Syndication
Despite Controversy, Hasidic Singer’s Popularity Soars
BOUNCE BACK: The Hasidic pop musician Lipa Schmeltzer was surrounded by fans at a recent appearance following the release of his new CD.
Print this article
Email this article
Other articles by Lana Gersten
More in Fast ForwardOn June 22, Hasidic singing sensation Lipa Schmeltzer stepped out to greet his fans in one of his first large-scale appearances since a firestorm erupted over the cancellation of his concert, “The Big Event.”
Making appearances at three stores in the Boro Park neighborhood of Brooklyn just one week after the release of his newest CD, “A Poshiter Yid” (“A Simple Jew”), Schmeltzer is back — and says that he is now busier than ever.
The March 9 concert, which was expected to draw a crowd of around 5,000 to New York City’s WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, with separate seating for men and women, was abruptly canceled after an edict was issued by 33 rabbis in the Hasidic community, forbidding people from attending. Schmeltzer’s music was declared to cause “lightheadedness” and thus lead people off a religious path.
The ban, which came as a shock to organizers who claimed that the concert was fully kosher, led Schmeltzer to back out of the event, creating a maelstrom of controversy in this insular community.
“It bothers them that this guy who dresses up in Hasidic ways brings to them a certain music that before then was only for Manhattan,” Schmeltzer said in a phone interview. “You have to give them a way of kosher entertainment. It’s a mitzvah for me to do this.”
For some of his critics, though, his music, which blends traditional Yiddish and Hebrew lyrics with more modern beats, inappropriately transports secular music into the community. For others, the size and scope of the concert, and Schmeltzer’s elevated status as a celebrity, were cause for concern.
“In American culture, unfortunately, role models are not just intellects and people of good deeds, but entertainers,” explained Rabbi Avi Shafran, director of public affairs for the ultra-Orthodox organization Agudath Israel of America. “From an Orthodox Jewish perspective, an entertainer is not a role model.”
The fact that “Mr. Schmeltzer’s style had come to mimic certain parts of society’s lowest popular culture expression concerned them,” Shafran said of those who signed on to the ban.
Schmeltzer, who makes the majority of his income by performing at weddings, bar mitzvahs and other celebrations, asserted: “If I make up a song or any other Jewish artist makes up a song and the style is something new and uplifting, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me. I mean, who made up a Jewish style?”
According to Ezra Friedlander, founder and CEO of the Brooklyn-based public relations firm The Friedlander Group, Schmeltzer is “even a bigger superstar than he was before. Controversy has that magical effect of making you larger than life.”
At Mostly Music, where Schmeltzer made his first stop of three to greet fans last month, crowds of men, women and children, many donning head scarves or black hats, filled the store to get a glimpse of the superstar.
“I think the controversy has created him,” said onlooker Rivka M., a resident of the Bayswater neighborhood in Queens who asked that her full last name not be used. “The longer adults decry his music, the more popular he gets.”
Rivka, whose 17-year-old son listens to Schmeltzer, and who previously found his music to be offensive because of what she describes as his hip-hop and rap influences, now lauds Schmeltzer for his response to the controversy. In her opinion, the fact that he listened to the rabbis and took their advice legitimized him and his music.
“I can definitely speak for myself in that I’m personally less negative about his music, knowing he’s a mensch,” she said. “The concert situation for me made his music okay because he’s okay.”
Though Schmeltzer denies that he changed his style of music since the ban was issued, his promoter, Gershy Moskowitz, admits that his new album is more “kosher” than the previous one. In total, Schmeltzer has released eight other CDs.
“The other ones are jazzier,” said 13-year-old Ushi Kleinbart, while waiting in the Eichlers Judaica store to meet the musician. “This is more of a normal tape.”
Even with his new sound, people seem to be responding well. According to Avigdor Tonbowski, an employee at Mostly Music, the phones rang off the hook and people waited in a long line that snaked out the door to buy Schmeltzer’s CD the day it was released.
“His CD is simple. You don’t have to be a rebel or a rabbi. I love it,” said 17-year-old fan Avrumi Dinkel, a Boro Park resident.
“We have so many problems out there that music should not be one of them,” Schmeltzer said. “I’m selling thousands and thousands of CDs. There’s always going to be people out there who don’t like it. I don’t care.”
Lana Gersten is a writer living in New York.
Comments
I love rock and roll as much as the next guy, but the previous post should check out some of those puritanical internet sites. The list of rock and media stars contains many fallen stars, from Elvis and Marilyn right through Britany and Amy Winehouse. If Rabbi Shafran is correct, and the Rabbis are attempting to reign in this atmosphere in the Jewish community, they should take the time to write a coherent statement stating this.
It's relief to note that religious Jews can be just as big imbecile snotnoses as religious Christians (springing from the same origin they share roots of imbecility, it seems.) Orthodox Judaism has never been a friend to the arts, other than hitting on wealthy entertainers for money to support their religious activities. That may be one of the reasons that there is a dearth of great Jewish art and artists, unlike the Jews' performance in other intellectual disciplines.
Avi Shafran said "role models are not just intellects and people of good deeds, but entertainers." By implication, he obviously thinks of himself as an "intellect" who should be considered a role model. By whom and for what is unclear. I have not seen anything from Shafran to support his claim to be an "intellect." Rather, his specialty seems to be vilification of Jews who disagree with his extreme reactionary views, as has been amply demonstrated in the Forward and elsewhere. In my life I have derived far more pleasure from entertainers than rabbis, for whom I have found no particular use.
"The Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward other commenters. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not." If David and Larry are "appropriately respectful" with "reasoned critique" then Michael Jackson is a fine role model for children.
The last time I looked, Michael Jackson was a musical performer and dancer. The title of "fine role model for children" was bestowed on him by pablo. Why is Michael Jackson not a fine role model? He is a person who worked long and hard to reach the top, propelled by his enormous talent. Such great gifts are often accompanied by problems and suffering the world finds laughable, and the innuendo flies like vultures. Pablo should come out in the open with his complaints against Michael Jackson.
There is absolutely no requirement that everything that goes on in society should be "a role model for children." Nor is there any reason that culture should be geared to the level of children except, perhaps, in religious enclaves preoccupied with keeping out influences that disturb their traditional ways. The greater society certainly can't be expected to indulge such egocentric narcissism.
Schmeltzer is AWESOME!! Rock on Baby!!
ZK
As a non–Jew, I may not be the right person to comment on internal Jewish affairs, but I have to state my respect for a religious body where the leaders take their task seriously and try to protect their followers from the germ of secular culture. It’s a difficult task and requires resoluteness, as well as wisdom. The comments from modernists gives me additional reason to encourage the rabbis.
Harry, when you can sit down with Rabbi Shafran (or any of the other Rabbis who issued the decree referred to) and analyze a Gemora, then maybe you will have tapped into your intellect. Where do you think the concept of the Jews as the "people of the book" came from? Phillip Roth?
Michael Jackson had the capability to remain a very talented entertainer, but allowed his various (and obvious) problems to overtake him. Would you want him to cuddle up with your son?
Lipa rocks! And by the way, so does Yossi Piamenta - who learned to play guitar listening to Jimi Hendrix.
Charnie:
Are you still living in the remote past when the only things to read were religious writings, and activities such as the analysis of a Gemarah was signal proof of intellect? Since those primitive desert days knowledge has advanced in all disciplines. Surely there exist intellectual activities other than religious pilpul and eschatology?
When Shafran and the other rabbis can sit down with me to analyze a particularly intricate piece of software, then perhaps they will have to expand their notions of "intellect." Of course, chances are that the rabbis will denigrate all activities that do not bolster their bubbe-meises, but there it is: the world is chock full of activities just as intellectual, sometimes even more, than religious hair-splitting by rabbis who have elevated themselves to arbiters of conduct, not to mention "intellect."
The allegations of Michael Jackson's pederasty are just that: allegations. In spite of vigorous attempts, no one has ever been able to prove that he committed crimes against anybody. Your innuendos are rumors and hearsay without any foundation in reality, let alone proof. Is that a measure of "intellect" as well?
Informative and well written.I am happy to see an article that presents Lipa and the whirlwind that surrounds him and his music as something less than a symbol of liberty and freedom of speech. And otoh a star is not a gadol. Everyone should just relax and enjoy this talented and joy producing musician. The article has perfect pitch on the entire brouhaha.
“In American culture, unfortunately, role models are not just intellects and people of good deeds, but entertainers,” explained Rabbi Avi Shafran, director of public affairs for the ultra-Orthodox organization Agudath Israel of America. “From an Orthodox Jewish perspective, an entertainer is not a role model.”
Quick! Destroy him before children start to admire anybody but me and my fellow rabbis!
I think that the 'kashrut' issue here that disturbed the 33 rabbis was that here was this man making all of this money and they weren't getting a piece of the action. After all, it was THEIR community that was making this entertainer rich. How do you say 'extortion' in Yiddish? I'll have to look it up in my dictionary. The rabbis solicited a nice 'donation' from this man, they made him an offer he could refuse, so they banned him. Great idea for a Jewish version of "The Godfather". Don't know, though, whether it would be a tragedy or a comedy.
The attitudes of some of the posters here makes me wonder "what is the future of the Jewish people". How many of you who posted negative responses are either a) parents of intermarried children; b) intermarried yourself; c) a "High Holidays" Jew? Well, as anyone who ever experienced Shabbos in an Orthodox home can tell you, it's your loss, and I hope someday you'll be exposed to it.
Re Harry Fisher's comment about anaylizing Torah vs software: As someone who's been a programmer for approximately 20 years, I've seen numerous software come and go, as well as changes in applications and languages. Someone who can decipher C## may not be able to do JCL or Cobol - it's just different skill sets. But the Torah is here for eternity, and so are the Jewish people. Lipa is not a gadol, rabbi or a rebbe - he's just an awesome entertainer.
Charnie wrote: "But the Torah is here for eternity, and so are the Jewish people." In a nutshell, there's my problem with the religious. A person who wouldn't buy a used car without at least kicking the tires will swallow wholesale the most preposterous ideas, such as "eternity," "salvation," and similar bizarre concepts. It's the presumption, the hubris that is so breathtaking. The recorded history of humanity goes back 6000 years max, and here people go talking about eternity? Planets may come and go, entire galaxies may collide and be sucked into black vortices over the eons, but "the Jewish people," a tribe of a species of disappearingly minute beings on a rock circling a tiny, yellow star in one of a trillion galaxies is here for eternity! And to wit, it's not even humanity that is here for eternity, but only the Jewish people! Come now, does anyone really believe that or is it something they say because it's religious doctrine? Please be honest.
I would not take Rabbi Shafran's comments to mean that Torah Judaism is anti-artistic or anti-music. Music has always been an immensely important aspect of Jewish mystical expression, particularly in the realm of Chassidism. The Baal Ha Tanya, the first Rebbe of Lubavitch, writes that music has a way of touching the soul that nothing else can in G-d's world. Jewish music, just like our cuisine, dress, occupations, etc. have always been a reflection of the surrounding culture around us. We take what the world has to offer and we elevate it to a level of godliness and service to G-d, for a higher purpose. This includes music; klezmer is adapted from gypsy music, polkas, etc. Niggunim are adapted largely and in some cases exclusively from gentiles, such as Chabad's use of La Marsellaise. Sephardic music is Arabic and Spanish-inspired. Lipa is doing merely what our people have done for generations, and his music is very entertaining and touches the neshama in a special way. Keep in mind that the Big Event was cancelled due to the efforts of a director of a competitor organization to Lipa's called Nechomas Yisroel. That director was motivated by greed and jealousy that his small organization wasn't bringing in the money that Lipa's was. Due to the opposition to Lipa, many innocent Jews were disappointed and saddened beyond reproach. The Haredi paradigm is becoming tyrranical and absurd beyond beleif, as Haredim consolidate more and more power for themselves.
Oh, isn’t that just great!! These religious fanatics have managed to set the world back fifty years with this latest nahrashkeit, to the days when puritanical loons were boycotting Elvis and organizing protests against the satanic influence of rock n’ roll. Let’s hope their pathological hatred of the modern world isn’t dissipated by this latest effort, and that their ambition to turn back the clock doesn’t end with the 1950’s. Perhaps their next campaign can aim for beating back the decadence of women’s suffrage and other burning controversies of the late 19th Century.