When searching for a song that I could use to create my own anthem of religious unity, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” seemed like a great fit with its religious references. As I sing over my own piano accompaniment, each verse’s language represents one of the three major Abrahamic religions: English (Christianity), Hebrew (Judaism), and Arabic (Islam). As a Greek Orthodox Christian, I understand that Christianity could be represented by many different languages. However, I chose English as a common ground for most people to understand and relate it to the need for religious unity specifically in America. During the ending chorus, I sing Hallelujah in all three of the languages to unite them. In efforts to make this as authentic as possible, I consulted native speakers for coaching on pronunciation and translation. Many thanks to Dana Steiner, Sarah Kefri, and Ahmad Zaza for taking the time to help me properly express their languages and cultures alongside my own!
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