Faithful fans thought there would never be another Shlomo Carlebach, a composer whose simple, soulful tunes could draw out the spark in the most estranged Jews. At the Carlebach shul on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, however, a successor is working the same magic, using Carlebach’s tunes and some of his own. Mishpacha speaks with Yehuda Green, who has captured the music world with his melodies and message
he story of Shlomo Carlebach’s music is the story of American Jewry’s rediscovery of the energy in music. After sustaining a beating that had left it virtually lifeless back in Europe, and then coming to these shores and trying to make sense of the permissiveness and liberalism of America, the nation had lost some its richness, the vibrancy it had known in Europe.
A tired older generation watched helplessly as its children were swallowed up by this land … America.
Carlebach gave these children the tunes. He gave them songs that pulsated with joy and meaning, which had the ability to move hardened cynics and numb self-proclaimed non-believers. To be sure, there were notes of struggle and failure as he fought his own battles, something that resonated well with an audience of young warriors. Songs meant for the lost souls on the periphery found their way into the heart of the Jewish community. They traveled backwards from the college campuses to the yeshivos; from the streets of modern-day Sedom, they grew wings and traveled far to give strength to the Russian underground movement.
Create a free account to keep reading.
