Episode 7: Dr. Ruth HaCohen (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

The seventh and final episode of Season 3 of The Sounding Jewish Podcast features Dr. Ruth HaCohen. We discuss her early encounters with Ashkenazi liturgy and Israeli soundscapes. We then explore her ongoing work on music in the Book of Job, as well as the powers and dangers presented by certain historical and contemporary "vocal communities."

Dr. Ruth HaCohen (Pinczower) is the Artur Rubinstein Professor Emerita of Musicology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. HaCohen is the author of award-winning books and articles that illuminate the role of music in shaping and reflecting broad cultural, religious, and political contexts. Her work explores how artistic languages—especially musical ones—construct imaginative and sacred worlds that invite us to willingly enter artistic illusion or inhabit a holy sphere. She focuses on both Christian ...