Gam Ki Elech: Turning Our Sorrows Into Songs

by Rabbi Ilan Glazer

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1.	Adonai Yishmorcha 05:29	buy track
2.	Shomreini 06:22	buy track
3.	Ki Zeh Kamah 04:18	buy track
4.	Adonai Natan 03:49	buy track
5.	Gam Ki Elech 07:40	buy track
6.	Ach Tov Vachesed 04:26	buy track
7.	Mima'amakim 08:11	buy track
8.	Ki Shama 04:50	buy track
9.	Na Gibor 04:19	buy track
10.	Hafachta 05:45	buy track
11.	Lema'an Yizamercha 04:11	buy track
12.	Yevarechecha 03:52	buy track
13.	Zeh Shmi 04:56	buy track

about

Gam Ki Elech is an album for the broken-hearted, those in search of healing, and those looking for Jewish texts and music to help us sit with and even heal the pain we carry.

The melodies on this album come from our own fertility and grief journey. Our first two rounds of IVF didn't work, and we were overjoyed when the 3rd cycle did. .

There aren’t many resources for Jewish families going through the IVF process. One book that we really like is Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide, published by Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh. They have biblical verses for different parts of the IVF journey, and melodies came to me for a few of the melodies in the book, one for each of the IVF cycles we did. One melody speaks about God guarding us from all harm – that came to me the morning Shemaryah’s embryo was implanted in Sherri. We sang it in the fertility clinic and every night as he grew inside her.

Unfortunately, our hopes of bringing Shemaryah into our home were not to be. He was stillborn on January 14th, 2022. We spent Shabbat with him in the hospital before the burial. A few of the melodies came from that period of immense despair, the rest in the weeks and months of our year of mourning.

Gam Ki Elech, the title track, is from the 23rd Psalm. “Even though I walk in the valley of deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for You are with me.” This melody arrived just a few days before Shemaryah’s death – it felt like a gift from God, telling me that even though what was to come would be awful, I would get through it. I wasn’t alone in my pain, and God was with me, holding me, carrying me, sharing in my tears. (Thankfully, many friends and loved ones were too).

The final melody came on my father’s yahrtzeit, the anniversary of his death. Perhaps Shemaryah and my Abba were working together to send it my way. The morning prayer service says that God has heard our cries. If that’s true, then how tightly do I need to carry them? Can I let go of some of the heartache and pain if I know I’ve been heard by the Holy One? Maybe so.

Sherri and I hope that this album will bring comfort and healing to all who experience sadness and hard times. We hope that these melodies will give voice to the tears, the sadness, the pain that grief and heartbreak brings. We hope that it will serve as a reminder that even in the depths of despair, God's healing presence can still be found. We hope that all of us who mourn can find ways to turn our sorrows into song.

"Ilan's music brings together beautiful musicality with intimate human emotion. It is filled with love, pain, heartbreak, comfort, and harmony. The voices joining together carry you across this river of emotion and meaning in such a powerful way. Take a listen, and follow along with the lyric guide when you are feeling lost, alone, hurting, or just searching for melody and connection." - Josh Warshawsky

credits

released January 22, 2024

Gam Ki Elech musicians:

Charley Beller - mandolin and vocals

Rabbi Daniel Burg - vocals

Rabbi David Curiel - vocals

Chaim Fruchter - guitar and vocals

Rabbi Ilan Glazer - percussion and lead vocals

Yona Gorelick - vocals

Erin Kelly - vocals and concertina

Elliott Kurtz - clarinet and vocals

Joe Magar - upright bass

Zach Mayer - saxophone and vocals

Jim North - hammer dulcimer and vocals

Sherri Vishner Glazer - vocals

Rabbi Miriam-Simma Walfish - vocals

‌Produced, Arranged, Mixed, and Mastered: Zach Mayer

Sound Engineering: Edwin Huet, with assistance by Ben Frock

Video Production: Maranda Kosten

Cinematography: Yevgeny K’banchik

Artwork: Denise Barringer, Rena Fruchter, & Sherri Vishner Glazer

Sheet Music: Jim North & Meg Wobus Beller

Teaser video support: Alan Pressman and Ben Epstein

Vocal Coaching: Cheryl Kain

Gam Ki Elech was recorded at Beth Am Baltimore on October 9th and 10th, 2023, and released with a live concert at Beth Am on January 21st, 2024. Thanks to Beth Am for hosting and supporting this music.

For more about the album journey, please visit GamKiElech.com

May the memories of our loved ones always be a blessing.

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about

Rabbi Ilan Glazer Baltimore, Maryland

Ilan is a seeker of healing and inner peace. He's the founder of Our Jewish Recovery, author of And God Created Recovery, and co-founder of Our Love Continues.

Ilan is a rabbi, spiritual guide, recovery coach, prayer leader, storyteller, and musician, and works with individuals and communities looking to find serenity, spirituality, song, and the next chapter of their healing journey. ... more

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