Yehuda Green ( he, יהודה גרין)(born 1959) is a

Hasidic Jewish 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 ...

singer and composer, and

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

at the

Carlebach Shul 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 ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

. Singing in the style of singer-rabbi

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. ...

(1925–1994), he has been called "more Carlebach than Carlebach", and is acclaimed for his heartfelt renditions of Carlebach's songs.

Biography

Yehuda Green was born in the

Mea Shearim Mea Shearim ( he, מאה שערים, lit., "hundred gates"; contextually, "a hundred fold") is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. It is populated by Haredi Jews, and was built by members of the Old Yish ...

area of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to a family of

Breslover Breslov (also Bratslav, also spelled Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous rel ...

Hasidim.Besser, Yisroel. "The Songs We Sang". ''

Mishpacha ''Mishpacha'' ( he, משפחה, : Family) - Jewish Family Weekly is a Haredi weekly magazine package produced by The Mishpacha Group in both English and Hebrew. History The Mishpacha Publishing Group was founded in 1984 with the publication of ...

'' supplement: "10 Years".

Pesach Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or ...

5774 (Spring 2004), p. 39. He heard his first Shlomo Carlebach album when he was five years old, and was encouraged by his father to sing Carlebach's composition, "''Mimkomcha''" ("From Your Place"), again and again. He enjoyed singing Carlebach's songs at the

Lubavitcher 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 groups ...

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

that he attended. In 1969 he attended his first Carlebach performance, and began frequenting Carlebach's Melaveh Malkah performances on Saturday nights on

Mount Zion Mount Zion ( he, הַר צִיּוֹן, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; ar, جبل صهيون, ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew ...

whenever the singer was in Israel. After his bar mitzvah, Green went to hear Carlebach lead the prayers at the

Western Wall The Western Wall ( he, הַכּוֹתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the western wall, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط � ...

on Friday nights. In 1980 Green attended a ''

kumzits Kumzits (קומזיץ) is used to describe a musical gathering that Jews partake in. Everyone sits together, be it on the floor or on chairs, and sings spiritually moving songs. In order to establish a certain ambiance the lighting is often low ...

'' in

Golders Green Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...

, London, where Carlebach was performing. Carlebach invited him to sing with him at a concert he was giving the following night. Green says he was so embarrassed that he agreed to perform only from behind a curtain. Green made his first recording of Carlebach songs in the early 1990s, and asked Carlebach for his opinion. The singer wasn't happy with the

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

s, which put Green in a difficult position with his music arranger. In the end, the material was destroyed in a fire at the recording studio.

Music career

Green released his first album, ''Land of Your Soul'', in 2007. This and subsequent albums feature a combination of Green's own compositions and Carlebach pieces. One of the tracks on Green's first album, "''Nishmas Kol Chai''", became a favorite at ''kumzits'' gatherings in the

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 ...

world, and Green acquired a following in Hasidic communities in Williamsburg and Monroe. Green attracts both religious and secular fans to his concerts. He was the headliner at the two "Kumzits on the Hudson" concerts in 2008 and 2009. In 2014 he was the featured singer at a

Yom HaAtzmaut Independence Day ( he, יום העצמאות ''Yom Ha'atzmaut'', lit. "Day of Independence") is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies ...

gala at the

Terrace on the Park Terrace on the Park is a banquet hall in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. The building was constructed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to serve as the heliport for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The build ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York. Green frequently performs at charity benefits. He was one of over 30 Orthodox Jewish superstars appearing on the 2010 ''Unity for Justice'' album to benefit the legal defense of

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 ...

. He was a featured singer at the HASC 22 "A Time for Music" concert in 2009. At the HASC 24 "A Time for Duets" concert in 2011, he sang an on-stage duet with Jewish singer Ohad and a virtual duet with Shlomo Carlebach, as the latter appeared on video footage. Green also lends his talents to annual musical evenings for the elderly and

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

population in Crown Heights.

Hazzan

In the late 1990s Green was asked to lead the

High Holy Days The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

prayers at the

on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He became an official hazzan at that

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 ...

in 1998. He leads the

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

prayer services twice monthly. His Carlebach-style ''

Selichot Selichot ( he, סְלִיחוֹת, səlīḥōt, singular: , ''səlīḥā'') are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are ...

'' prayers for the Carlebach Shul, which are held at the West Side Institutional Synagogue with guitar and violin accompaniment, attract upwards of 1,000 participants.

Discography

*''Land of Your Soul'' (2007) *''Yearning'' (2010) *''Peace in My Heart'' (2012) *''Barcheini'' (2015) *''Neshameleh'' (2018)

References

External links

*
"Yehuda Green and Reb Shlomo Carlebach at HASC 24" (video)"Yehuda Green Moishele's Niggun (Kadish) at the Carlebach Shul First night of Selichos" (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Yehuda Israeli Orthodox Jews American Orthodox Jews Hasidic singers Jewish songwriters Musicians from Jerusalem 1959 births Living people Jewish folk singers Shlomo Carlebach