Baruch Levine

Last updated
Rabbi
Baruch Levine
Born (1977-12-28) December 28, 1977 (age 47)
Toronto, Canada
Genres Orthodox pop
Occupation Yeshiva ketana rebbi (Jewish studies teacher)
Years active2006-present
Website http://www.baruchlevine.com/

Baruch Levine (born December 28, 1977) is a Canadian-born American Orthodox Jewish composer and singer. His tunes have gained wide popularity at Shabbat tables and kumzits gatherings. [1] [2] One of his most successful compositions is "Vezakeini" (Give Us Merit), derived from the ancient prayer recited at Shabbat candle lighting. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Baruch Levine was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He attended Eitz Chaim Day School, where his father, Rabbi Michoel Levine, is currently the fifth-grade rebbi (Jewish studies teacher). [4] He also studied at the Ner Yisroel in Toronto, and Toras Moshe and Mir Yeshivas in Jerusalem. [4]

After Levine got married, he moved to Waterbury, Connecticut. In 2005, he joined the staff of the Yeshiva Ketana of Waterbury, Connecticut as a fifth-grade rebbi. [5]

Levine has four children.

Music career

Levine first began singing at the age of 8 in his school choir. [4] Soon after he began studying keyboard, and performed at school and in summer camp during his youth. [4] He tried out for a spot on the album The Marvelous Midos Machine and was not accepted, [6] but he did sing on a Miriam Israeli album. [7] He did, however, perform on The Golden Crown - another one of Abie Rotenberg's musical story albums for children. He was "Yehuda" - one of the children listening to the Zaidy tell the story of the Golden Crown - as well as a soloist on the song Torah Tzivo Lonu Moshe.

After his marriage, Levine began writing songs which he sold to other performers. [4] One of his demos came to the attention of several music producers, who asked Levine why he wasn't performing his own songs. [4] This led to the production of Levine's first album, Vezakeini, in 2006. [7] The title song, which took him ten minutes to write, [7] has become a relative classic in the Orthodox Jewish world. Like many of Levine's hits, it is a heartfelt tune with a rising crescendo. [7] On his second album, Chasan Hatorah, Levine performed a medley of his compositions that other performers had made famous. [8]

For Levine's 2009 album, Touched by a Niggun, Rabbi Yechiel Spero, author of the Touched by a Story series of books, wrote the English lyrics to the songs, which are based on his stories. [2]

In 2010 Levine wrote two new songs and performed live in concert with Yaakov Shwekey; the resulting album, Live in Caesarea II – 5770, was later released on CD and DVD. [9] In 2011, he sang on Abie Rotenberg's Marvelous Middos Machine Episode 4. [10]

Levine was a guest performer at the 12th Siyum HaShas on August 1, 2012, at MetLife Stadium, [4] which was attended by nearly 100,000 Jews. [11] He performed again at the next Siyum HaShas, held on January 1, 2020 in MetLife Stadium, together with other famous singers in the Jewish music realm. [12] He also performs at charity benefits. [13] On November 27, 2011 he performed together with Shwekey in a concert benefiting Hatzolah in London. [14] He was featured at the HASC 27 "A Time for Music" concert on January 12, 2013. [15] [16] On Lag B'omer 2020, he was one of many singers to perform in the "Hatzalah-thon" fundraiser, created to raise money for Hatzalah and in honor of the completion of the "Miracle Sefer Torah," which was written as a merit for those sick with COVID-19 which was rampant at that time. [17] [18] Another endeavor undertaken during COVID-19 was the production of The Place Where They Belong, which Levine made together with Abie Rotenberg, about Jews not being able to pray at the synagogue due to the necessary quarantine and much it is missed. [19]

Discography

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim</span> Orthodox yeshiva based in Queens, New York

Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim is an Orthodox yeshiva based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York, United States. It is primarily an American, non-chasidic Haredi Talmudic yeshiva. The yeshiva is legally titled Rabbinical Seminary of America (RSA) but is often referred to as just Chofetz Chaim as that was the nickname of its namesake, Yisroel Meir Kagan. It has affiliate branches in Israel and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumzits</span> Hasidic jewish musical gathering

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. To establish a certain ambiance the lighting is often low and candles are primarily used, or if taking place outdoors it is usually around a campfire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avraham Fried</span> Musical artist

Avraham Shabsi Hakohen Friedman better known by his stage name, Avraham Fried, is a popular musical entertainer in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Mordechai Werdyger is an American Israeli Chasidic Jewish singer and songwriter who is popular in the Orthodox Jewish community. He is the son of cantor David Werdyger and uses the stage name Mordechai Ben David or its initials, MBD. He is known as the "King of Jewish Music" and has released over 40 albums while performing internationally. He has headlined at charity concerts—including those of the HASC and Ohel. On February 27, 2022, he was inducted with the inaugural class of the Jewish Music Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yaakov Shwekey</span> American Jewish singer

Yaakov Choueka, better known by his stage name Yaakov Shwekey, is an Orthodox Jewish recording artist and musical entertainer. He is of Egyptian and Syrian Sephardic heritage from his father's side; and Ashkenazi from his mother‘s side.

Shloime Dachs is an American Orthodox pop vocalist. He is also the founder of the eponymous Shloime Dachs Orchestra, which plays at weddings, concerts, and benefits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah</span> Rabbinical council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah

Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah is the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah movements in Israel; and of Agudath Israel of America in the United States. Members are usually prestigious Roshei Yeshiva or Hasidic rebbes, who are also usually regarded by many Haredi Jews to be the Gedolim ("great/est") sages of Torah Judaism. Before the Holocaust, it was the supreme authority for the World Agudath Israel in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva</span> Talmudic university (Lublin, Poland; 1930–1939)

Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva was a Jewish educational institution (yeshiva) that operated in the city of Lublin, Poland from 1930 to 1939. At the time, it was one of the largest in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baruch Chait</span> Musical artist

Baruch "Burry" Chait is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, musician and composer. He is rosh yeshiva of the Israeli high school Maarava Machon Rubin in Matityahu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aharon Feldman</span> American Orthodox Jewish rabbi

Rabbi Aharon Feldman is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, Maryland. He has held this position since 2001. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.

Abie Rotenberg is a prolific Orthodox Jewish musician, composer and entertainer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Mendy Werdyger is an American Hasidic singer, songwriter, and owner of the Jewish record label Aderet [Records] Music Corp. and its retail store Mostly Music in Brooklyn. In 2010, he released his fifth studio album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moshe Yess</span> Musical artist

Moshe Aaron Yess was an Orthodox Jewish musician, composer and entertainer from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A member of the Chabad community in Montreal, Yess was a regular performer at Chabad House events and shows, together with general music festivals and the annual A Time for Music concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yehuda Green</span> Musical artist

Yehuda Green, born 1959, is a Hasidic Jewish singer and composer, and hazzan at the Carlebach Shul on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Singing in the style of singer-rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925–1994), he has been called "more Carlebach than Carlebach", and is acclaimed for his heartfelt renditions of Carlebach's songs.

Oded David "Dedi" Graucher, known professionally as Dedi, was an Israeli Orthodox Jewish singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Friedman (singer)</span> American Jewish singer (born 1984)

Benzion HakohenFriedman is an American Hasidic Jewish singer and a non-pulpit rabbi. Professionally trained in voice, he rose to prominence on the Orthodox pop scene with his first album in 2009. Singing mainly in Hebrew, Friedman tours extensively and also appears in music videos. He views his music as a shlichus (outreach) tool, with the goal of drawing Jews closer to Judaism.

Orthodox pop, sometimes called Hasidic pop, Hasidic rock, K-pop, Haredi pop, and Ortho-pop, is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music popular among Orthodox Jews. It typically draws stylistically from contemporary genres like pop, rock, jazz, and dance music, while incorporating text from Jewish prayer, Torah, and Talmud as well as traditional Jewish songs and occasional original English lyrics with themes of faith and positivity. The genre was pioneered in the 1970s by artists like Mordechai Ben David and the Miami Boys Choir, who incorporated secular pop and dance influences into their music in contrast to the more traditional Jewish music of the time, and has had continued success in the modern era with singers like Yaakov Shwekey, Lipa Schmeltzer, Baruch Levine, and Benny Friedman.

Elya Brudny is an American Haredi rabbi. He serves as rosh yeshiva (dean) in the Mir Yeshiva in Brooklyn and is a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shlomo Simcha</span> Contemporary Jewish Singer

Shlomo Simcha Sufrin, better known as Shlomo Simcha is a UK-born Canadian Hasidic Jewish cantor and singer. Shlomo Simcha began his career in a small kollel in Montreal, where he was discovered by a local wedding band leader who brought him onto a project recording a series for children in the Satmar community called Besof Umachol. His work on the series caught the attention of Mendy Werdyger at Aderet Records, who introduced him to producer Sheya Mendlowitz, with whom he would create his first commercial album.

References

  1. 1 2 "Baruch Levine: Modim Anachnu Lach". Jewish Music Report. 6 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 BJL Staff (24 March 2014). "Touched by Nigunim and A Maaseh, Mechinas Ner Yisrael Melava Malkah Features Reb Baruch Levine and Rabbi Yechiel Spero". Baltimore Jewish Life. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Ginsberg, Johanna (19 January 2011). "Morristown teen competes for slot at hasidic songfest". New Jersey Jewish News . Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "End Note: Dreaming of Redemption". Mishpacha . 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Yeshiva K'tana of Waterbury: Administration". Yeshiva K'tana of Waterbury. Retrieved March 25, 2020.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Besser, Yisroel (23 September 2012). "Music Lessons". Mishpacha . Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Besser, Yisroel. "The Songs We Sang". Mishpacha supplement: "10 Years". Pesach 5774 (Spring 2004), p. 39.
  8. ↑ "Chasan Hatorah". Judaica Enterprises. 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Live in Caesarea II – 5770". Sameach Music, Inc. 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "[EXCLUSIVE] Abie Rotenberg releases MARVELOUS MIDOS MACHINE vol 4". thejewishinsights.com.
  11. ↑ Nussbaum Cohen, Debra (29 July 2012). "Nearly 100,000 Jews to gather in N.J. to celebrate completion of Talmud cycle". Haaretz . Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "Baruch Levine Shloime Daskal "Vezakeini" The 13th Siyum Hashas". youtube.com. shiezoli. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "Concert on the Lawn with Baruch Levine". Yiddish Music. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  14. ↑ Shasha, Adam (1 December 2011). "Guest Review: Shwekey and Levine, Live in London". Jewish Music Report. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Video Collection of HASC 27 Concert". gruntig.net. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "HASC – A Time for Music 27 DVD". eichlers.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-13. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "Top Jewish talent featured for Hatzalah-Thon". jhvonline.com. Jewish Herald-Voice . Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "One People, One Heart: United for Protection's movement to unite Jews across the globe and raise money for Hatzalah". amimagazine.org. Ami Magazine. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  19. ↑ ""The Place Where They Belong" Abie & Levine". gruntig.net. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Baruch Levine - Vezakeini" . Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  21. ↑ "Chasan Hatorah: Mostly Music". Mostly Music. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  22. ↑ "Touched by a Niggun". Mostly Music. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  23. ↑ "Touched by a Niggun". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  24. ↑ "Hashkifah". Sameach Music, Inc. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  25. ↑ "Baruch Levine - Touched by a Niggun". NME. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  26. ↑ "Baruch Levine - Kumzitz Alive - Elul". Mostly Music. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.