Nariya Cleveland Musical Shabbat!

August Nariya is a Shabbat bookend experience you won't want to miss — Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner on Friday and a special concert and havdalah experience on Saturday night, both featuring special guests Rena Branson and Molly Bajgot. Rena and Molly are up and coming musicians, songwriters, and prayer leaders in the contemporary Jewish music space we're very excited for them to join our growing Nariya community for this special weekend.

Register now to join the Saturday Evening Concert and Havdalah Celebration!
Limited tickets available for purchase at the door.

Any and all are welcome to join us on Friday evening for the prayer service from 6-7:15 pm (no registration necessary).
Registration for Shabbat dinner on Friday night is now closed.

All Shabbat events are hosted by Beth El - The Heights Synagogue.

Shabbat Details

Friday Night — Nariya Kabbalat Shabbat & Dinner

Beth El - The Heights Synagogue

Nariya Cleveland is a lively, participatory, musical Kabbalat Shabbat at Beth El open to people of all backgrounds. Appearing twice at the beginning of Kabbalat Shabbat, the word Nariya can perhaps best be translated as “sing out from your essence.” In this spiritual expression of music, we celebrate and immerse in communal song, building a collective circle of sound.

This month, Kabbalat Shabbat will be co-led by Rena and Molly alongside our Nariya leadership team. You can expect a blend of "classic" Nariya tunes alongside melodies both original and brought from other communities by Rena and Molly.

6pm Service followed by 7:15pm dinner.

Registration for Shabbat dinner is now closed. Any and all are welcome to join us for the prayer service from 6-7:15 pm.

Saturday Night Concert and Havdalah

Beth El - The Heights Synagogue

Molly Bajgot and Rena Branson’s Heart-Opener Tour is a series of song circles and concerts to hold us in these painful times. Inspired by the words p’tach libi b’toratecha (open my heart to Your teaching), their music supports us to slow down and ask, “What are we being invited to learn, grow, and heal in this moment?” Come hear songs from Molly’s album Revelry and Rena’s album Love Is the Ground, along with unrecorded new music that weaves together Jewish liturgy and original prayers for transformation.

You are invited to show up as you are—raw, tired, curious, hopeful, or otherwise—to come rest, listen, and sing along. Together in song, we’ll co-create the safety to soften and become something new. We'll conclude the evening with a communal Havdalah to mark the transition from Shabbat into the new week. Join us!

7 PM — doors open

7:30 PM — music begins

9 PM — havdalah and closing

The estimated cost per person for the concert is $24 so we are asking for a sliding scale contribution between $18-$54 for adults, and $0-$18 for kids. Please contribute what feels right. All are welcome regardless of financial contribution. Contact us for additional financial assistance. Click here to register.

All are welcome regardless of financial contribution. Contact us for financial assistance.

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About Our Guests

Molly Bajgot (she/her) is a queer Jewish musician, educator, and activist living on Nipmuc & Pocumtuc land in Easthampton, MA. As a singer, songwriter, and community weaver, Molly writes songs for quenching the soul and melodies to enliven Jewish liturgy. Her music comes from places of pain, joy, grief, and a commitment to life and beauty. Today, she writes original songs and melodies for Jewish liturgy that draw from a place of yearning and reclamation. Her first album of original music, Revelry, was released in January, 2024. Contact Molly and learn more at www.mollybajgot.com.

Rena Branson (they/she) is a Jewish composer, ritual leader, and educator who uplifts personal and collective healing through song. An alum of the Rising Song Institute Residency, Rena served for three years as the cantorial soloist at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia. They are a devoted student and teacher of Chassidishe nigunim (traditional Hasidic melodies), and they write songs for prayer and action that accompany people through vulnerable moments. Rena was also a member of Mitsui Collective's second Kollel cohort, a community of practice for Jewish embodiment practitioners engaged in work towards healing and social change. Hear Rena’s original album, Love Is the Ground, and learn more at renabranson.com!

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Nariya Cleveland Musical Shabbat is hosted by Beth El, and co-sponsored by Cleveland Jewish Collective, Kol HaLev, and Mitsui Collective.

Beth El - The Heights Synagogue is wheelchair accessible. Please contact us with any other accessibility needs.

We aim to create a place of safety and health for all participants, and ask that you consider the ways your actions impact the health of others. Please stay home if you are currently sick (with anything) or have been recently exposed to COVID-19. We ask that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 to the extent that you are eligible and/or advised by your healthcare provider(s). Masking is supported and optional, and we will have some masks available. We ask that everyone respect each other's needs and choices about masking and distancing.

Contact the host of August Nariya Cleveland Musical Shabbat