Sunday Celebration! with Akiva the Believer

Bringing Drumming back to the Jewish Service

Drums have been forbidden for 2000 years in the Jewish Service. Ever since the destruction of our Holy Temple. We are supposed to be in mourning and drums were seen as instruments of joy and thus inappropriate. After much soul searching, I decided to change this. I brought a drum into a service. To my shock they invited me back. A few years later a well known Rabbi ordained me as the first Holy Drummer since the Temple days. I have been playing at services and teaching and ordaining other drummers ever since. Now there are trained drummers all over the world. My talk will be about my journey and will demonstrate how to play a drum while people are at prayer. My work applies to ALL people and my approach would work for any spiritual prayer or meditation.

Bio
Akiva The Believer has spent his life working with hand drums. He started out with Paul of Peter, Paul and Mary and has played with a who’s who of musicians, bands and spiritual leaders. He recently came to the Circle of Miracles as part of the David Young band. In the 60’s he pioneered the “Electrified Tambourine”. He released his first cd, “The Rhythm of G!d” in 2014. He released his book “Handrails for the Heart: The Prayers of Akiva The Believer” in 2021. Akiva lives with his wife Cantor Lisa Ann on a beach on Long Island. Together they run a shul, Pnai Shore, a non-denominational synagogue where people can dance and sing and drum.