SHLOMO CARLBACH

[Philip <mike...>]

SHLOMO CARLEBACK, 69, A RABBI AND SONGWRITER  -- exerpts om NY TImes OBIT

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach the foremost songwriter in contemporary Judaism who
used his music to inspire and unite Jews around the world died  on Thursday
at Western Queens Community Hospital.  He was 69 and lived in Manhattan,
Toronto and Moshav Or Modim, Israel.

The cause of death was a heart attack, according to his sister-in-law,
Hadassa Carlebach.

Rabbi Carlebach put the words of Jewish prayer and ceremony to music that
is heard at virtually every Jewish wedding and bar mitzv ah from Hasidic to
Reform.

In a recordding career that stretched over 30 yuears, the rabbi sang his
songs on more than 25 albums.  His most famous song was "Am Yisroel Chai"
(The People of Israel Live)  which was an anthem of Jews behind the Iron
Curtain before the fall of communism.  It continues to be sung at Jewish
rallies and celebrations today.

One of Rabbi Carlebach's few English songs about the Beaty of the Jewish
Sabbath, begins, "The whole world is waiting to sing the song of Shabbos."

Rabbi Carlebach was consatantly on tour, rushing from one capital to
another,  He appeared in large concert halls, like Carnegie Hall in New
York and the Opera Palace in St. Peteresburg, as well as synagogue
basements and college coffeehouses.

In the last year, Rabbi Carlebach gave concerts in Morocco, Australia,
France, Germany, Austria and Israel.

Rabbi Carlebach, who was orthodox, had a full head of white curls and a
white beard that he pinned back rather than cut and wore a trademark white
shirt and vest.  He operated outside traditional Jewish structures in style
and substance and spoke about God and his Love in a way that could make
other rabbis uncomfortable.  "Holy brothers and sisters, "I have something
really deep to tell you," was his way of addressing a crowd.

At the end of Yom Kippur, what most rabbis call the most solemn day of the
year, Rabbi Carlebach would joyously sing and dance late into the night.

Most of his songs seemed to have no ending, but would keep going and going
until the crowd was exhasted .  The rabbi would rise and tell an elaborate
Hasidic tale or bit of Torah wisdom until he began another song.

Shlomo Carlebach was born in 1925 in Berlin where his father, Naftali, was
an Orthodox leader.  The family, which fled the Nazis in 1933 lived in
Switzerland before coming to New York in 1930  His father came the rabbi of
a small synagogue on West 79th Street, Congregation Kehilath Jacob: Shlomo
Carlebach and his twin brother, Eli Chaim, took over the suynagogue after
their father's death in 1967.

He stuyudied at the Yeshiva Torak Vodaath in Brookly and at the Bais
Medrash Bavoah in Lakewook, NJ.  From 1951 to 1954 he worked as a traveling
emissary of the Grand Rabbi of Lubavitch, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

During that period, he also picked up a guitar and began writing songs and
visiting coffeehouses and clubs in Greenwhich Village, whee he met Bob
Dylan, Pete Seeger and other folk singers.  They encouraged his singing
career and helped the rabbi get a spot at the Berkely Folk Festival in
1966.  After his appearance he decided to remain in the Bay Area to reach
out to what he called "lost Jewish souls," runaways and durug addicted
youths.  He founded a commune-like synagogue called the House of Love and
Prayer.

"If I would have called it Temple Israel, nobody would have Come,"  He
said. "I had the privilege of reaching thousands of kids.  Hopefully I put
a little seed in their hearts."

Eleven years later, he close the House of Love and Prayer and took the
remnants of the congregation to Israel, where he established the small
settlement of Moshav or Modiin, in Lod , near Ben Gurion Airport.  The
settlement how has about 35 families.

Rabbi Carlebach is survived by his wife Neiwla Carlebach, and tow daughters
Neshama nad Nadara, all of Toronto, and a sister Shulamith Levovitz of
Monsey, NY.

The funeral will be on Sunday at 9 AM at Congregation Kehilath Jacob, 305
W. 79th Street , in Manahattan.

Philip J. Leonard
mike (at) order(dot)ph(dot)utexas(dot)edu