Jewish music? What, what!?

We’ve all been affected and saddened by the recent passing of Debbie Friedman, z”l. But there is some sweetness to the thought about the power of Jewish music, let alone her music.

Lately at the office (Leadel sits in Ra’anana, Israel) there have been discussions about who Debbie was, what did she sing, and what were her most popular tunes. Amazingly enough as popular as she and her music was in North America, Israelis are only now beginning to be touched by her spirit, warmth, and musical blessings.

This case made us think even more. What makes Jewish music? Who is affected by what? Who knows which artists and who listens to what? What does it mean for a piece of music to be considered Jewish? If it has Hebrew in it? If it’s based on a Jewish blessing?

All these questions got us in the mood for another Leadel Contest. For now, our office is pretty occupied with planning our upcoming conference on Jewish Education on February 10th, but stay tuned to our posts here on Jewlicious or check out our website regularly for updates and details.

In the mean time, here’s an oldie by good from Leadel’s music corner with Shai Haddad (SHI360). Cheers.