Album Review: A praise of Cantor Rebekah Mirsky’s ‘The in Between’

Cantor Rebekah Mirsky’s goal is to make Judaism relevant to the human struggle- the struggle of accepting our brokenness and our nuances. She believes there is great wisdom in the Jewish texts that inform our lives and teach us how to navigate the grey areas, or how to live in the “in-between” areas. These areas just need to be brought to light.

Cantor Mirsky weaves Judaism’s powerful relevance into her most recent album, The in Between. Sung in both English and Hebrew with beautiful and catchy melodies reminiscent of an Old Testament version of “Godspell”, the songs address the themes of the human condition on a personal as well as universal level. Many of them are based on Jewish prayers, with the ancient sentiments brought forward to the present as filtered through Rebekah’s personal experiences with people in recovery, both in her personal and work life. However, the meanings can also be laid over the current political/world climate, offering hope to all of us.

Mirsky’s songwriting has taken a leap from amazing to stellar in “The In Between”, her 2nd Jewish album (7 total). Several songs are just itching to become popular anthems: “Prayer For Rain”, “We Are All Welcome Here”, “Between” have simple hooks with powerful, clear messages that reach out to all of us. One need not be Jewish, or even affected by addiction, to deeply understand the themes of inclusion, compassion, and equality. “We Are All Welcome Here”, is probably the best illustration of this, a moving and beautiful antidote to the recent rise of racism and hatred in the U.S.

The production is clean but not overly polished, organic without being cloying – balanced nicely between acoustic and rock – some of the most satisfying work she’s done in recent memory.

Don’t miss out on an exciting opportunity to hear Cantor Mirsky perform songs from her latest album, in collaboration with BCC’s Cantor Juval Porat. He will also be performing songs from his own recent album, theology- a transportive collage of liturgical personal music.

Sunday, May 13 at 3pm
Beth Chayim Chadashim
6090 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035

You can download The in Between {HERE}