Jewish hymnals and hymnody, USA

This essay examines Jewish hymnals, primarily English language ones, published in the United States and represents to a large extent the Reform tradition and only to a lesser extend the Conservative branch of Judaism. Traditional Jewish hymnody is covered in two articles: Hebrew hymnody* (piyyut) and Jewish Sabbath hymns*. 19th century Although Jewish communities existed in the United States as early as 1654, the early settlers were primarily Portuguese (Sephardic) and hymnody beyond the traditional piyyut and Sabbath hymns were not part of their tradition. Scholars generally attribute the beginnings of Jewish hymnody in the United States to the arrival of Jewish immigrants from...