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10 Must-Have Albums from the Milken Archive of Jewish Music

Photo 5 of 10 Jewish Operas — Volume 1

Jewish Operas — Volume 1

Timeless Jewish legends and unforgettable dramatic characters come to life in these opera scenes composed by 20th-century American masters

Ellstein's The Golem retells the ancient tale of a clay-made creature, brought to life by kabbalistic spells, who ultimately threatens the very people he was intended to serve. Strassburg's Chelm, a series of vignettes from a "village of fools," includes a portrayal of a hapless newlywed couple who conduct a hilarious search for an ideal wedding present. Tamkin's The Dybbuk transforms an age-old story of demon possession into a compelling drama wherein the fate of two star-crossed lovers becomes a mystical allegory for the Jewish People and Israel.

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The Gates of Justice — Dave Brubeck
Cycle of Life in Synagogue and Home — Volume 4: Digital Album 13
Songs of the Soul (symphony), Shir L'erev Shabbat (excerpts) The Final Ingredient (excerpts) — David Amram
Genesis Suite (1945)
Jewish Operas — Volume 1
Ladino Songs of Love and Suffering, Mikhoels the Wise (excerpt), Out of the Whirlwind — Bruce Adolphe
The Mirror, Passover Offering, Tants un Maysele — Yehudi Wyner
A Jewish Legacy — Leonard Bernstein
Great Songs of the Yiddish Theatre, Volume 1 — Abraham Ellstein
A Hanukka Celebration