The Carlebach movement is an
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
movement inspired by the legacy of
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime.
...
. The Carlebach movement has promoted a form of Jewish worship, colloquially known as "Carlebach nusach" (Carlebach liturgy). One of the centers of the movement is
Mevo Modi'im
Mevo Modi'im (, ''lit.'' Modi'im Gateway), officially Me'or Modi'im (), is a moshav in central Israel. It is also known as the Carlebach Moshav. Located north-west of Modi'in on Highway 443, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regi ...
(the "Carlebach moshav") in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
Origins
The movement originates with the founding of
The House of Love and Prayer
The House of Love and Prayer was a synagogue founded by Shlomo Carlebach in the 1960s. The synagogue's ritual was inspired by the American counterculture movement, and attracted young, non-affiliated Jews. The synagogue eventually disbanded, and ...
, a
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
founded by Rabbi Carlebach, inspired by the
counterculture of the 1960s
The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world in the 1960s and has been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights mo ...
. Rabbi Carlebach called his followers "holy hippielech" ("holy hippies"). Many of Carlebach's followers soon began practicing Judaism according to the Orthodox tradition.
[Magid, Shaul."The Triumph and Tragedy of Counter-Cultural Judaism An Inside Perspective on the Carlebach Revolution". ''The Jewish Daily Forward''. July 13, 2011.](_blank)
/ref>
Founding
Carlebach founded a Moshav
A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...
settlement in Mevo Modi'im
Mevo Modi'im (, ''lit.'' Modi'im Gateway), officially Me'or Modi'im (), is a moshav in central Israel. It is also known as the Carlebach Moshav. Located north-west of Modi'in on Highway 443, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regi ...
, Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. A number of his followers continue to live there today. The Moshav is commonly referred to as the "Carlebach Moshav".
After Carlebach's death
Following Rabbi Carlebach's death, his followers organized a number of commemorative events, paying tribute to their deceased leader. These events included both traditional Jewish mourning events (i.e. the Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
, Shloshim
Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of '' minhag'' and '' mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community.
Mourners
In Judaism, the ...
and Yahrtzeit
Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of ''minhag'' and ''mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community.
Mourners
In Judaism, the p ...
), as well as concerts and Friday night services incorporating songs composed by Rabbi Carlebach.[Trugman, Avraham A. "Probing the Carlebach Phenomenon". ''Jewish Action''. Winter 2002. Orthodox Union. New York: 2002.](_blank)
/ref>
Carlebach's legacy also inspired the creation of a musical presented by the National Yiddish Theatre
The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, commonly known as NYTF, is a professional theater company in New York City which produces both Yiddish theater, Yiddish plays and plays translated into Yiddish, in a theater equipped with simultaneous supe ...
titled "The House of Love and Prayer". Carlebach's daughter, Neshama Carlebach
Neshama Carlebach (; born October 9, 1974) is an American teacher, entertainer, singer, and the protégé of her late father, Shlomo Carlebach. Her career as a recording artist and as an occasional essayist has reached interfaith communities and ...
was among the production's collaborators.["Celebrating Carlebach". ''Jewish Daily Forward''. January 26, 2007](_blank)
/ref> And a Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
, titled Soul Doctor: Journey of a Rockstar Rabbi, recently ran in , Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, and New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
The movement today
The Carlebach movement does not have a centralized leadership, and no legal entity represents the movement at large. Also, the movement is not homogenous; while Carlebach's initial following was composed mostly of former non-Orthodox Jews, today, his followers originate from various Orthodox communities, including Hasidic ones.[Gluck, Jacob. "Carlebach-Style Hasidic Community Expands Into Borough Park". ''Hasidic News''. June 17, 2012.](_blank)
/ref> Carlebach followers are located around the world, usually near existing Orthodox communities.
Carlebach synagogues
Since Carlebach's death, a number of Orthodox synagogues have adapted their liturgical style to incorporate Carlebach tunes and customs. In some cases, synagogues are formed exclusively for this purpose, and have attracted Jews from non-Carlebach communities. There are believed to be over 100 Carlebach synagogues around the world.
See also
* Carlebach minyan
A Carlebach minyan or neo-Hasidic minyanhttps://www.jewishideas.org/article/dancing-footsteps-reb-shlomo-halakhic-analysis-carlebach-minyan is a Jewish prayer service that follows the style of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and uses the melodies he compose ...
* Nusach Nusach can refer to:
* Nusach (Jewish custom)
In Judaism, Nusach ( he, נוסח ''nusaħ'', modern pronunciation ''nusakh'' or ''núsakh''), plural nuschaot () or Modern Hebrew nusachim (), refers to the exact text of a prayer service; sometimes ...
References
{{reflist
External links
The Carlebach Shul Official Website
Jewish religious movements
Shlomo Carlebach