in mystical Judaism.) The formation of NEVEL has been graced by such timing that we know we are in the right place at the right time. NEVEL could never have happened if the combination of so many generous people hadn’t played their role at the right time. It all began four years ago when I was contacted by a woman living in Jerusalem who wanted to purchase a larger folk harp. It was the beginning of a strong friendship and before long, Shoshana’s harp had arrived from Britain and she was in search of a folk harp community that like her, would like to play the harp with a spiritual focus. It was decided that we would call the first meeting of the Jerusalem Harp Circle at Shoshana’s home in Jerusalem. Eighteen harpers with their various harps showed up to our first meeting! We couldn’t believe that there were so many like-minded people living within a few hours of each other. A core of about 10 harpers became regular members of the Jerusalem Harp Circle. We organized workshops for Grainne Hambly when she came to perform in the Tel Aviv Irish Festival. More workshops were organized when the harpists Monika Stadler, Mary MacMaster and Corrina Hewitt came on tour to Israel. The Jerusalem Harp Circle met almost every month and we started to play some tunes together and began networking. But, there was still this search for more spiritual and meaningful outlets for harp music. Tirtza Singer had recently played the harp for a friend who was a patient in a hospital in Jerusalem and said that it had been a profound experience for both her and her friend. I was involved in a study at hospital near my home in Kfar Saba (near Tel Aviv) playing for babies in the newborn intensive care unit. (The results have just been published and I will be writing about this study in a later issue.) We all wanted to learn more about using the harp in therapeutic situations and seven of us decided to take Laurie Riley’s correspondence course. That was the summer of 2003. We held a series of house concerts to raise money for the tuition and books that I would bring back with me after my February 2004 US tour. Shoshana began bringing her new harp to the Share Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem. She befriended Dr. Cherney, the head of the oncology department, and was received with open arms into the entire oncology wing. Meanwhile, later that autumn, one of Shoshana’s childhood friends from South Africa was admitted to the Share Tzedek hospital with cancer. We knew the harp should play a role in the healing of Chaya RIvka, but there had not yet been a need. Chaya Rivka was more interested in having Shoshana write down blessings for her children and bringing her cool washcloths. Chaya Rivka’s cancer spread so quickly that within a few months her passing was immanent. Shoshana phoned me and said that Chaya Rivka was no longer able to eat. I shocked Shoshana by telling her that Chaya Rivka must be dying and that she should bring her harp NOW! When Shoshana arrived at the hospital the next morning, Chaya Rivka’s family was being called in to say their goodbyes. Chaya Rivka had 4 children ages12 and younger –the youngest was an infant. When I was on tour in the US, a few months later, I performed in a concert of Jewish women including a harp ensemble organized by Marty Fox, founder of the non-profit “Rediscovering the Harp as a Jewish Instrument”. The concert was for a small audience of mainly orthodox women in Los Angeles. I told the story of David saying goodbye to his mother by playing the harp and said that our dream was to have a harp in every hospital in Jerusalem. A woman came up to me after the concert and said that she wanted to donate a harp and wondered how much would it cost. Well, I wasn’t prepared for this question. I didn’t want to scare her away by giving too high a price, yet I had to be realistic. I replied, “$2000”. Well, $2,000 was a bit too low unless I could do some serious shopping for a used harp. Through the generosity of the Virginia Harp Center, we bought a Camac Hermine. I was performing at the American Harp Society’s convention in Philadelphia that summer, so the plan was to have me carry the harp back with me. I hadn’t thought about extra strings, taxes and excess baggage. So, we held a few more house concerts at the home of Shoshana in Jerusalem and I played for a few house concerts in Philadelphia. I have learned to never underestimate small concerts. A woman who attended one of the house concerts in Jerusalem has been anonymously donating money to us every few months. The money seems to arrive just when we need to pay for something. After another house concert we acquired a wire- strung harp as a gift from a harp player who was returning to South Africa. An old friend of mine who is a lawyer in Jerusalem agreed to file for the non-profit status for NEVEL, but we still had a large fee to pay to register. The mysterious house concert beneficiary donated money just at the right moment. Money appears regularly from this anonymous donor through a financial advisor, Mr. Duke, who lived next door to Shoshana . Mr. Duke also is a strong supporter of NEVEL and is on our founding committee along with the head of oncology at Share Tzedek Hospital, an Israeli music therapist and several harp players. Several harp players now play in the oncology wing. We are now working closely with the social worker and chaplain. Shoshana and Jill Rogoff have been the main hospital musicians, though all seven of us have played for the oncology wing. Recently, Jill was asked to play when a patient had just received some devastating news. Shoshana recently played at the bedside of a three -year -old who was electrocuted. She phoned me from the hospital. It was one of the most difficult situations she had encountered. The mother and father’s families were feuding over whether to donate the child’s organs. According to Jewish law, the body is to be buried whole. Often autopsies are denied. But, there is a loophole in the law, and to save a life, the organs can be donated. (Jewish law and tradition is much older than the ability to transplant organs from a young child.) So, the argument was a religious one and very intense. Shoshana went to the child’s bedside and played the harp for two days. Shoshana is a devout Jew and could understand both sides of the argument. Her compassion and calming presence we are certain played a role in the final decision to donate 5 organs and save 5 lives. Shoshana also faithfully visits a teenager who is completely paralyzed after slipping down the stairs when she was taking out the garbage. Who are the founding harpers in NEVEL? Jill Rogoff is a professional harp player and singer. Her writing and organizational skills have been invaluable. It is vital to have someone who is punctual, organized and efficient. We would never have our own email and the beginnings of a web site without Jill. Tirtza Singer is another harp player in our group. She spent the summer with her parents in NYC and took hospice training and has returned very inspired. Rafaella Fox has just given birth to her second child since we started the course and would like to play, but not in a hospital setting. Ariella Levi has just moved to England and will continue her studies when she returns. Muriel Dickson now hosts our meetings since Shoshana moved. Muriel is a Suzuki violin teacher who started playing the harp several years ago. She plays on the walking street in central Jerusalem (Ben Yehuda) every evening to earn enough to support herself. It was a wad of single dollar bills earned by Muriel by busking on the street that paid for our first subscription to the Harp Therapy Journal. It has been almost two years since the passing of Chaya Rivka and her void is acutely felt by the entire family. David dropped out of school earlier this year. He told his father that he really wanted to play the harp and I have started teaching him. David is a fast learner and the harp has been an outlet for his emotions. We are off to a great start. Several of the harp players in Jerusalem wanted to add a distinctly Jewish perspective on playing the harp for others. We purchased a series of CDs on Jewish Healing taught by a medical doctor who has spent years focusing on the lost art of Jewish healing. It is a long and exciting journey that we have begun. We would love to hear from anyone who is touring Israel. It is said that in the end days, the 10-string harp will once again be played in Jerusalem. Israel is a place that needs the soothing vibrations of the harp. It is time for a revival of one of the most sacred and powerful instruments.
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