In tribute to Rabbi Alter Yachnes, who created the soundtrack of Yiddishkeit for children around the world
Rabbi Alter Tzvi Aryeh Yachnes grew up in Flatbush in a rabbinic family affiliated with the Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim family, and Alter carried forth his family’s warmth and simchah combined with the Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim sense of mission to spread Torah.
In producing his albums of wholesome, pure messages and a contagious kind of joy, he rose willingly to the higher standards of chinuch in Eretz Yisrael, where chareidi children are often very sheltered.
“In America, the kids’ albums are often about making Yiddishkeit fun, which is great where that is needed,” explains Rabbi Suki Berry, a longtime mechanech in his own right and a veteran musician and producer. “But in Eretz Yisrael, there is an aversion to ‘fun.’ Simchahdig, happy Yiddishkeit is fine, but fun isn’t. Rebbe Alter was aware of the higher bar and committed to it, not just because it was the smart thing to do, but because he respected it.”
And that’s how he won the trust of parents and educators. Born-and-bred Israelis joined American listeners and loved the spark of chiyus and simchah, but they knew they could rely on Rebbi Alter not to breach their walls, both musically and in his content.
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