Alisa Fineman
While Cantor Alisa Fineman’s work Closing the Distance was created independently of Dawn Flores’ musical Incarnate, it offers a powerful parallel by bringing liturgical precision to contemporary arrangements of traditional and original songs from the Jewish Diaspora. Fineman’s collection of prayers, poems, and love songs—sung in the sister languages of Hebrew and Arabic—resonates with the Middle Eastern roots of the Passion and serves as a distinct interfaith prayer for peace. The integration of her work reframes the narrative not as a source of division, but as a shared heritage of lamentation and hope; the guttural, emotive qualities of these languages convey a depth of grief and ecstasy that English often flattens, making the sorrows and triumphs of Mary feel fully incarnate to a modern audience.
Closing the Distance
Poems, Prayers & Love Songs
Closing the Distance is the acclaimed 2004 album by Alisa Fineman, produced and co-arranged by Alex de Grassi. The record marks a masterful departure from Fineman's contemporary folk roots into the traditional music of the Jewish Diaspora. The album is celebrated for its lush world-music instrumentation, seamlessly blending Middle Eastern and Western instruments. Fineman performs in Hebrew, Ladino, and English, alongside guest vocalists Elias Lammam and Shabda Kahn singing in Arabic. These rich arrangements draw from a diverse array of traditions to explore Fineman’s cultural heritage, featuring original compositions that earned recognition at the 4th International Shalshelet Music Festival in 2010.
