What is Lishmoa?
Lishmoa is an innovative new educational curriculum, currently in development, using Jewish music to teach text study, values & ethics, Hebrew, and social justice within a Judaic framework. Lishmoa seeks to transform Jewish education through the power and spirit of Jewish music while promoting the purveyors of Jewish music from around the world.
Lishmoa offers custom-made curricula to education providers seeking creative and innovative ways to study Jewish texts, ethics and values. Each lesson takes a Jewish music song (and music video, as applicable) and deconstructs it – studying the texts on which the song is based, the themes present in the lyrics, and how to apply the messages within the song to modern Jewish living.
The format will be a customizable textbook and CD available for educators based on themes and age level. Each CD will have a collection of Jewish music songs from participating musicians with the textbook containing applicable lessons. Special CDs and lessons will be available for instruction based on the Jewish Holidays. Central to the entire curriculum will be a focus on the history and significance of Jewish music in its variety of genres. It is our mission that each lesson provides a framework for which students and their families will want to collectively pursue further.
Lishmoa presents a dynamic new alternative for the Jewish educational system- one that embraces the innovative opportunities and meets the challenges of Jewish learning in a digital age. Through partnerships with contemporary popular Jewish musicians and producers as well as with the support of Jewish online media, Lishmoa offers the ability to continually update its source materials as new Jewish music is made available. Our website, upon launch of the curriculum, will have resources for students, teachers, and parents, and will offer the opportunity to discover new Jewish musicians, songs, and videos from around the world. Lishmoa seeks to strengthen Jewish identities- individual, family, and community.
