Ma’agalim - Jane Bordeaux

The video for Tel Aviv-based Jane Bordeaux Band’s pretty, wistful acoustic song “Ma’agalim” has been making the rounds on the Internet, and for good reason—it’s gorgeous.  Enjoy!




 Ma'agalim - Jane Bordeaux from Uri Lotan on Vimeo.

Remembering Phil Ochs, the Other Great Jewish Folksinger of the ’60s

J.J. Goldberg for The Jewish Daily Forward   

It was 40 years ago this weekend, on April 9, 1976, that Phil Ochs was found dead at his sister’s home in Far Rockaway, Queens. He was one of the best-loved of the generation of young singer-songwriters of the 1960s, but he was much more than that. He was the most eloquent, wittiest, most piercing political bard of the era. For many of us he was the Other Great Jewish Folksinger of the 1960s. In many ways he was the truest voice of that generation. He was just 35 when he died by his own hand.

When I posted a note about the anniversary on Facebook last night, having been reminded by my friend Hank Albert — who knows more than most about loss — I was surprised to see how many others remembered just where they were when they heard of his death. For me the moment is as clear as if it were yesterday. I was wiping down tables after lunch in the dining room at Kibbutz Gezer when the news came on Galei Tzahal, Army Radio. I put down my sponge, found a chair in the corner and wept.

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MATISYAHU: A MUSICAL MACCABEE

By Talia Sterman for ThirtyFourStreet Magazine

Born Matthew Paul Miller, Matisyahu rocked the music world as an ultra–orthodox Jew with a passion for reggae and Chassidus alike—he’s essentially a unicorn. But after years under the spotlight as the Jewish claim to fame, a shocking shave and subsequent departure from Orthodox Judaism had fans turn to haters.

Fast forward five years: Matisyahu embarked on a tour across campus Hillels with rapper Nadim Azzam of both Jewish and Palestinian background to promote dialogue and unity through music. Last week, Hillel representatives (and us) sat down with Matisyahu and Nadim for guac and good conversation before their World Cafe Live show.

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The Global History of Ma Nishtana

By Ruth Abusch Magder for MyJewishLearning.com    

Each year, Jewish children around the world learn the Four Questions. After all the image of the small child chanting their way through the Four Questions is one of the most endearing images of the Passover seder. The image is so strong that for many it automatically conjures music and words. This simple piece of the Haggadah liturgy is one the first Jews learn but few of us know about the history of this text and the music that has now become the classic tradition!

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