Rising Song Community Spotlight: Tiferet Welch

Interview with Tiferet Welch by Liz Feldman, January 2022

Would you start by saying where you live and what your Jewish community looks like?

My name is Tiferet Welch. I live with my husband, Mark, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. My synagogue is Or Shalom here in Vancouver. Also, throughout the pandemic I have been traveling with a virtual community which is just as important to me - A Way In, Mishkan Shalom, with Rabbi Yael Levy, out of Philadelphia. So because of Covid I now have two communities, both of which I love very much. My intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs are greatly met through both communities.

That’s wonderful! What about your growing up years? 

I’m a convert to Judaism. My husband and I both converted together, albeit for different reasons. I was raised Canadian Baptist. I would sing a lot throughout my childhood—in a duet or a trio or choir. Yet something not experienced before happens to me when I daven in Hebrew. Simultaneously, I feel as though I am traveling deep, yet also reaching toward something transcendent. My body feels almost between spaces—the heights and the depths. Very early in our synagogue involvements, Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan, whom we converted with, was leading an evening class. At the conclusion of the class, the 30 or so present began to spontaneously sing. I hadn't heard that melody before. I was struck! Suddenly it came to me, these words came to me. I shared them with those present: “Thank you for bringing me back home to a place I've never been.” I don’t know how, but I feel like I know this. There's a truth here for me. 

Wow. That’s quite powerful! Could you talk a little bit about your roles in your two communities, if it's been as a prayer leader or in another role? 

In 2014, I started leading Pesukei D’zimra at Or Shalom. I do it quite frequently and, as it turns out, I have been scheduled to lead on the Shabbat after several critical events: Trump’s election, the murders at the Pittsburgh shul, the murders at the New Zealand mosque. Those occasions have been totally metaphysical for me. Rabbi Hannah [Dresner] has also honored me with the mitzvah of leading Pesukei D'zimra on Yom Kippur. I had done it for Rosh Hashanah two or three years prior to that, and through this time of instability and vulnerability, it felt very significant to lead at Yom Kippur.

Additionally, I have been invited by Rabbi Yael to contribute, in song, to her Shabbat services, as well as special holiday services, including Shavuot. 

Since you've mentioned these very intense and painful times that you've been in the  position of leading davening, can you talk a little bit about how you do that, how you select the melodies, how you read the room (if it's in person or on Zoom)?

I close my eyes, I take a deep breath, I center myself—and it's noticeable that I'm doing that—and then, I sing: I pray. And mainly with my eyes closed. I'm praying, genuinely praying, and aiming to achieve that balance of engaging people in elevating our collective prayer experience, while also serving as, what I hope is, a conduit for Hashem to meet with the people. Although my eyes are closed, I believe people do feel invited and I hope there's a sense of transcendence. Pesukei is a good fit for me: I don’t read Hebrew, but I can lead chants or shorter sections. Psukei also seems to have more creative and evolving melodies of pieces in that portion of the service. I choose pieces that when I sing them to myself, I feel that transcendence. It's about how to create that connection, how to help facilitate other people having that connection with you, with each other, with the universe. 

It sounds like you're bringing your authentic self to prayer; it's not a performance. You then invite the community to join you in that transcendent moment of connection. That is really the epitome of what Rising Song and Joey's videos and classes are all about!

Yes, I think people know and feel I am right there with them—and how wonderful for me to feel that I'm actually living into where my skills and beliefs and my practice are all coming together.

You know, the first six to seven months of Covid were really hard on me. When I was asked to lead on Yom Kippur, I was worried. It felt so important and I didn’t feel like myself. But when I was in our Or Shalom sanctuary—it’s a humble little place but with amazing acoustics—from my first note, I felt it just flowing! And it felt wonderful! It was healing; it was a turning point. I knew I was going to be OK. I felt entrusted to bring my vulnerable, emotional self to the people for the sake of the people. Recently, Rabbi Hannah asked if I would lead the monthly contemplative Shabbat service during her upcoming four-month sabbatical. I feel honored and excited for this next step!

That is wonderful! How did you come to engage with Joey and Rising Song at first? 

For years I have been listening to Joey's YouTube videos. I introduced at least three of his pieces at Or Shalom, and also Batya Levine’s and Deborah Sacks Mintz’s. I have been loving their music for some time. Joey's music is infectious. It's joyful. That is the emotional language he conveys to me.

In the very early days of Covid, I went to Joey’s website to learn more songs. That's where I learned about his master classes, and a Rising Song circle was also initiated at Or Shalom. Being in Joey’s Sunday Open Studios was a significant life event for me: being there, with him, as he was creating, was so humbling. He is so warm and generous, it doesn't seem to matter to him who is there, he’s happy and just wants people to engage in the process! This has been such a blessing, one that I would not have had if it were not for Covid! “Studying” with Joey and attending the various musical offerings of Rising Song and Hadar for these two years would not have been possible for me in person. I am grateful!

What would you like to know about or learn from other members of this community?

I'd be interested in knowing how other people actually feel when they're leading. What are their main intentions. I would be interested in knowing what initially moved people to lead our prayers. I would also be interested in learning if there were certain services, or events, that felt utterly critical to people—if, like me, they had a “make or break it” experience during their davening leadership that might have felt as critical to them personally.  

To read poetry by Tiferet on Ritualwell.org.