Lipa Schmeltzer at Kretchnif Rebbe Kiryat Gat Feb

Lipa Schmeltzer ( yi, אלעזר ליפא שמעלצער ''Elazar Lipa Schmeltzer'', he, ליפא שמלצר; born March 17, 1978) is an American singer, entertainer, and composer. He is a headliner in

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

as well as modern Jewish communities worldwide and "the

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

of Hasidic music". , Schmeltzer has released 18 solo albums.

Family background

Lipa Schmeltzer grew up in the Chasidic enclave of

New Square, New York New Square ( yi, שיכון סקווירא, Shikun Skvir) is an all-Hasidic village in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Hillcrest, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of New City ...

a village in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

. His grandfather, a Chasidic farmer in pre-war Hungary, was murdered during World War II, leaving his father, Reuven, an

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

at the age of 13. Reuven Schmeltzer was one of the 1,684 Jews who escaped Nazi-controlled Hungary on the

Kastner train The Kastner train consisted of 35 cattle wagons that left Budapest on 30 June 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary, carrying over 1,600 Jews temporarily to Bergen-Belsen and safety in Switzerland after large ransom paid by Swiss Orthodo ...

and spent time in the

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...

before being released in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

.Kliger, David. ''Bringing on the Simcha: An interview with Lipa Schmeltzer at Castel Wineries''. ''The English Update'', 17 March 2011, pp. 26–34. https://issuu.com/the-english-update-magazine/docs/the_english_update_/26 He and his wife had 12 children, of whom Lipa is the second-youngest. Lipa married his wife, Miriam, also a native of New Square, on August 27, 1998 (they have since divorced). They have four children.

Musical career

After his wedding, Schmeltzer tried to find work as a '' badchen'' (entertainer) for weddings. Though he had no formal musical training, he began performing at

weddings A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

and bar mitzvahs in the Haredi Chasidic communities of

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

and

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He earned a reputation as a natural performer, and began releasing recordings and videos. The first, ''Nor B'Simcha'' (Just Be Happy), was released shortly after his wedding. With his thick, round eyeglasses and sidelocks, "outlandish" outfits, and comical

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

videos, he has rocketed to stardom in the Hasidic music world. Schmeltzer's music has both gained popularity and generated controversy within the American Chasidic community due to the fusion of traditional Chasidic music and lyrics with contemporary music styles. His performance range includes "hard-driving rock tunes, jazzy shuffles, pseudo-rap numbers, solemn prayers, klezmer dances and jokey skits, accompanied by a nine-piece band and a troupe of actors". He writes lyrics in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, and

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

. Schmeltzer's concerts are not gender-segregated, as is the norm in Hasidic circles. He has been criticized for introducing "too modern" musical styles to the Hasidic community. Opponents contend that Schmeltzer's identity as a ''bona fide'' Hasid makes him more appealing to a wider Hasidic audience and therefore more likely to introduce contemporary music to their community, which tends to be insular and more reserved.

Benefit performances

Schmeltzer frequently contributes his talents for Jewish benefit performances. He has also written songs and performed in response to tragedies within the Hasidic community. After

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

shluchim Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg were murdered in a 2008 terrorist attack in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

and their two-year-old son Moishe was saved, he wrote the song ''A Letter to Moishe'le''. He was part of an all-star group of Jewish musicians who produced a musical tribute to

Sholom Rubashkin Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin (born October 30, 1959) is a convicted felon and the former CEO of Agriprocessors, a now-bankrupt kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, formerly owned by his father, Aaron Rubashkin. Durin ...

after the latter's conviction in federal court in 2010. Following the 2011

murder of Leiby Kletzky On July 11, 2011, Leiby Kletzky, a Hasidic Jewish boy, was kidnapped as he walked home from his school day camp in the mainly Hasidic neighborhood of Borough Park, Brooklyn in New York City, New York. Kletzky's disappearance sparked an all-ou ...

in Brooklyn, he released a ballad called "Leiby Forever" and a seven-minute music video depicting home movies of Kletzky growing up.

"The Big Event" controversy

In February 2008, a large amount of publicity was generated for a concert at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

's WaMu Theater in

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featuring Schmeltzer and Shloime Gertner, under the playbill "The Big Event". On 20 February, a full-page notice was printed in the ''

Hamodia ''Hamodia'' ( he, המודיע – "''the Informer''") is a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in Jerusalem. A daily English-language edition is also published in the United States, and weekly English-language editions in England and Israe ...

'', the most prominent

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

newspaper. The notice stated that it was "a serious prohibition to attend or perform" at the concert which would lead to "ribaldry and lightheadedness" and added that it was "forbidden to hire these singers to sing at any party, celebration or charity event". Following speculation over whether Schmeltzer would cancel the concert due to the ban, on 26 February it was confirmed that he was canceling his performance. He was quoted by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as saying, "I have a career, I have a wife and kids to support, I have a mortgage to pay, I have to get out of the fire". At the same time, Schmeltzer pulled out of a concert scheduled for later that month in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with other singers. In an interview in June 2008, Schmeltzer stated: "I made a

Kiddush Hashem ''Kiddush HaShem'' ( he, קידוש השם "sanctification of the Name") is a precept of Judaism. In Rabbinic sources and modern parlance, it refers to private and communal conduct which reflect well, instead of poorly, on the Jewish people. Or ...

and I don’t regret it. But if I had known the truth about how things were presented to the '' gedolei hatorah'', I would not have cancelled the concert." Schmeltzer said that "Many gedolei hatorah have told me that people came to them with false information regarding my concert: they said it would have mixed dancing or mixed seating." In 2009, one of the most prestigious rabbis who signed the document, Rabbi

Shmuel Kamenetsky Shmuel Kamenetsky (born November 1924) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the co-founder and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages). Biography Ra ...

, told '' The Jewish Star'' newspaper that he had no problem with Lipa: "As far as I know he is an ''ehrliche Yid'' truly devout Jew" Three months after the controversy, Schmeltzer released his next album, titled ''A Poshiter Yid'' (A Simple Jew), with a cover image and songs that portrayed him as a tradition-minded,

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

-observant Jew instead of the rock idol portrayed by the ban. Since that release, Schmeltzer's concert and recording schedules have increased. Shortly after the cancellation of "The Big Event", promoters began planning another concert with the scaled-down name "The Event", which went off without controversy before a sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater on March 1, 2009. Later the same year, Aderet Records released a double CD and DVD of "The Event".

Other activities

In 2010, Schmeltzer built 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 ...

, Beis Medrash D'Airmont, in the village of

Airmont, New York Airmont is a village in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of the state of New Jersey, east of Suffern, south of Montebello, and west of Chestnut Ridge. The population was 8,628 at the 2010 census. The ...

. Schmeltzer attended

Rockland Community College Rockland Community College (RCC) is a public community college in the town of Ramapo, New York in Rockland County. It is part of the State University of New York. The college, established in 1959, became the 18th community college to join the S ...

, a two-year school which is part of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

(SUNY) system. He pursued a dual associate degree in performing arts and liberal arts. On May 18, 2014 he graduated with a GPA of 3.902. In April 2014 Schmeltzer received a Chancellor's Award of Excellence, which is considered to be "the highest honor bestowed upon the student body." In 2014, Schmeltzer was studying Creative Writing and Visual Art at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

School of General Studies The School of General Studies, Columbia University (GS) is a liberal arts college and one of the undergraduate colleges of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights, New York City. GS is known primarily ...

. Lipa graduated from Columbia University in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree Magna Cum Laude. In December 2011, Schmeltzer sang at

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

's annual Hanukkah party at the Jewish Heritage Museum, accompanied by the Freilach Orchestra. In December 2015, Schmeltzer sang at the annual White House Hanukkah Party, and promised President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

a special gift, a gold and silver yarmulke. In May 2016 Schmeltzer traveled to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and delivered Obama the promised gift of a gold and silver

yarmulke A , , or , plural ), also called ''yarmulke'' (, ; yi, יאַרמלקע, link=no, , german: Jarmulke, pl, Jarmułka or ''koppel'' ( yi, קאפל ) is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the c ...

. In 2016, Schmeltzer appeared in an Israeli television ad for

Pepsi Max Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Black in some countries) is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. Pepsi Max is still available primarily in Asian and European markets. While Pepsi Max was ...

. In December 2016, Schmeltzer sang "

God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version was notably recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature s ...

" in Yiddish (as "Gott Bensch Amerike") in

Brooklyn Borough Hall Brooklyn Borough Hall is a building in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It was designed by architects Calvin Pollard and Gamaliel King in the Greek Revival style, and constructed of Tuckahoe marble under the supervision of superintendent Ste ...

at the inauguration of New York Civil Court Judge

Rachel Freier Rachel "Ruchie" Freier (born April 2, 1965) is an acting New York Supreme Court judge. In 2016, she campaigned and was elected as a Civil Court judge for the Kings County 5th judicial district in New York State New York, officially the St ...

. In September 2017, Reuven Schmeltzer, Lipa's father, died and the Skverer Rebbe came to be ''menachem avel'' (to console the mourner) him while sitting shivah.

Discography

*''Nor B'simcha'' (1999) *''Shema'' (2000) *''Letova'' (2001) *'' Purim In Skver (2002) *''Bederech'' (2003) *''Le'eilu Uleeilu'' (2004) *''The New Project X'' (2005) *''Keneina Hora'' (2005) *''Hallel'' (2006) *''The Lipa Experience (DVD)'' (2007) *''The Next Project X'' (2007) *''A Poshiter Yid'' (2008) *''Non Stop Lipa'' (2009) *''Me'imka D'Lipa: From the Depth of My Heart'' (2010) *''24/6 Lipa'' (2011) *''Leiby Forever'' (2011) *''Leap of Faith'' (2012) *''Dus Pintele - The Hidden Spark'' (2013) *''B Positive (with Matt Dubb)'' (2015) *''Lipa On Broadway (DVD)'' (2015) *''Lipa's Gevaldig'' (2020) *''BavLipa'' (2022) *''Ritzious Shimmy Schmeltzer Bar Mitzvah(2022)

Music videos

* "Gelt" (2006) * "Abi Me'leibt" (2006) * "Hentelach Around the World" (2009) * "A Letter To Moishele" (2009) * "Hang Up the Phone" (2012) * "Mizrach" (2012) * "Believe in a Miracle" (2012) * "Mitzva Tantz" (2014) * "The Reveal" ft. Ari Lesser (2014) * "Kaf Al Kaf" ft. The Kinderlach (2014) * "Ben Fayga" ft. Matt Dubb (2015) * "Shain Vi Di Levone" (2015) * "BELZ" (2015) * "Bar Mitzvah Time" ft. Nissim (2016) * "Heal us"Official - Lipa Schmeltzer "Heal us" (YouTube)
/ref> (2020) * "Abaye Ve'ruva" (2022)

Guest appearances and singles

*''Kol Mevaser (Yehoshua Breuer) art of the children's choir*''Tzur Chayeinu (Gidon Levine/The Best of the Best 2) *'' Nor B'Simcha (Lechaim Productions /Di Yidishe Kroen) *''Moshe Rabeini (Mona Rosenblum/Mona 4) *''Yevani (Oif Simchas and Friends) *''Malchuso (Skver) *''Ach Tov (Mona Rosenblum/Philharmona 3) *''Gelt (Hasc 17) *''Abi M'lebt (Hasc 18) *''Diet (Hasc 20) *''Elka D'mier Aneni (Hamenagnim/Eleka D'meir Aneni) *''Zchus Avos & Birchas Kohanim (Lechaim/Yiddishie Brillanten) *''Borcheni Avinu (Lechaim/Mesikas 2) *'' Melech Rachman (Lechaim/Mesikas 3) *''Lo Nafalti & Mr Dj (Yitzy Schwartz/ Second Dance 2) *''Aneni (Suki & Ding/Mit A Yiddish Taam) *''Yavani (Oif Simchas & Friends) *''Rachem Nu (Avi Fishoff/Sheves Achim) *''Kabeid (Oorah/The Shmorg) *''Am Echad (Oorah/The Shmorg) *'' Mitzvah Tantz (Oorah/The Shmorg) *'' Hentlech Around The World (Oorah/The Shmorg) *''Sunrise (Oorah/The Shmorg) *'' Chadoshot Tovot (Bekhila/Leshorer Shir Chadosh 1) *''Knesses Yisroel (Sheya Mendlowitz/Big Time - Alter Heim) *''Rabbi R' Elimelech (Yossi Gil/V'Eineini Sirenu) *''Yossel (Yossi Green/The 8th Note) *'' Bikur Cholim (Single) *''Acharon Acharon Chaviv Featuring Describe (Remix) *''Kol Me (Ami Magazine/Big Voices) *'' Shain Vi De Levoneh Featuring The Holocaust Survivor Band (Single) *'' Belz Featuring The Holocaust Survivor Band (Single) *''Make It Happen (Kinderlach/Make It Happen) *''Kaf Al Kaf Featuring Kinderlach (Single) *'' Echad Mi Yodea Featuring Kinderlach (Single) *''Lo Yisa Goi (Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz/Shir 1) *''Mekor Chochmah (Single) *'' Believe In A Miracle (Cecilia Margules/The Believe In A Miracle Collection ) *'' The Reveal Featuring Ari Leser) *''Bar Mitzvah Time Featuring Nissim Black (Single) *''Yona Motzoh (Tzvi Silberstein/Kol Hakochavim) *''Simchas Beis Hashoeva (Lev Tahor/LTV) *''Chap Nisht (Levik T/The Shlager Project) *'' Shabbos Kodesh Featuring Rephael Biberfeld (Single) *'' Shnooder In Adar Featuring Yossi Lowy & Hillel Kapnick (Single) *'' Let It Go (Single) *'' Yesh Manhig (Sruli Bodansky/Fingerprints) *'' Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi (Chaskie Weiss/Lev El Haneshama) *''Srulikel (Single) *'' Heal Us (Single)

References

External links

Harav R' Reuven Schmeltzer (father of R' Lipa), talking in Satmar Chuf-alef Kislev

Monday Music: A Simple Jew With a Touch of Gaga

Lipa Schmeltzer - Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmeltzer, Lipa 1978 births Living people Skver (Hasidic dynasty) American Orthodox Jews American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Hasidic entertainers Hasidic singers Yiddish-language singers of the United States Jewish American musicians Jewish songwriters People from Ramapo, New York 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Badchens Merkin family 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers Orthodox pop musicians