In the ornate Pestalozzistrasse synagogue in Berlin, underneath the elaborate gilded ceiling decorated with inlaid stars and lions of Judah, a double bass hums and a sax player jumps to life.

A drummer in the background beats out a rhythm that rises and falls in sync with the rest of the quartet.

The crowd in the pews, packed to a full Kol Nidrei level of attendance, is enraptured. But this is not an ordinary jazz performance. Instead of candlelit tables, the lighting is provided by the Ner Tamid, and the band is playing on a bimah, not a stage, and instead of a dinner jacket, the bass player is wearing tzitzit and peyot.

It’s the opening night of the International Days of Jewish Music festival, a week-long celebration of uniquely Jewish sounds.

The event was launched by founder Thomas Hummel, who introduced the Nigun Jazz Quartet — an Israeli ensemble — for their first gig in Germany. The shul, which was ransacked during Kristallnacht and was one of the first restored after the war, is the backdrop for this blend of Chasid and Harlem.

221121 212206 ITJM©PeterAdamik DSC8286

The Nigun Quartet performing at the shul (Peter Adamik)

The Nigun band, made up of four Orthodox musicians, takes its inspiration and name from the Chasidic practice of Nigunim, a type of improvised religious melody.

Different melodies are composed for different occasions and the band improvises jazz around the religious elements to provide a unique blend of the spiritual and the musical.

The festival, an offshoot of the Usedom Music Festival, a classical music event held on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom every autumn, included performances across Germany, inspiring collaboration between Jews and Germany’s vibrant music scene.

After the vibrant opening ceremony, the festival went to the Kaiserbadsaal in the summer resort town of Heringsdorf for a screening of the film The Song of Names, an adaptation of Jewish music writer Norman Lebrecht’s novel.

©gm-004386

International Days of Jewish Music founder Thomas Hummel and author Norman Lebrecht (Geert Maciejewski / International Days of Jewish Music)

The events then continued down in the south-east of the country, on the Polish border at the Gorlitz synagogue. A building that miraculously survived Kristallnacht, it was refurbished after reunification, hosting famed Jewish violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1997.

IMG 0902

The ornate Gorlitz synagogue (Josh Kaplan)

Dr Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Germany's Board of Deputies told the JC that it's vital that in the face of rising antisemitism, cultural events showing Jews' contributions to German society are as widespread as possible.

He said: "Jews in Germany didn't appear by magic in 1939 and disappear, we've been in this country for over 1700 years.

"It's an old culture that has been contributing to Germany since its beginning, and making sure people see Jews as an integral part of German life is so important. To make sure that Jews are seen the same as anyone else."

The festival is supported solely through public funds, from Germany’s interior ministry. Dr Felix Klein, federal government commissioner for Jewish life in Germany and the fight against antisemitism, told the JC that events such as this are vital for confronting antisemitism in German society.

221121 211959 ITJM©PeterAdamikADA 5908

The Nigun Quartet during the concert

He said: “In terms of antisemitism in Germany, the traditional form of the far-right extremist kind, is relatively well dealt with. The security services and police are good at recognising the signs and deal with the problems well for the most part, especially since the tragedy of Halle [synagogue attack] in 2019.

“I’m trying to focus on what I see as a growing threat to Jewish life in Germany: left-wing antisemitism, especially in the culturally elite spaces.”

Dr Klein cited the example of a Japanese composer who recently presented a piece that comprised the antisemitic rantings of composer Richard Wagner’s wife, without contextualisation.

He added: “We’re a free country, so we can’t ban everything we might find objectionable.

“We have to persuade and educate through things like this festival.”