Pull out the party hats, wrap up the gifts, it’s our birthday and we are more than ready to celebrate!

In just three short years, JMR has become your number one site for anything and everything related to Jewish music and we want to take this opportunity to thank you, our loyal and devoted readers, for turning to us each and every day when you want the latest and the greatest in Jewish music news.

Of course, we couldn’t be where we are today without the help of our dedicated staff, so thanx, guys, for all your help!

What’s next for year number four? Stay tuned for more of everything you love about JMR.

To all our artist and producer friends, keep the news and updates coming so that we can share your good news with your biggest fans.

And to all our readers and Jewish music fans everywhere, thanx for making us number one!

Are you a serious music nut? Think you have what it takes to be a JMR writer? Drop us an email at jewishmusicreport@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

By Kol Isha

(If reposted please include link and credit to JewishMusicReport.com)

Having seen my share of HASC videos and having heard the timeless classics that were introduced at HASC concerts over the years, going to an actual HASC concert, long touted as “the concert of the year” has always been on my to do list.  Being presented with a pair of tickets to a HASC concert seemed like a golden opportunity to experience this musical event firsthand.

As with any concert, there are both advantages and disadvantages to seeing an event in person.   A concert video doesn’t capture the energy and the excitement of a sold out audience, the majesty of a room like Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall which seats 2,738 people.  But a live performance doesn’t offer any chance for do-overs.  You have one chance to get it right and if you mess up, chances are good that people will notice.

This year marked the 25^th anniversary of the annual concert originally conceived by Sheya Mendlowitz as a fundraiser for the children of Camp HASC and in general, the concert focused more on the concept of the HASC concert than the music itself.  That is not to say that there weren’t some memorable performances, but by and large the night was all about the concert itself.  Performers were mostly limited to a single song each, with a never ending stream of singers taking the stage one after another, introduced by the number of times they had each appeared in previous concerts.  Only two acts were invited for a debut on the legendary HASC stage:  The Maccabeats and 8^th Day.

The evening began promptly at 7:30 as advertised, with Yisroel Lamm conducting a Neginah orchestra that had approximately twelve pieces.  The HASC choir, led by Shloime Kaufman and featuring Sholom Jacobs, Yaakov Klein, Yaakov Ettinger, Meir Popowitz, Asher Fine and Shua Nachman,  was on the stage for much of the night and did an outstanding job. The stage featured a big center video screen flanked by two 21 feet high banners bearing the words “HASC 25 A Time For Music,” artfully designed as was all the HASC artwork.

Before I go through all the songs, let me just issue a disclaimer.  I will probably get some names wrong.  Feel free to correct me in the comments section and I will be happy to make changes as needed.

First up on stage were Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, Shloime Gertner and Ohad who used the nusach of Maariv for Kol Nidrei night as an introduction to a set of songs including Ribono Shel Olam, the HASC classic Small Piece of Heaven, Abi Mileibt, Adi-Tanya as performed at HASC 20 and Avraham Fried’s Shalom Aleichem.  Dedi came onstage to join the quartet and the group sang Dedi’s Kulanu Nashir B’Yachad, with lots of help from the audience, occasionally substituting the words “twenty five years together” for “everyone sing together”.

A breakdancer dressed up as the aging Six Flags dancer used in previous HASC campaigns came on stage for a few moments and the last song sung by the group was London School of Jewish Song’s Mareh Cohen.

Next up was a quick, modified video clip of Dovid Gabay learning with his son, from the Ana Avda video released by Sheya Mendlowitz in conjunction with his Big Time Alte Heim album, followed by Dovid Gabay dancing all over the stage as he sang Ana Avda with the choir.  Abie Rotenberg was introduced as the HASC record holder, having appeared at fourteen HASC concerts and he spoke briefly and beautifully about both HASC and concert founder Sheya Mendlowitz who was not in attendance.  After asking the audience to give Sheya a standing ovation, Abie launched into the first song he ever wrote for HASC, the truly touching Who Am I, which all these years later is still as beautiful as ever.

Zale Newman, master of ceremonies for the first six concerts introduced the next segment of the evening, paying tribute to six performers who had previously graced the HASC stage but are no longer with us.  After first mentioning Laibel Heshel, Danny Berkowitz of Menucha and Mikey Butler, Newman introduced musical tributes to three musical greats who were all HASC alumni:  Shlomo Carlebach, Jo Amar and Moshe Yess.  Eitan Katz, Yehuda Green, Chaim Dovid and violinist Ruby Harris performed Carlebach’s U’fros Aleinu followed by Hashem Oz.  Ohad returned to the stage for an impressive performance of Jo Amar’s Barcelona, followed by Avraham Fried singing Moshe Yess’ signature song My Zaidy.

The next singer, Israeli entertainer Yoel Sharabi, was introduced by Uncle Moishy as one of the original HASC performers.  Sharabi, who plays several instruments proficiently, came out on stage with bongos, beginning with a few bars of the chorus of the classic Kol Haolam Kulo, before launching into a rendition of the Eyal Golan hit Mi Shemaamin, recently redone and made popular by up and coming superstar Benny Friedman.  While the middle aged Sharabi can’t possibly match the energy and voice of Friedman who is so many years his junior, he gave an enthusiastic performance, jumping all over the stage with a temporary segue into Mordechai Ben David’s Mitzvah Gedola.

Next on stage was concert chairman Miles Berger.  After all, you can’t possibly have a benefit concert without thanking all those involved in the process, can you?  But the expressions of gratitude were short and in no time at all, Shalsheles and Shalsheles Jr. took the stage.  Neither group was full, as both Simcha Sussman and Edan Pinchot live outside of the New York area and were absent.  Following a short medley of Heyma and Gadol, the Maccabeats (or most of them anyway) appeared singing their viral hit, Candlelight.

Chazzan Yitzchok Meir Helfgott delivered a flawless performance of Moshe V’Aaron  and was followed by Lipa, in an electric jacket and hat.  I mean, literally electric, as the trim on both Lipa’s jacket and hat were trimmed with lights, which was pretty cool on a darkened stage. Lipa launched into a cute bit as he reminisced about previous concerts and a video showed first a five year old Lipa singing at his home in New Square when the HASC concert series began and we see Lipa singing at age ten, then at age twelve in his first pair of unconventional glasses, which Lipa described as having been paid for by Medicare.  Lipa continued in his musical musings, consistently crediting the wrong singer with a particular song, describing Shlomo Carelbach singing Diet, Abish Brodt singing Ya’alili and launching into a nigun he claims to sing every Shabbos with his children, the theme from the Godfather, before conductor Yisroel Lamm attempted to set him straight.

Up next was, what for me was probably the best performance of the night, as Journeys, aka Abie Rotenberg, Elie Kranzler and Gershon Veroba took the stage, singing Abie’s first English song, Time to Say Good Shabbos.  From there it was time for the second debut performance of the night as 8^th Day rocked the house with Ya’alili.  Another tribute followed, this time to the numerous gedolim that were niftar recently, by the trio of Srully Williger, Mendy Wald and Shloime Dachs singing the touching songs Lev Tahor and Acheinu.  Sadly the accompanying background video with pictures of the gedolim never went on.

Dedi was the next performer to take the stage which was already occupied by a royal guardsman, one of the unsmiling sentries who flank the gates of Buckingham palace.  In an attempt to get the guardsman to smile, Dedi hums Shloime Gertner’s Shmeichel, but to no avail.  Hoping that perhaps a fellow Englishman would have more success coaxing a smile out of the guard, Dedi is joined by Gertner and after a rousing chorus of Shmeichel and Dedi’s V’Koivei, the guardsman starts to loosen up, as his limbs start to twitch and by the end of the set he removes his tall black hat, puts it in front of his face and we are rewarded with a smile from the Justin Bieber look alike dancer who we first saw at the Ohel concert this past November.

Singer/Composer Baruch Levine took a seat at the piano bench, singing Bitchu from his latest album, Hashkifa, followed by a song and dance number from Miami Boys Choir as the boys bounced all over the stage singing the opening track from their latest album, Shema Yisroel.

The evening ended on a bizarre note, as Yigal Calek took the podium, reminiscing about his youth in Tel Aviv, as he was addicted to music but there was no Jewish music available and in a short sermon, he both thanked HASC for a quarter of a century of beautiful concerts and chastened the performers to keep the “Jewish” in Jewish music.

A video of Camp HASC set to Avraham Fried’s Forever One was a poignant reminder of what the HASC concert series is all about, as the beautiful faces of the HASC children and the dedicated staff filled the large video screen.  The entire cast gathered onstage for the HASC theme song, Candles, complete, of course, with candles illuminating the darkened stage in addition to Lipa’s electric couture.

There is no question that while the HASC concert is a huge fundraiser and one of the most highly anticipated musical events of the year.  For music lovers everywhere, the fact that other organizations have also begun staging top notch fundraising concerts that give HASC a run for its money is a positive development as it raises the musical bar for everyone.  For those who are looking for musical perfection, where every vocal and every note is dead on, I strongly suggest you stay home and wait for the HASC concert to come out on video.   For those who are looking  to make a sizable donation to Camp HASC, while enjoying an evening of live music, you might want to start thinking about HASC 26 before it, too, sells out.

I was thinking about the big HASC concert, coming this Sunday. It’s one of the premiere concerts in Jewish Music, certainly the longest running, now in its 25th year. The show will debut a cast packed with names from the past and some new faces, currently trending in Jewish Music. A cast that, at least announced, boasts 22 different groups or solo artists. (Counting a group like Shalsheles Jr or Miami or 8th Day, as one act, not as 3 or 20 or 2 each) One would assume since it’s the 25th year and they love surprises, they will have at least 25 acts.

We will know after Sunday night how this concert, featuring probably the largest cast ever assembled for a Jewish Music show is received, but before then, I thought it would be fun to dream up our own ultimate concert lineups.

Of course, this does not mean you need to include 50 artists, maybe your ultimate dream is 2 acts, or even, 1 act! It’s your dream, so you can have what you wish. So let’s see. I believe most people would pick from the big players, and of course, since it’s a dream scenario, don’t worry about mixed seating yes, mixed seating no, or I’d like this guy at his prime, or that guy 10 years ago. No rules, this includes time and space as well!

Since I’m the writer it would be only fitting to give my own dream concert, or at least, one of them.

MBD, Fried, Dudu Fisher.

Dudu opens show, then Fried and Dudu, then Fried, then Fried and MBD, then MBD, the finale, MBD, Fried and Dudu.

Your turn, all comments welcome, no negativity, this is about having fun. But, hey, how about more than 9 comments this time!

Recently I passed the 10^th anniversary of being a professional vocalist (I get paid to sing, so by default I am professional). I was having a conversation recently with a friend who is a huge music lover and amateur musician, and in the course of conversation he mentioned how he loves to just sit down on his keyboard and jam away all the time, and how much fun it is. This reminded me of a conversation that I had with another friend a number of years ago. He is a drummer, and a very fine one at that. I was trying to convince him to play professionally and told him he’d do well. His response to me was that although he knew he was good enough, he’d never do it, because he doesn’t ever want to lose the love he has for music, and the fun he has when playing. I am not trying to suggest that becoming a professional musician will take away the love and the fun of the music, but it got me thinking. For most people out there, music is fun, and a diversion. For us professionals it’s a business, and something that even if you only do it part time, as I do, still demands a lot of practice and prep time. Without getting into the work involved with being a band leader (dealing with clients, hiring musicians, getting all your equipment and music books in order, etc…), even a regular musician or vocalist has a lot of work to do. Anyone who wants to stay on top of his profession must devote time to practicing, learning all the latest songs (and words), and doing the proper exercise to handle the physical challenges that will give you the stamina on the jobs you play or sing at. There is also continued training that many of us have to go through to try and improve. I can hear why someone would think (and how it is actually possible) that becoming a professional musician would take away from the love and fun of it. However, I personally have quite the opposite experience myself. I come from a family of professional musicians that have been performing for close to 40 years. Their enthusiasm and excitement hasn’t waned at all over the years, and in my 10 years, neither has mine. The adrenaline rush I get when I start to sing at a job is an unbelievable phenomenon. A doctor once commented that he is jealous of musicians. He has people coming to him all day telling and showing him their problems. We get paid to make people happy! What can be more fun than that?

This Sunday at 8 PM, join Shaindel Antelis, Henny Stern, Leah Goldman and the Bas Kol Band for the Sweet Sukkos Celebration.  Presented by AYIL and Ladies First, the evening wil feature singing, dancing, a fashion show, open mic and more at the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center, 550 Ocean Parkway at 8 PM.

Admission:  $10 RSVP/Student or with food/clothing donation or $15 at the door.

For more information contact Miriam Leah at 917 686 1211

VIN  Exclusive Interview:  MBD Says Latest Release Will Be His Final Album

By:  Sandy Eller

New York – Thirty eight years after the release of his first album, Mordechai Ben David Sings Original Chasidic Niggunim, the man who has been called the undisputed king of Jewish music has announced the release of what will be his final album.

The album, titled Kisufim, is slated to be released on Tuesday by Aderet Music and will contain fourteen songs, including ten new compositions and four old niggunim, two of which date back a century or more and features significant vocal contributions by the Shira Choir.

Werdyger, who composed several of the songs on Kisufim, described this album as having a very different flavor than his most recent hit album, Kulam Ahuvim, whose songs have proven to be a mainstay on the wedding circuit.

“This particular album is a very warm, chasidishe album, something I have wanted to do for many, many years, and I plan to sign off with it.  It is a mix of new material and old nigunim, with original material by Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, Yitzchak Fuchs and myself.  I am madly in love with it.”

In an exclusive interview with VIN News, MBD spoke about his decision and the current state of Jewish music.

VIN:  Is this really your last album?
MBD: That is the current plan.

VIN:  Does this announcement mean you are leaving the Jewish music scene entirely?
MBD:  I am only retiring from albums.

VIN: What made you take this step?
MBD:  Putting together an album is too much work. People don’t realize how much goes into an album.  Unfortunately, electronic media has destroyed the CD business and even the biggest secular companies are going under because people just download music they find online.
The way it is right now, it really doesn’t pay to do an album.

VIN: In that case, what does the future hold for Jewish music?
MBD:  Moshiach will come and we will have the music of the Leviyim in the Beis Hamikdash.

VIN:  What are your thoughts on current Jewish music?
MBD: Unfortunately I really have no time to listen and don’t really know what is going on in Jewish music.  I do know that it has taken a completely different direction and Chasidic music is no longer Chasidic music.

VIN:  What do you think is missing in today’s Jewish music?
MBD:  Hartz, which has to be the main ingredient in any album.  If music doesn’t come from the heart it is nothing.

VIN: What do you think is the reason you are still around and popular so many years later?

MBD: Siyata d’ishmaya.

VIN: Thank you for your time.

A member of one of Jewish music’s most heralded families, Mordechai Ben David’s musical career began when his father, the legendary Chazan Dovid Werdyger, overheard him playing original musical compositions and suggested he record an album of his own, which was released in 1973.  Kisufim will be MBD’s thirty sixth full length solo album, in addition to four singles and having appeared on over thirty five other albums in his very lengthy career.  MBD has become a fixture on the concert circuit with numerous appearances in the HASC concert series and the annual Chabad Telethon.  Many of his classic songs remain as popular today as they were when they were first released years ago.

It’s been a while since I posted. I know, I know, shame on me. It’s been a hectic summer, which lead right up until now, the chaggim. I hope this article settles your reading hunger for the time being. And look, I even drew a little cartoon for you above to show that I’m sorry for the wait.

Let’s face it, we’re in the generation of the mp3 player.

There’s the iPod and all of it’s copycats out there. It’s in your co-workers purse, in your kids dresser drawers (or more likely, on the floor where it shouldn’t be) and I’ve even seen a mailman strolling down the block with his mail cart bopping his head to the music blaring from his mp3 player. And don’t forget about the stroller pushing stay-at-home mom; nothing like listening to a new cd (how much longer will that term last?) and getting herself and the baby out of the house. Kill two birds with one stone anyone?

My point is that mp3 and downloading have become mainstream. But what about the Judaica stores who received the profits that kept them open from selling cd’s?

Tough luck, right?

Maybe. But I’ve had this plan in the back of my mind for some time now. I don’t know if it’s at all possible, but why not?

Perhaps Judaica stores could install MP3 booths? Sounds stupid, I know. People can just download the songs from the comfort of their own home, why go out to do something you can do at home? What if the Judaica store had its very own “JMR” reviewer or any knowledgable Jewish music listener as an employee there. Then it could be worth it.

I’ve seen it before and I’ve seen it almost every time. The majority of Jewish music buyers, or perhaps even all music buyers, don’t know what to buy. Sure, we can go on mostlymusic.com and listen to the preview and read the beautiful write up on the upcoming cd, but does that really compare to a knowledgeable person or friend’s opinion? Whether or not the preview or the write up is true, in the back of our minds, we’re thinking that of course the preview sounds good, they selected the best 8 seconds of each song and tried to push that; or, of course the write up looks great, the writer was probably paid to write it (which, by the way is what is so great about JMR for the readers, we don’t get paid a dime. Trust me, you should see my bank account, we just love Jewish music… a lot.

The fact is, it would be super cool to have an ATM-like machine in Judaica stores with a list of downloadable music available. You could swipe your card, plug in your flash drive and download the music. How great is that? That’s not all, like I said before, you would be able to ask a employee of the store for his opinions on albums. Of course you would be able to listen to the full songs from the mp3 list (the terms cd and album have really become obsolete…) in the store on the cd racks next to the machine. You know what you’re getting. No more, would be the days of listening to 8 sec previews. We want to listen to the full song before we buy it, right?

What would be even cooler is a review button on the machine that shows reviews from your very own JMR. Not only do you get to listen to the full cd before buying it, you get to read full length reviews, ask questions from a knowledgable employee, and take in the whole being in the outside world experience. Remember the outside world? The days before the internet? Go listen to music at the store, shmooze with the other people listening. Communication is a wonderful thing.

I know this article is a little outside the box, but that’s probably because I’m a little outside the box. Hope you enjoyed it, and I would love to hear some feedback. Just drop me a comment below.

Have a great new year!

Join Shua Kessin for an exciting end of summer Shabbos in the at Cutler’s bungalow colony in South Fallsburg.  Shua will be davening Kabalas Shabbos in Cutler’s Shul at 7:15 and doing an after Seudah Oneg at China Town.  Join Shua motzei Shabbos for an unforgettable free concert/kumzitz at 11 PM.

As August  rapidly draws to a close, day camps, at least where I hail from, have all closed up shop and the first busloads of sleepaway campers have begun to deposit tanned, happy and exhausted campers back in their hometowns.

With three of my children ending up in a total of five different camps this summer and assorted nieces and nephews in another four camps, I asked them all what albums or songs they heard played over and over again in camp this summer.

Not that it came as much of a surprise, but they all gave me the same answer.

The music they heard repeatedly this summer?

Ya’alili.

Yes, there were other things played, but there is no doubt, that of the nine camps I polled Ya’alili was the clear favorite.  Nothing else even came close.

What were the songs of the summer where you were this year?  Drop us a comment and let us know!

As we begin the second half of this summer’s the wedding season, I felt it necessary to write an article as a follow up to the recent article written on JMR called Wedding Pet Peeves” (http://jewishmusicreport.com/2011/08/03/wedding-pet-peeves/). As someone who has been singing at weddings for ten years, and with a father who has led a band for over thirty five years, I think I can give a little of a perspective from the band’s side of things. Sometimes many people can go to the same simcha, and all walk out with a different take on what they thought of the band. What most don’t realize is that the band usually is catering to the balei simcha, who are paying the band, and want to enjoy the music according to their tastes. The song selection, the volume, and numerous different variables are all things that can be they way they are specifically because of the requests (and sometimes demands) of the balei simcha. We have had cases that the balei simcha tell us in advance specific songs (or specific artists whose songs they don’t want played) no matter who asks for them, and when a guest comes up to make a request (usually a friend of the chosson or kallah) they usually don’t want to hear any type of excuses why we won’t play the song they requested, but do we really have a choice? We once had a case that someone made a specific list mapping out every song he wanted, and told us we should only listen to a specific friend who would come over with any requests. We did, and this friend complimented us afterwards. The next day I heard a complaint from a family member of one of the sides. It seems that a sister made a request (not on the list) and while we played it after the wedding was over, we didn’t play it when she wanted. She told others that we don’t cater to the balei simcha’s requests, and that we don’t play English songs (the song was Someday). Both of these statements were untrue! We have even played “Take me out to the ballgame”! Ironically, the chosson was a White Sox fan and was wearing a White Sox jersey, but since I am a Cubs fan, I added “Root Root Root for the Cubbies” while my father sang over me “White Sox”, but it was all in good fun and enjoyed by all. Guests at a wedding have to understand that the songs we are playing, and the volume we are playing at are usually at the request of the people paying for us. When you make a simcha, we will be more than happy to cater to every one of your requests, but today, we must listen to the balei simcha.

Probably the most horrifying experience I had was once at a wedding relatives of the chosson came over right as we were about to start the 1^st dance to tell me not to sing because the mother of the chosson hates singers and it would ruin the wedding. I asked my father, the band leader, what to do, and he told me he had discussed it with the fathers of the chosson and kallah (I am close with the kallah’s side) and that they had decided I would sing less, but that I should sing. I started singing the 1^st dance, and 2 brothers of the chosson rushed on the stage and basically tried to grab the microphone away from me. I obviously stopped singing, but it really threw the whole band off because no one else had any idea what was going on. I moved to the side not to make a big deal, but the kallah’s side noticed I wasn’t singing, and made sure I got back up on stage and sang the rest of the wedding, as planned. After the 1^st dance all the parties involved came over to apologize and I accepted it and moved on. The only problem was they couldn’t let it go. After the wedding they came again to apologize. Then came Shabbos sheva brachos. Since I live in the neighborhood of the kallah’s family (and the chosson and kallah were staying in my basement) I bumped into the chosson’s whole family in shul and got the same apology about 4 or 5 times over Shabbos. The moral of the story? Make sure everything is agreed to beforehand, and stick to it, or at least don’t try to kill the band.

Another problem that we come across often is that there is inevitably a family member or friend with a “great” voice, who must sing a song or two at the wedding. This is besides the off tune rendition they sang at the chupa! To have this person sing during the dancing will most likely be a disaster, and can ruin the flow of the music. Usually we try to have this person sing his song in honor of the chosson and kallah during the dinner, when it will not disturb the band’s flow, or anyone’s dancing. There is nothing worse than letting someone sing during dancing, and when you see they have no idea what they are doing, you can’t get them to relinquish the microphone. Shutting off their volume is just as bad. If you are one of those people with such a gifted special voice (and just for the record, even though I am a professional singer, unless I am supposed to sing at the wedding, I will never push my way into the band to sing during the dancing) please understand, it’s nothing personal, but please save your serenade for the dinner. I did once have to turn off someone’s volume when he wouldn’t relinquish the microphone (after 15 minutes of screeching, I mean singing), and he was none too happy with me.

There is one last issue that I want to bring up, and that’s the song selection. I understand that people want to hear the latest and greatest songs, so do I! One thing I don’t understand is why people think they can only dance and be mesamayach the chosson and kallah if those songs are playing. If your goal is to be mesamayach them, then any upbeat lebedick song will work! That’s the true goal of the music being played at a wedding.

My hope is that we all are successful in being mesamayach people and together we can make many chassanim and kallos enjoy their special day! Mazel Tov!

I’m sure many of you noticed that our site was down yesterday for maintenance.    Aside from performing updates and scans to keep JMR as up to date as possible, we took the opportunity to check out some site statistics, something we don’t often do because quite frankly, we would rather write about music than look at numbers.

Still, the statistics proved to be pretty interesting and we were more than a little surprised to see some of the top ten cities that our readers hail from, so we figured we would share them with you.  As always, thanks to all our loyal fans for making JMR part of your day!

The top ten cities, in order that our visitors arrive from are:

1. New York

By: Yochanon Gordon

NACHAS Music has been gaining popularity among the wedding scene over the past year or so.  Eli Gerstener, Shloime Kaufman and Ruli Ezrachi are just some of the professionals that have been working closely with NACHAS in establishing his name thus far. He recently shared the stage with Benny Friedman at a Concert upstate where he received rave reviews which made it all the way to my office in Cedarhurst. Nothing is official as of yet, however, I conjecture that he is quietly but efficiently working on an album, which based on his submissions thus far, would end all. He is known as NACHAS, after his renowned single that catapulted him to the top of the Wedding scene.  And if you are wondering what his real name is – well, you will just have to sit tight a little longer.

NACHAS is a young, talented singer with a unique sense of dynamism and charisma who many critics have had their eye on of late. He has resorted to a method of marketing never before seen in the Jewish Music market. He is set to release his second single in under a year and music aficionados are looking at Shabbos Nachamu for his long awaited release. Those interested are encouraged to visit NACHASMUSIC.com where you will be able to download this all new single free of charge, as well as listen to some of the other songs which have contributed to this rising stars renowned status.

It’s not often that I choose to feature the talents of a performer because many of them usually do not have what it takes to stand the test of time. Here, however, we have a singer, song writer and energizer that people who adore upon seeing and hearing. He brings something unique to the mix and I can see him going a long way.

Again, visit, www.NACHASMUSIC.com for a free download this Shabbos Nachamu weekend. You can also download the song by LIKING the NACHAS MUSIC FANPAGE

From Shlager.info

We Have Expanded! After five years on the World Wide Web, and two months after Shlager launched its upgraded site, we are proud to announce the launching of our international version – Shlager.info.  

The new site is a portal that is almost identical to the familiar and beloved site, only in English. It includes favorite features such as Music, News, Singles, Videos, Performances, Galleries and new sections: Travel, Technology, Culture and Cantorial, for a complete surfing experience.

Shlager.info will focus on news that interests the overseas audience, but we promise not to neglect the content from Israel. There will be something for everyone. With the launch of the new site, a new editor joins Shlager, and will be responsible for updating site content 24 hours a day, excluding Shabbos and Yomim Tovim, of course.

The site is currently conducting a trial run. Have something to tell us? Please feel free to comment and suggest, criticize and compliment

Singer: Yisroel Amar
Lyrics Esty Shemtov, Dina Amar
Concept & ideas R’ Chay Amar
Studio engineering Ron BenHaim
Consultant Mendel Amar
Original melody of Vehoo Keili “Rabbi Baruch Levine”

Article by Rabbi Chay Amar, Shliach of Golden Beach, Florida.

On July 12 2011, Leiby Kletzky (OBM) was tragically taken from our world. Since that dark day, it has been simply impossible to carry on “business as usual.” Though time passes, our souls are restless as we try to find a reason and comfort for Leiby’s death. As a rabbi, I grapple with the questions of how to approach and console the family that actually lived through this event and what message I must give my community.

As these questions consumed my mind, it struck me that this event parallels what happened to Yosef Hatzadik at age 17, when his father, Yaakov Avinu, sent him on a mission to inquire about his brothers. Yaakov sent Yosef on his journey with a deep feeling that his son had to fulfill G-d’s decree (as Rashi explains on this verse)
Like Leiby, Yosef wandered in the fields and never returned home, and Yaakov was presented with “ketones Yosef,” his son’s fur coat, torn to pieces. To which he answered “tarof toraf Yossef” an evil beast has taken my beloved son. During Yosef’s entire absence, however, Yaakov, “va yimaen,” refused to accept consolation for his son’s death.He never Gave up on Yossef.
The last topic that Yaakov and his son learned together was that of the “eglah arufah,” the laws that describe how a calf must be slaughtered when a corpse is found on the borders of two cities. It is explained that the rabbis would come down from Jerusalem to measure the distance between the two cities, and would spill the blood of a calf saying, “Our hands haven’t spilled this blood.” For us, the message is clear: just as the rabbis were made to accept responsibility for an unknown death, so too must we all take responsibility for one another.

For two days we, and how much more so Leiby’s parents, lived in horror of not knowing where Leiby was. Yaakov lived this nightmare of uncertainty for 22 years!

For this period far from his beloved Father and any Jewish environment Yosef was able to resist the seductions of Egypt ” the nakedness of the land” and the advances of Potiphar’s wife. A chassidic masters explain that Yosef’s ability to resist,“va yimaen”. came from Yaakov’s resistance to be consoled.

The story of Leiby is a story of our own children roaming the streets of this dark world, prey to the it’s challenges as well as it’s physical and spiritual dangers.

Our duty together, regardless of religious beliefs or level of observance, is to look out for that lost, wandering child and extend a helping hand to him or her.

The circumstances in which Leiby was taken away from us are insane and below any sense of logic whatsoever.
We need to answer this tragedy proportionatly , in terms of our connection with G-d and our fellow brothers, by doing unwarranted acts of goodness, kindness and love that simply surpass logic and reason. In these times there is no place for false modesty we must leave our comfort zone to reach out, help, and care for one another whatever our denomination or spiritual level.

Years ago, after a tragedy happened in the community, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, said that we should not find comfort in this exile.
The only comfort we will accept is the gueula Shelema !

Yosef’s story ended on a much more positive note than Leiby’s. He was reunited with his father and brothers. Yaakov, however, was in disbelief that his son was still alive and well. As a testament to his father, Yosef sent his brothers back to Yaakov land with “agalot” (wagons) filled with goods. The “agalot” indicated to Yaakov that his son remembered that last lesson they had learned together, because it is connected with the word, “agalah.” This served as a testament to Yosef’s physical and spiritual well being, and revived Yaakov. After the reunion, Yosef explained to his father and brothers that the entire circumstance—whose end result was to prepare for the nourishing of the Jewish people during their stay in Egypt—was G-d’s master plan, and therefore impossible to fully understand.

Leiby too has left us in the most tragic unanswerable way and certainly stands before the Kiseh HaKavod to prepare the ground for the revelation and coming of Moshiach. This time, however, let him not be alone in his cry; let’s cry to Hashem with him. Let’s cry that He finally redeem us and put an end to this bitter exile by revealing Moshiach Now!

VIDEO CREDITS

Singer:
Yisroel Amar
Video: CJ Studios 718.781.6405
Lyrics Esty Shemtov, Dina Amar
Concept & Ideas Rabbi Chay Amar
Studio engineering Ron BenHaim
Consultant Mendel Amar
Original melody of Vehoo Keili “Rabbi Baruch Levine”

Lyrics
Glowing with pride
Learning side by side
Torah’s flame burning inside
Together as one
In an eternal bond
Yaakov and yosef his son

My son you must leave
You brothers you will see
And beshalom come back to me
His first journey alone
Away from his home
Leaving, his future is unknown

As the day passes on, he awaits his return
For my son oh my son I cannot mourn
Feeling a loss so strong
He desperately does long
For an answer, for a reason
Oh Father I seem far, my journey just began
To help my brothers from where I am
Hashem’s plan you can’t see
But for you I will be
In a foreign land, awaiting…

Tragically, in our times,
A sweet boy of nine,
Decides to leave his mother’s side.
His first journey alone
Away from his home
Leaving, his future is unknown

As the day passes on, they await his return
For leiby, oh my son I cannot mourn!
Feeling a loss so strong
Desperately we long
For an answer, for a reason
Yidden I may be far, my soul up on high
To beseech our father in heaven
Hashem’s plan you can’t see,
But with you I will be,
The geula, demanding!

Ahhh, summer.  A time for tennis, swimming, or  a serious power walk.  After a miserable winter doesn’t it feel great to be able to enjoy the great outdoors?  And what could be better than enjoying the great outdoors with your favorite music?

As always, I am hunting for the ultimate up-tempo playlist to accompany me on my morning hikes.  I put together a fairly decent one last year, but it could use some freshening up.  Given that I live in the suburbs where level land is a rarity, I need to vary the tempo of my songs to match the terrain.  Upbeat stuff for the flat part of my walk, songs with a slightly slower beat for those sadistic hills that are part and parcel of living in the boonies and energetic stuff that I really love to give me that extra push when it feels like my lungs are about to burst and I think I can’t take even one more step.

Currently on my exercise playlist?  AKA Pella’s Greatest Medley Ever and Hentelach, Kol Noar’s Baruch Hashem, Miami’s Yovo and NYBC’s  Al Hasulam, among others.  But having deleted four or five songs from my old playlist I am scouring my iTunes looking for fun new stuff  and some energetic classics to add in.

Got any suggestions for me?  If you were putting together the ultimate playlist to  keep you motivated while you are burning up the calories, what songs would you include?  Leave us a comment and let us know!

Aaron Holder, one of the top finalists in COLLIVE’s, A Jewish Star contest is at it again. He is running in a facebook contest for Jewish singers. He’s been doing pretty well, and the Miami Herald, a major newspaper in South Florida has written an article covering it.

Miami Beach resident competes in singing contest for a chance to go to Israel

Miami Beach resident Aaron Holder is one of the 30 finalist in the Jewish singing contest “Hallelukah” which is hosted on Facebook.

Thousands of music videos were submitted and the 30 selected finalists will win a three week tour of Israel, with music instructions from famous and successful Israeli singers.

Aaron Holder is a 22 year old living in Miami Beach, he is in the middle of finishing his Bachelors Degree in Music and Massage Therapy.

Although he continues to work on his passion for music, Aaron started a photography and videography studio (W4M) with his producer Ovadia tank.

Aaron is constantly active in the orthodox community, volunteering and promoting events for young Jewish professionals.

Aaron said that his first inspiration to sing came when he was 15, his high school created an after school program for music. Cantor Shifman (the director of the music program) heard Aaron’s voice and tutored him to sing for a concert with world renowned Cantors.

Aaron talks about the importance for him to win the Hallelukah contest, “I want to win this contest so that I can get the training and experience of rehearsing with top musicians in Israel that the Hallelukah project is awarding. Most of all, Just being in Israel again is worth it all. I miss it a lot.”

“If I win, my main goal is to continue writing and singing music that inspires me and others. The world needs inspiration and I hope to be a part of it.”

You can follow Aaron’s success and journeys by becoming a fan on his Facebook fan page and following him on his youtube channel.

See Aaron Holder’s Hallelujah voting page, Click Here to vote.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/20/v-print/2275838/miami-beach-resident-competes.html#ixzz1PsYHxpHX

Many professional choirs and choir leaders have come and gone over the years, but one constant in the Jewish Music scene is Yerachmiel Begun and the Miami Boys Choir. I grew up listening to B’siyata Dishmaya and Klal Yisroel Together, and can remember the frenzy when Shabbos Yerushalayim came out. I couldn’t wait to go out and buy the tape after hearing them perform Devai Haser at a concert in Chicago. Of course I can technically go back to Victory Entebbe since my mother sang the songs from that (ahem) record to me when she used to change my diapers (something she once told Yerachmiel very proudly, and surprisingly he didn’t find it amusing, but that’s a whole other story). I have a personal shita about boy’s choirs, but due to time constraints I will save it for the next choir review I write. When I think of Yerachmiel Begun and Miami Boys Choir, I think of innovation and spectacular quality that have made them a popular choir for over 35 years. Whether it is one of their new albums (from records to tapes to CDs, and now with digital downloads) or one of their patented Miami Experiences, there always seems to be something that they do to outdo themselves and surprise us all. Hearing that they were coming out with a new album, had me interested and intrigued to find out what new chiddush they would have this time around. One thing I notice right away about the cover of the album is that everyone is wearing their own tie, not like the norm of everyone wearing a matching tie and all dressed alike. As much as matching looks nice (yes I have a tie that matches with my 7 year old son’s tie that I wear sometimes) it is nice that the boys show individuality and are allowed to express themselves (as one of my aunts once told me that the tie is a man’s way to express their taste in fashion). I also notice that the adult choir is the famous Shira Choir, along with a couple of Israeli choirs, one led by Mona Rosenblum and the other by Menachem Klein. The biggest chiddush that I see however is that the Miami Boys Choir now has an Israeli branch, Miami East, and they make their debut on this album. Before I go into detail for every song, I must say that this is another prototypical Yerachmiel Begun masterpiece. If you like his work up until now, you will love this album as well.

Here is my song by song assessment:

Shma Yisroel­- Miami Boys CDs generally start off with a bang and a real hit song (thinking here about Revach) and Shma Yisroel has that feeling to it. The song begins (after the intro) with a few soloists. I think to rev everyone up would have been better to have the entire choir singing (and my wife, a huge MBC fan pointed it out to me independently), but this song sounds like a nice Miami Boys style song. The words for the high part are also a little complicated and in my opinion a hit Miami song usually has easy lyrics for the high part that you just want to sing over and over again (thinking again about Revach). The high part, though, is catchy, so it might end up as a hit song in the end.

Me La’Hashem Ailai- Miami is known for really nice and meaningful English songs, and this song, with the lyrics written by Yerachmiel and his wife Shoshana, is another nice sweet and meaningful song.

Yosis- Any time I hear a slow song to words associated to words from a wedding, I have an automatic flashback to Miami Boys Mehayrah, and this song with the mix of words from Lecha Dodi and words said after the chosson walks down the chupah gives me that automatic flashback. While I do not normally like two slow songs one after the other on an album, this song is a nice hartzige song.

Vtahair- A nice lebedik song, in my opinion, more probable of becoming the new Miami hit song than Shma Yisroel. The high part is equally catchy with much more simple lyrics.

Ashrai- Another pleasant lebedik song. The words remind me of the famous song we sing on Simchas Torah. I like the cute trumpet interlude.

Torah Tavlin- This song has the prototypical sound and feel of a Miami slow song. The words, from the Gemarah Kedushin and Mesilas Yesharim, are inspiring. This is not one of my favorites from this album.

Oh Hashem- A techno style song, with interspersed violin solos by Stanislav Nicholov. This song sounds similar to Mendy Wald’s Echod. I am not a fan of the techno sound, but the words are meaningful and based upon a Radak.

Hatov- This is probably my favorite song on this album. It is a really nice and sweet song, and I think the simple arrangements leave enough to my imagination that I feel like I can sing with and add another nice harmony to it. This song is also the only slow song under 5 minutes, and in my opinion the perfect length.

Melech- This is an upbeat song in the prototypical Miami style. If you are a fan of Miami Boys then you’ll like this song.

Ki Lecha- This is another slow hartzige song, also with the prototypical sound and feel of a Miami slow song. I enjoyed listening to the song, but it is a little too long for my taste.

Ad Musai- A real lebedik song that reminds me of Kein from Revach, and it really ends the regular part of the album with a bang. The song is arranged by a collaboration of Yerachmiel Begun and Mona Rosenblum, with Mona’s preference for real bright brass really sticking out. The adult choir harmonies are performed on this song by Mona’s choir and The Shira Choir.

Hebrew Version – Me La’Hashem Ailai- The music itself is the same as the English version, so my opinion of the song is the same. It is a nice “knaytch” to have the song also sung in Hebrew. This is the first sighting that we have of the new venture of Yerachmiel, Miami East, under the direction of Menachem Klein. I think the Israeli accented Hebrew is much nicer than other earlier tries to imitate the accent. I am curious what the future of this choir will bring, but for a debut I am impressed.

In conclusion, I think this album is another solid Yerachmiel Begun and Miami Boys Choir production. If you are a fan of theirs, you will like this album as well.

Just after wrapping up a concert in Oxford, Moshe Hecht was approached by a student who was excited to offer his take on the rising artist. “You’re not simply a singer or a songwriter,” the newly-made fan pronounced. “You’re an inspirer.”

In truth, the young Brit was echoing a sentiment that listeners around the world are expressing about the Moshe Hecht experience. And with his debut album set to launch in September – and his single “Believers” released today – Hecht is taking the title seriously.

Fortunately for music enthusiasts looking for something original, Hecht’s “inspirer” effect is the only common thread weaving through an otherwise exceptionally diverse collection of songs on his debut album “Heart is Alive.” From the calling-out, folky “When I’m In Need” to the rock-inspired “Song of Zion,” the album features catchy guitar melodies, well-blended harmonies, rich violin and even a touch of whistling – all complimented by Hecht’s original songwriting. Moreover, Hecht proves to be a serious vocalist, with a warm voice navigating the terrain of multiple genres as if each were his forte.

While most of the album was produced in Seattle by seven-time Emmy winner and Grammy nominated producer Steven Ray Allen, it also features “Inspire me,” a bluesy number produced in New York that features Hecht’s own band, a mix of talented young musicians who have performed with him around the world.

Thankfully, eager fans and curious listeners don’t have to wait until September to get a taste. Today, get a free download of “Believers,” a rousing rock anthem that is just a sample of Hecht’s singular sound.

Click below to listen.

Free download of the full track available at MosheHecht.com as well as MostyMusic.com (see special offer for promo code) . You can also purchase the full length track @ iTunes.

The full-length album will be distributed by Aderet Music and can be found on iTunes and wherever Jewish music is sold. Fans can stay updated by “liking” Moshe on Facebook, following him on Twitter and visiting www.MosheHecht.com.

Mid June.

Schools are about to let out, high schoolers are busy cramming for finals and summer preparations are in full swing as both bungalow dwellers and summer campers alike  are packing up for plenty of fun and music in the sun.

Meanwhile, let’s all polish up our crystal balls and see if we can predict which songs are going to be even hotter than the summer temps, the songs that will be played and sung in camps, bungalow colonies, at the pool or in the car.

At the end of the summer, we will ask you, our readers, to share which were the most popular songs, earning the title Songs of Summer 2011, by being played over and over again wherever you happened to be.

Meanwhile, leave a comment with your prediction of which songs you think are going to be heard on iPods, loudspeakers and boomboxes everywhere!

“Rubashkin’s Game Plan”

From the producers of the all star Unity for Justice project comes a new documentary film that will shed light on the chain of events leading up to the imprisonment of meat-packing executive Sholom Rubashkin. A father of ten with no previous convictions, the 52 year old Rubashkin was sentenced to 27 years in Federal Prison on charges of bank fraud.
This harsh sentence for a first time non-violent offense ordered in 2009 has enraged thousands within the Jewish community and beyond. These voices of unity have since come together not only to show Rubashkin their support but also to rally for justice.

Seeing the huge response to the injustice that had been perpetrated against a fellow Jew, producer Danny Finkelman, critically acclaimed cinematographer Mauricio Arenas and their dedicated team conducted months and months of in depth research, delving deeply into case studies and observations about the Rubashkin case in order to provide people with the deeper understanding that they yearned for.

The result is a stunning film with an expected running time of eighty minutes to be released in July. Featuring a score by Israel Edelson as well as original music by Yitzchak Shemtov and Eli Lishinsky, it stars some of the top names in the Jewish music industry who eagerly volunteered for the Unity project including: Mordechai Ben David, Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, Yaakov Shwekey, Yanky Lemmer, Bentzi Marcus and many others.

Edited by Valerie Hayward
Cinematography by Mauricio Arenas
Executive Producers: Eli Finkelman and Meir Cohen
Produced and Directed by Danny Finkelman

We would like to welcome and thank our newest volunteer, Benny Friedman!!!

When Benny called us and asked how he can help we figured he was referring to making a video, sing a song or other such things. But he insisted on going door to door with the other volunteers. Yesterday he gave up over 2 hours of his time to go out in the heat and reach out to people, educating them and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the legal defense fund.

We sent  a video camera along to capture what was about to unfold. Heres a bit of the action.

Again a special thank to Aaron Holder for all his help and the wonderful song, please support this incredible artist .

Hello, I’m new around here so please go easy on me. One thing I just love to do is make lists. Top 10 this, Top 20 that, lists are my thing. I think that one of my main tasks here at JMR will be list making.

I’ll start my first post with something a little on the easy side. It’s my hope that my posts will generate a lot of interesting conversation by fellow readers. Without further or due, here are my Top 10 English Songs. This list is not a definitive list in all of Jewish Music, but Top Ten in what is considered mainstream Jewish Music.

In no particular order ….

Neshamale: We can not talk about English songs without going straight to Abie Rotenberg. You could easily fill this list with his compositions but we will try to limit it to a few. Neshamale, what a powerful song, both in composition and in lyric. What could be more amazing then Mordechai Ben David and Abie Rotenberg?

My Zayde: Moshe Yess has so many incredible songs, but none reached the masses like this one. Moshe Yess had a talent for capturing not just a song, but a message. One of warning and Jewish pride. We will miss you Moshe’le.

Someday: MBD has quite a few strong English songs. Someday is something special, not just because the words are great but because of the power of MBD’s vocals in this song. When we think of the “King of Jewish Music” it’s a song like that that got him that title.

Yerushalayim Is Not For Sale: Don’t you wish todays English songs could carry the weight and strong message a song like this carried? I don’t think today it would be allowed or even attempted. This is another “King of Jewish Music” level song.

No Jew Will Be Left Behind: Avraham Fried has some pretty amazing English songs too. No Jew brings us that soft, simple arrangement, with Avremels warm and hopeful vocals. I can only imagine what it was like to hear this song when it was first released. To be a witness to the birth of Chassidic Jewish Music.

When: I look forward to debate on this in the comment section. But I think Yerachmiel Begun has a few “Top Ten” worthy English songs. Of all of them though, “When” is a masterpiece. Aside from the simple fact that “It’s Min Hashamayim” is one of Miami’s most perfect albums, and It’s Min Hashamayim, the song, is not too shabby either. When, is just that much better. The emotion the choir and soloists bring in this tune is nothing short of magic. The song itself is almost like a Tefilah in the way we ask – again and again, When? When?

Deaf Man in the Shteeble: This could be Country Yossi’s most classic song. The song itself is a great story and who among is doesn’t still tear up at the end. But wait, Lev Tahor does such an amazing job with this cover, I think it would be a crime to not mention their version. And again, even though its years later, the end of the story will get you, every.single.time.

The Ninth Man: Moshe Yess and Abie Rotenberg might have been the most talented 1-2 punch in all of Jewish Music. The incredible things these two did together brought us some of the best English music and themes ever. (Don’t forget the Marvelous Midos Machine!) The Ninth Man just like so many of the songs before it has such a wonderful layout in terms of story, but unlike the previous ones, this song isn’t about pulling your heartstrings as much as it’s just a fun story with a great upbeat message. Paying attention in Yeshiva and bonding with your teacher is very important and you don’t even have to forget about the Yankees to do it!

The Little Bird: I won’t even attempt to say who composed this. I thought it was originally from Tzlil V’Zemer, but it might have been JEP. Although I’ve been told it was originally composed at a camp in Montreal. Avrumi Flam has covered it, as has so many other people and if you ever sang in a school choir growing up, you’ve most likely sang this song. Is this one of the first mainstream English song? The Little Bird is a great song because of its message and it’s Moshel like way of relating to us the theme of Moshiach. This song works on many levels and of course there are a few different versions of the final verse. (For fun listen to Sheerwood Goffin’s version)

Memories: (From Journey’s 2/OHEL 5758) This song for me covers the holocaust better than no other other song. The message is straight to the point and the emotion is just so pure. The Journey’s version is great but nothing beats the live version at Ohel 5758 with a duet by two of Jewish Music’s greatest, Avraham Fried and MBD.

There are so many more great English songs. I know a Shlock Rock song should go here, but I just didn’t know which one. There are some amazing Destiny songs as well like Colored Candles, Tomorrow, Freedom Flight and of course Aleph Beis. I also must mention Journey’s It’s Time to Say Good Shabbos, as well as Yaakov Shwekey and Abie Rotenberg’s blockbuster Mama Rochel. This might also surprise some people, but the last honorable mention will go to Yeedle Werdyger for “Together” which has a certain something special, and when sung by Yeedle adds a whole new dimension.

Ok – enough of what I think. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? What would you add to this list?

With the busy month of June right around the corner, it is likely that you will end up at a wedding or two. Or even three.

Chances are good that there will be a group of songs that you will hear at just about every simcha. But while some songs make it big, there are dozens of truly great songs out there that somehow just never seem to make it big.

JMR’s writers got together and came up with their picks for most underrated songs out there – songs that we truly love but never seemed to have caught on the way we would have hoped.

Feel free to comment and share your lashon-hora-free picks…we’d love to hear your choices as well!

—————————–

Hislahavus: Diaspora’s Jerusalem is Calling (from that album), and Lo Es Avoseinu (from The Last Diaspora/The Diaspora Collection). Both are solid songs, great arrangements, original (or unused) lyrics and messages. In both those songs, instrumental power and vocal passion go together in a perfect mix, along with a unique rock sound that is fresh and crisp.

JM Derech: Hiney Bashalom – Aidan & Dotan Horowitz (http://www.mostlymusic.com/shehecheyanu-8670.html) I know I’m going to be laughed at for this pick, but this song happens to be an incredible composition. The music could use a rework, but the actual song and harmonies are fantastic. The first time I heard this song was at a day camp carnival, very befitting considering the music on this track. It’s a downright, fun song. I would love to hear a boy’s choir sing this song composed by the Horowitz twins. I do think this CD went under the radar, understandably so, due to the lack of quality tracks on the album, but this song is a real winner and till this day, I find myself singing this song every time I see something that reminds me of a carnival (ie. clowns, parades, juggling, etc.)

T.R.U.E. Confessions: Avrumi Flam is one of the most underrated singers in the industry to date. In one of his earlier albums, B’shetzef , there are many beautiful yet underrated songs, such as Bamarom and Shema Koleinu. However, in my mind, one song in particular is one of the more underrated songs of all time. Hisnari is an absolutely gorgeous song with an easy third part that engages anyone listening to the song to sing along.

So, when Lag BaOmer rolls around, pull out the B’shetzef tape, yes I said tape, and take a listen.

Just A Fan: Ohad- Father’s Prayer. The first time I heard this song, I expected I would start hearing it everywhere; it’s so beautiful. The lyrics, the music, the fact that a father and son sing it together– I love everything about it. It’s one of my all time favorite songs. Baruch Levine- Kol Haberuim. The tempo of this song is a lot of fun; it keeps changing. The lyrics are also really meaningful. Everyone seems to know Baruch Levine’s slow songs, and rightfully so–they are beautiful. But he also has some really great faster songs, this one being my favorite, that shouldn’t be ignored.

Kol Isha: I admit to being a little stumped by this one given that there is so much material to pick from. But from relatively recent releases: Yosef Chaim Shwekey’s Yerushalayim and Shea Rubenstein’s Window in Heaven. What can I say? I love the slow hartzig stuff. Window had terrific music, killer lyrics and was a song I could really relate to. Yerushalayim is beyond gorgeous and incredibly singable, a real plus.

Out of Towner: Slow songs: Habotchim by Avrumi Flam on Korov Hashem: One of my favorite slow hartzige songs. I happen to love Avrumi Flamm’s albums, but this song is special to me because I learned it directly from the composer (with a slight variance) Yo Aisenstark , when we worked together in camp in Eretz Yisroel. Lo Ovo by Avraham Fried on Bain Kach: From the songs that have come out in the last few years, this one seemed to have hit written all over it. I have sung it and heard it played by weddings a few times, but when I requested to sing this song the last two weddings I sang in NY, I was given a blank stare and told to pick another song. Yigdal by Shloime Kaufman on Avodas Tzedakah: Not a surprise that this song is composed by Boruch Levine. It’s a sweet song, and being sung by Boruch and Shloime together add to the song. Modim Anachnu by Shloime Taussig: I have to admit, I forgot about this song until I recently heard it sung on two different occasions, and couldn’t place this sweet and hartzige song until I was reminded by a friend. Now I can’t get enough of this Yossi Green song. Shloime himself is such a sweet person, and this song is just as sweet.

Fast songs: There are two that stick out in my mind as really nice, vibrant, lebidike songs. Both are sung by the Shapiro Brothers: Ki Shemesh on Acheinu 2, and V’zocher on Acheinu 3.

Hora: Plenty of Horas come and go, but the tune of Boruch Levine’s Chosson Hatorah just screams out to you as a hit hora. It got some play when it first came out, but it seems to have disappeared pretty quickly from the wedding scene. It’s a lebedike hora with a real catchy high part. It probably has something to do with the words, but there are plenty of songs with head scratching words that make it so I guess it just wasn’t mazeldik.

English song: I know that there is not a huge place in the JM industry for English songs to be wildly popular, but I just love The Band by Abie Rotenberg on Journeys 4. It just speaks to me in my language.

A “just because” song: Anim Zemiros from Boruch Levine’s Chosson Hatorah is also an awesome song that can be sung by either adults or choirs, but seems not to have caught on at all. I call it a “just because” song since its style doesn’t lend itself for dancing or background music, but it’s a solid and nice song.

Bonus: Harei Yehuda – Compositions of Yehuda Gilden: There are plenty of CDs that come out that don’t get enough publicity for whatever reason. This one sticks out because not only is there an all star lineup of singers, but it was done to help out a worthy cause. If you haven’t heard it and don’t own it, I suggest (after sefirah of course) you check out the songs and the story, and I am sure you will not be disappointed http://www.mostlymusic.com/harei-yehuda-compositions-of-yehuda-gilden.html

I know that prevailing wisdom in the Jewish music industry is that when it comes to music, summer is the dead season, but I just don’t get it.   I know that you guys in the industry have hard sales numbers and I don’t, but I think you are underestimating just how important summers are to your sales figures.  Maybe people aren’t buying as much music in July and August, but the summer is prime time for music.

If you have ever gone to summer camp you know that the songs you hear in camp are the ones that get burned into your head and you never, ever forget them.  Which makes me wonder if kids who come home from camp aren’t buying the music that they loved in camp as soon as they get home.

So many examples.

Summer of 1976.  (Oh stop laughing.  Yes, I am that old.  Deal with it.)  The music we heard most often that summer was Miami’s Victory Entebbe album.  Ask any girl who was in Camp Bais Yaakov (stop laughing!!) that summer and they will remember that the opening track, Moshe Emes, had a scratch in it and when they put on the album you got to hear some unfortunate choir boy singing the syllable “v’so” of the word “v’soraso” over and over again, until someone went into the office and moved the arm of the record player a little further into the song.  (What’s a record player?  Google it.)

Summer of (don’t know the year, but it was probably sometime in the very early 80′s):  While Amudai Shaish’s double album wasn’t released until the fall, one of the girls in my bunk had an advance copy of the album because her brother had worked on it.  Just about every song on that album was used at some point in time during that summer and Baruch Hagever fever hit Camp Bais Yaakov particularly hard.

Want me to get more current?  No problem.

Summer of 2008:  My son was in Camp Rayim and his division head was none other than Baruch Levine.  Want to guess what album they had on repeat during visiting day?  You got it.  Chosson Hatorah.  Over and over again.  Except when they paused the music to announce that you could buy the CD at a reduced price in the camp office.

Summer 2010:  The song of the summer in Camp Rayim?  Benny Friedman’s No Lyrics, which was played on the PA system and sung in the dining room, over and over again.

Campers are a captive audience.  They listen to whatever songs the office people put over the PA system all day long.  Quite frankly, I can’t think of better exposure for an album than to send a copy to sleepaway camps and let them play them over and over again.

All you singers and producers out there, take note.  Summer is just around the corner and it is a golden opportunity for you guys.  Might as well take advantage.

By Barbara Bensoussan, Mishpacha

Rabbi Manis Friedman
Born: Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1946
Current location: Twin Cities, MN
Position: Chabad Shliach
Inspiration: The teachings of Chassidus

Benny Friedman
Born: Twin Cities, Minnesota, 1984
Current location: Crown Heights
Occupation: Singer
Inspiration: The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Avraham Fried, Moshe Yess

It’s an older apartment building like many others in Crown Heights: the heavy doors that clang shut when you’re buzzed in, the cavernous lobby that echoes with the sound of children playing in the stairwells, the concrete walls painted in shades of landlord yellow and dark brick. But up a flight or two, hidden behind one of many identical doors, one of Jewish music’s newest singing stars has found a place to enjoy his private life in quiet anonymity.

Benny Friedman came onto the music scene in 2009 with the release of his album Taamu, a collection of lively, pop-style songs produced by Avi Newmark. Musical talent — or more specifically, a mellifluous, expressive tenor voice — clearly runs through the male Friedman line: Benny’s uncle (his father’s brother) is Jewish music superstar Avraham Fried. And Benny’s father, Manis Friedman, while not a musician per se, has made a career out of persuading unaffiliated Jews to change their life tunes into a more soulful Jewish key: Rabbi Friedman spends much of his life on the road doing outreach with his warm, adroit approach to kiruv.

Twenty-six-year-old Benny got married about a year and a half ago and set up housekeeping in Brooklyn to concentrate on building his career (this following a childhood in St. Paul, and years spent in yeshivos and shlichus across the country). The apartment behind the door, unlike the worn lobby and hallways, looks shiny-clean and freshly redone for a new couple, with refinished parquets and modern furniture. A few carefully chosen wedding photos adorn the bookshelves, and a clock in the shape of a treble clef is hung prominently on the wall.

It’s a rainy Shushan Purim, but since Rabbi Manis happens to be in town for the week, the three of us — father, son, and journalist — have grabbed the chance to meet. We sit down at the little dinette and do our best to rise out of the post-Purim fog to hear how the Friedman family legacy has been passed down, albeit through differing channels, across the generations.

A Common Thread

Benny’s a personable young man with a short brown beard and neat, casual attire; his father has a spreading white beard and more imposing presence. In a quiet gesture of kibud av, Benny brings his father a fresh cup of coffee as we begin the conversation.

While Rabbi Manis has achieved renown as a speaker, he seems in no hurry to start talking; he waits to be drawn out. To my surprise, this icon of Chabad outreach answers my first question by informing me that his own parents were not originally Lubavitcher chassidim. “My father was from Poland, my mother from the Ukraine,” he says. “They had connections to Bluzhev and Sanz, and later to Bobov, after they came to the US. My older sister and I were born in a DP camp in Prague after the war.

“My father was active in a Jewish hatzalah organization that tried to get Jews out of Europe; they had offices in Paris and in Prague. The communists raided the office in Prague, and threw my father in jail for six months. My family was finally able to leave in 1950.”

Although Rabbi Friedman was only two years old when his family left Europe, the trauma and mesirus nefesh of his father’s imprisonment colored the family mythos for years to come. “My father helped Jews obtain fake passports, and he sat in jail for it,” he says. “But that sense of activism always remained there with us. Today, I’m also busy trying to save Jews — just in a different way.”

Rabbi Friedman’s family settled in Crown Heights in an era when Crown Heights was a diverse Jewish immigrant neighborhood. “The Bobover Rebbe used to be in Crown Heights, on St. Marks Street,” Rabbi Friedman says, explaining how his parents developed a connection to Bobov.

But over the years, as the family grew in size (there would eventually be eight children), they were drawn into Lubavitcher Chassidus, where all the children achieved prominent positions. The two daughters became shluchos in Detroit and the Long Beach, California, area, respectively.

As for the five remaining brothers, Friedman says, “One is a shliach in Kansas City, one is a writer and teacher in Tzfas, one runs the Lubavitch Youth organization in Crown Heights, one runs Kehos Publishing, and one” — he shrugs his shoulder and gives a mischievous smile — “well, one is a bit of a singer.”

Rabbi Friedman remembers clearly the moment when he decided to go into shlichus, at the tender age of twelve. “I had gone to daven Maariv by the Rebbe — I was a typical American kid, who didn’t know much,” he says. “So I was watching him daven, and I was struck so intensely by the way he bowed at Modim. It was so evident that he was bowing to someone — he looked so humble, so much an eved Hashem. Right then and there I decided I would one day go out on shlichus.”

By 1971, as a newly minted rabbi fresh out of yeshivah, Rabbi Friedman became involved in kiruv. “At the time we had two yeshivos for men,” he says, “one here, and one in Kfar Chabad. One night I was sitting around with some of the guys I worked with, and we started joking, ‘Great, we’ve created all these baalei teshuvah, but who are these guys going to marry?’
“But before too long we became dead serious — we realized it was a very serious question.”

Rabbi Friedman had been sent on shlichus to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and had the idea to invite women college students from campuses all over the US for a summer session of Torah learning. At the time, he said, it was “unheard of” to teach women — especially, perhaps, for a twenty-one year old Lubavitcher chassid. So he found some improvised teachers, in the form of some of the sixteen-year-old girls from Crown Heights who’d come to St. Paul to help with the summer day camp.

In this rather makeshift way, Bais Chana was created, a first spark which Rabbi Friedman claims eventually ignited such important spinoffs as Machon Chana in Crown Heights and Neve Yerushalayim in Israel. “We would only get the women to the first rung, getting them interested in learning more,” he says.

“In the beginning, though, they had nowhere to go to continue. Some of them had no choice but to sit in on classes with the little girls at Bais Rivka in Crown Heights, but it wasn’t really the right place for them. The programs that developed later, in response to us, offered longer-term learning.”

He says that today even the frum-from-birth kids are sometimes lacking in basic Jewish fundamentals, going to yeshivos that emphasize memorization over principles. “What’s taught in the baal teshuvah yeshivos is more real, more close to the core of Yiddishkeit than a lot of what kids in yeshivos are taught,” he affirms.

“Sometimes the frum kids get to real life and find they don’t have anything meaningful to fall back on.” He compares it to heating a home: if you manage to heat one room really well, the rest of the house will become somewhat warm. But if the fireplace isn’t hot enough — if our teachers aren’t truly inspired — then you can’t hope to spread the warmth. “Then the game is over,” he says.

He chuckles when he recalls his very first group at Bais Chana. “This group came in definitely not interested in shopping, not interested in sightseeing! They were angry! It was 1971, the Vietnam War was going on, and these were political young women — I recall one of them even came in wearing army boots — who were furious that they couldn’t stop the war. They came in demanding to know what Judaism had to say about fixing the world!”

In order to answer those questions, Rabbi Friedman found himself pulled into round-the-clock learning that would “begin at eight in the morning and end at eight in the morning.” He says he’d lie down on the carpet, grab a few hours of sleep, and start the intellectual tug-of-war over again.

As exhausting as it was, it was successful enough to warrant repeating a second year.

Having psychologically prepared himself for another onslaught of Angry Young Women, Rabbi Friedman was baffled to find his next cohort of women … peacefully contemplative! “The war was over, so there were no more politics,” he beams. “This group was composed of the women who’d gotten into meditation and Buddhism, who had just gotten back from India! What they wanted to know was, ‘What does Judaism have that Buddhism doesn’t?’ I had to spend two months learning about Buddhism!”

By now the news of Bais Chana was rapidly spreading (“by word of mouth alone,” Rabbi Friedman says; “We never had to advertise”), necessitating two outreach sessions a year. It was just a matter of months before the next wave of recruits came in. “The next group wasn’t interested in politics or Buddhism,” Rabbi Friedman says. “Now it was macrobiotic food! We had to have four kitchens for these women!” He makes a little mock-hurt face. “They kept criticizing our Tam-Tam crackers.”

Yet he seems to miss the early days, when recruiting was indiscriminate and the college students mixed with the grandmothers [today Bais Chana runs more specialized programs]. “It was wonderful — it was so real,” he says. “We were the only program at the time, and women were coming from all over the world — Europe, South America, even Israel!” The irony of women having to leave Eretz Yisrael to find Torah isn’t lost on him: “Can you believe it?” he laughs incredulously. “People were coming from Israel to … St. Paul, Minnesota!”

Some of the women came in not possessing any Jewish name, and while Rabbi Friedman says the Rebbe’s policy was usually that people in this position should choose their own names, many of his early students “were so sincere, so real that they preferred to ask the Rebbe to give them a name.” Often, he says, the results were surprising. “He would pick unusual, unique names — Leiba Ahuva or Dina Tirtzah,” he says. “And he was very definite about it; he’d tell them in no uncertain terms, ‘This is your name.’

In the last twenty years, he says, the system has become more sophisticated. Applicants are screened more carefully, and sessions are divided: teenagers, college students, married women, couples, even single mothers (“The divorced mothers are amazing,” Rabbi Friedman remarks. “They have horror stories, real scars, and yet they handle their lives so bravely, with so little support from the community.”) Now that society has moved well beyond the Vietnam War, Buddhism, and macrobiotic food, I ask, what are the burning issues of 2011?

“The hottest subject is family,” he answers without hesitation. “Relationships. Marriage, kids, parenthood — they’re all in crisis, because there are no rules any more.” He winces. “It’s even true in the frum world. Just recently I got a call from a young man who woke up one morning after three years of marriage and realized he had no sense of why he was married, of right and wrong, of why he lived as he did. At least he had the good sense to call someone!”

In fact, Rabbi Friedman says sometimes the teens from nonobservant families have a keener sense of what’s missing than the kids from frum homes. “We underestimate those kids,” he claims. “But they have a deep understanding of what’s missing and how things are supposed to be. We need to get back to basics! We’ve lost all sense of what it means to be a husband, a wife, a parent — I regularly ask people to define the terms husband and wife, and they’re stumped. They get married not knowing how to make the change from man and woman to husband and wife. They get married without knowing what it means to be committed to a marriage.
“People today go out to date, not to get married. If you can get two people who are already convinced that marriage is great — which is an idea that has largely been lost — you’ve already won half the battle.”

His formulations of Torah hashkafah regarding dating, marriage, and family life eventually led him to publish a book entitled Doesn’t Anyone Blush Any More? (Harpercollins, 1990). The book gives voice to his position that the destruction of social boundaries is wrecking havoc in our personal lives. He writes: “When the border of the world fall, when the walls of morality fall, everything falls … there was [once] a border that set the family territory apart from the nonfamily, what was private from what was public.… Today those borders have weakened and blurred, even in the best of families. As a result, family life is suffering.”

This is obviously a problem that has only been exacerbated by the encroachment of Internet and phone technologies. The good rabbi shakes his head and says pointedly: “If you can’t bring eidelkeit and kedushah to the family, where will the next generation be?”

His personal solution to today’s dissolving social structures is unyielding: cede no territory, make no compromises. We have to dig our trenches deeper, augment the kedushah in our lives. Attempting to accommodate to “modern” life by allowing laxity in tzniyus or other halachos will only be counterproductive. “People won’t get better from doing less,” he states firmly. “What I try to project to the people who come hear me is: I’m presenting you with the emes. Will it make you happy? I don’t know. What you do with it is your business. But at least now you know.”

Number Eleven Son

Rabbi Manis Friedman was busy with more than kiruv during the past four decades in Minnesota: he and his wife were also busily raising, bli ayin hara, fourteen children, of which two are still living at home. Benny is the eleventh child; “I’m the oldest of four,” he jokes.

What was it like growing up in Minnesota, with waves of army-booted politicos and airy Buddhists, and health food nuts floating into their home in between the snowstorms and too-brief summer? Benny shrugs. “I knew my father ran a kiruv school, and went out a lot on speaking engagements, but I was mostly oblivious to his activities. We lived across the street from a golf course, and in the winter we used to go sledding across it and do winter sports.” He smiles. “Life was good!”

There are people who find it hard to be part of a mega-sized family — the noise, the lack of privacy, getting lost in the middle. But Benny seems unfazed; on the contrary, he says, “It was always a party by us.” He didn’t even mind not having his own room.

“I think it’s terrible when kids have their own rooms,” Rabbi Friedman interjects. “They lose something by being alone.”

Benny was nevertheless shipped out of the house from the age of twelve, to attend yeshivah two and a half hours away in Postville, Iowa, in the halcyon years before the 2008 raid that nearly destroyed the town. (“It was a great community then,” father and son both sigh.) At age fifteen, he went off to Tzfas to learn in yeshivah, near his uncle’s home. Then, he says, it was back to Minnesota for a year, off to California for a year, then off to Miami, with a couple of years doing shlichus in Tucson.

So where does the passion for music come in? Were the Friedmans one of those families that sing zmiros in four-part harmonies every Shabbos?

Read the full article in Mishpacha Magazine’s Pesach Issue, in stores now in New York and around the country