Early this morning, in a California hospital, Debbie Friedman breathed her last. For most of us, she is as alive as ever she was through the music she wrote that we listen to and sing. We shall always have that. To the people who really knew her - her family, and her friends; they mourn a grievous loss. May they be consoled with the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. And, as my friend Halima said: "inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raji'un" (we belong to God, and to God is our return).Many of my friends are currently sharing their memories of Debbie. Although I met her a couple of times, and attended many of her concerts, I do not have a eulogising anecdote. What comes to mind is that she attended the Limmud Conference at the University of Warwick last month. I was there for a day, and in a spare moment considered going to one of her workshops. I was, however, exhausted, and decided to catch her next time. No next time now. So, in the words of Horace,"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero – Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future."
Some links:
The Washington Post
Union for Reform Judaism
The Jerusalem Post
Seize the Day by DLF on Amazon
Memories of Debbie Friedman by Ben Dreyfus
David Levy on Jewschool
New York Times obituary
Los Angeles Times obituary
A recording of the synagogue portion of Debbie's funeral
Debbie Friedman Journey of Spirit
possibly one of Debbie's last jam sessions, late one night at Limmud:
And then there is Cantor Wally and the Ess-Bees. Love this one:
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