| There's a new music scene developing in Israel and | | | | music, and proudly carries the title "the Rocker" of |
| spreading throughout the world. It's got folk-rock roots | | | | Jewish music. Adi Ran's recommended albums are: |
| and lyrics such "it's fun to be a Jew." It's the new | | | | Don't Hit the Rock ("Al Takeh Basela") and Nothing to |
| original Jewish music. | | | | Worry About ("Ma Yesh Lachem Lid'og"). |
| Jewish music was always around, and flourished in the | | | | "You know what year it is?" asked me once the |
| 60's with folk singers like Reb Shlomo Carlebach. The | | | | singer-songwriter Aaron Razel. "This is 5765" he then |
| famous troubadour was a great performer and | | | | said, "we're in the 60's of the Jewish people!" Razel |
| composer - but he wasn't a songwriter. Like | | | | was born in New York and grew up in Jerusalem. |
| Carlebach, most Jewish musicians that were working | | | | After his army service, he received a Master's degree |
| until recently - only composed Verses from the Torah | | | | in Music and started making music in the city of Tsfat. |
| and did not write their own material. But in the last few | | | | Razel incorporates his own jewish driven texts with |
| years we see more and more Jewish musicians who | | | | modern day music that is influenced by Israeli music, |
| turn into real singer-songwriters and write about their | | | | reggae, jazz, Funk and Rock. Razel's recommended |
| religious and daily lives as Orthodox Jews. | | | | albums are Redemption Time ("Zman Hageula") and |
| They say that the trend began with Adi Ran who | | | | Song of Zion ("Shir Tzion"). |
| started his musical career back in the 1990's in | | | | Matthew Paul Miller, you might recognize him as |
| Tel-Aviv's underground bar scene. His songs were | | | | Matisyahu, has brought the word outside of the gates |
| heavily critical, humorist and even anarchistic, influenced | | | | Israel and Jewish people. His Hasidic Jewish reggae is |
| with punk music, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. In 1993 | | | | a worldwide phenomena and a number 1 hit amongst |
| Ran became a baal teshuva and got closer and closer | | | | all cultures and religions. Matisyahu's music has a unique |
| to the Breslov Hasidim that dance around the streets | | | | mix of rap, reggae and rock and in his songs and |
| of Tel Aviv and spread the word of Rebbe Nachman | | | | listeners can even find words in Hebrew and Yiddish. |
| of Breslov. | | | | Of course that it takes a lot of effort to keep things |
| But Ran's music only got better and better. He kept his | | | | kosher as a Jewish star. Matishyahu for example, |
| rock influence and humorist spirit (he's got a song titled | | | | does not put his glasses on while he performs so he |
| "It's so fun to be a Jew) and began recording albums | | | | won't see all the dancing ladies, and he has to keep his |
| that can only be defined as Hasidic Underground. | | | | payos, hat and long beard - even when they're not in |
| Today, Adi Ran leads the Jewish original alternative | | | | the height of fashion. |