SUBMISSIONS CRITERIA updated 9.18.22

Adding Our Voices (AOV): Jewish Feminist and Gender-Inclusive Musical Liturgy, Song, Musical Midrash, Theater, Opera, and more,

Adding Our Voices (AOV) documents the forty plus years of this genre while encouraging fullness of gender-inclusion throughout Jewish life.

This collaboration of the 501(c)3 non-profit Reclaiming Judaism with the the Hannover University of Music, Drama, and Media includes:

1. Archive and data-base centralizing of this growing collection to make sound files and sheet music freely available for use and to preserve these and composer biographical information for posterity.

3. Zoom concerts on collection themes, feminine, gender-inclusive, and nonbinary Jewish languages workshops, curriculum units, possible songbooks, and a film documentary. Included are songs, musical liturgy, musical midrash, opera and theater music.

Organizers/Editors: Rabbi Dr. Goldie Milgram, Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael, Prof. Dr. Sarah Ross, Mindy Rosenthal, Noga Schechter 

SHEET MUSIC CREATION TEAM: Hazzan Anita Schubert, Alexander Massey

Categories to Consider:

Activism, protest
Shechinah and alternative divine names
Biblical and Talmudic Women
Women in Jewish History
Nonbinary persons in the Bible and Talmud
Nonbinary persons in Jewish History
FGBLTQIA rites of Passage/Lifecycle/and in Jewish History, Bible, Talmud 
Healing
Shabbat
Jewish Holy Days
Rosh Chodesh
Other Liturgy
Prayers and Blessings 
Ritual and Ceremonies
Psalms, Peace
Work/Career/Volunteerism
Parenting and more!

What to Send for the Jury's Review Process

1. Send submission(s) to Reclaiming Judaism Multimedia Press (award-winning wholely non-profit subsidiary of the 501C3 Reclaiming Judaism.) 2. Criteria: 

A. Send lyric sheet(s) and if available sound or video files of the music that have feminist, feminine, nonbinary, and/or gender-balanced or gender-neutral/inclusive lyrics and God language in all languages used in the piece.

Please be aware that:

Compositions that use only male G*d language, or masculine grammar, or masculine topic language are ineligible save for very very early works with other key points of Jewish feminism present. 

Verses or terms, including G*d language, from traditional prayers or text must be re-balanced or changed-up for feminine or gender-inclusive terms, save those from the earliest wave of Jewish feminism. 

Adonai is considered masculine due to its patriarchal connotation "Lord," and only considered in works with gender-balanced G*d names.

We are available to help or connect you to help with Hebrew /Yiddish/ Aramaic/ Ladino grammar questions. 

Being a Jewish composer/lyricist is insufficient to make a piece Jewish, the Jewishness of the piece must be discernable in the lyrics.

B. Also please include with your submissions 

If available: Lead sheet with chords and/or sheet music. If you don't have the original file, take a photo of these and send by attachment, and an MP3/or other sound file and/or video.

Up to 150-word evolution of your life as a composer Jewish feminist bio (examples available), and your description of each submission, your inspiration for creating it, any sacred text citations, and citation of prior publication if there has been.

Composer Rights:

a. Composers retain the copyright for all submissions and works accepted into this initiative. 

d. Composers have the right to republish any of your own works that appear in this volume so long as you cite this volume as the first point of publication, if that's the case.

b. Composers of works receive about $375-$525 of project valuation on volunteer time, share of archive infrastructure costs, music and technical team support as you are honored in AOV themed-concerts and by publication of your accepted works and archival biographical information in perpetuity on the University of Hannover Feminist and Gender-Inclusive Jewish Music Archive. 

c. Should we also create a songbook from this collection (versus only posting online), composers receive a 40% discount.

d. If a work of yours is accepted, composers are responsible to also provide either sheet music in unlocked Finale, Sibelius, or Musescore files created by your own transcription/notation/engraving profession, or contract directly with our music team at the highly discounted rate of $36/hr. that you would pay direct to them. Contact for technical information/assistance. 

The Reclaiming Judaism Fund is also available to cover our music team's fee for sheet music for those who cannot afford to do so on your own. Concerts where composers are honored generate attendee donations that create this fund.

c. And that you do your best be available to donate time to perform your piece(s) and promote this initiative at our Zoom concerts or other relevant gatherings.
 

SUBMISSIONS SUMMARY:

For each piece send lyrics, lead sheet and/or sheet music, sound file(s) or video, up to 150-word Jewish feminist bio about your development as a Jewish composer/performing artist, and a description of each submitted piece including any sacred text citations to Rabbi Goldie Milgram, Editor-in-Chief, Reclaiming Judaism Multimedia Press (award-winning wholely non-profit subsidiary of the 501C3 Reclaiming Judaism). Jury-accepted works will receive a permissions contract. 

Thank you for helping to promote gender-inclusion in Jewish culture!
 

Image Credit: (c) Jackie Olenick