By Harper Goldberg
Sami Savage strongly believes that Jewish music is a powerful tool for bringing the community together.
“A lot of people don’t feel connected to Judaism, but Jewish music can bring people into the religion and community,” she said.
A Dulaney High School junior, Sami was recently the sole Baltimore area participant at the Songleader Boot Camp National Conference. Held every February in St. Louis, the three-day SLBC gathering provides Jewish leadership training for clergy, educators, family engagement and early childhood specialists, teen leaders, camping staffers, and congregational songleaders.
The national signature initiative of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center, the SLBC is led by nationally known Jewish thought leaders, educators and music artists. More than 2,000 participants from across the United States have participated in SLBC conferences and leadership training programming.
This was the second year that Sami, who is a member of Pikesville’s Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation, attended the conference. She was invited as a “Jewish Star,” the designation for a teen or young adult with a particular passion for Jewish music and leadership.
HSOSC’s brotherhood and sisterhood helped sponsor her trip to the conference, for which Sami said she is deeply grateful.
While at the gathering, Sami said she developed close friendships with attendees from states as close as New Jersey and far away as California. She plans to maintain these connections, she said, because they provide her with “knowledge and wisdom.”
Among the activities that Sami said she participated in at the conference was a group exercise of singing along to music while wearing blindfolds and sitting in front of an audience of strangers. She said this was a valuable lesson to boost confidence and understand the power of song from a different perspective while promoting unity and togetherness.
Sami said she is passionate about singing in worship settings as a means of connecting with other Jews. While sermons and lectures about scripture can sometimes test the attention spans of listeners, she said music creates an engaging, participatory experience.
“Singing the stories makes them more meaningful,” Sami said. “People can sing along and be a part of it.”
One Jewish song that holds particular significance for Sami is “Mi Chamocha,” a prayer celebrating liberty, justice and redemption.
“It represents freedom and the joyous occasion,” she said.
Besides her involvement with SLBC, Sami works as a teacher’s assistant at her congregation. She also frequently sings at services at HSOSC with Cantor Alexandra F. Marcus, and was recently invited to join the congregation’s adult choir.
During the summer, Sami serves as a counselor at Beth Tfiloh Camps, where she leads music classes, engages with campers, and encourages them to dance and sing.
“I try my best to spread a good and helpful message about being together,” she said.
In the future, Sami hopes to continue sharing her passion for Jewish music and leadership in the community.
“I want to make sure everyone feels the togetherness of being Jewish,” she said.
She also hopes to use her musical talents to help inspire people in general to have faith and resilience during challenging times. “It will always get better,” she said, reflecting on recent world events. “You’re never alone in anything that you’re doing.”
Harper Goldberg is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.
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