Shlomo Carlebach, known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime.
Moshav, formerly known as Moshav Band, is an Israeli-American Jewish rock band originating from Moshav Mevo Modi'im. Founded in 1995 by Yehuda Solomon and Duvid Swirsky, the group moved to Los Angeles in 2000 and has released seven studio albums. They are often regarded as one of the first groups to combine Jewish music with a rock sound, as elements of alternative rock, folk, funk, and reggae appear in their songs.
Mevo Modi'im, officially Me'or Modi'im, is a moshav in central Israel. It is also known as the Carlebach Moshav. Located north-west of Modi'in on Highway 443, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 248. In 2019, a fire destroyed most of Mevo Modi'im and it is currently in the process of reconstruction and expansion.
For the purposes of this article, “contemporary” refers to the period from 1967 to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “religious” to refer to a strict adherence to Jewish law. For the purposes of this article, “religious” refers to the content and context of the music itself: liturgical or implicit references to the divine.
Shlomo Katz is a contemporary religious Jewish singer in Israel.
Reva L'Sheva was an Israeli Jewish rock band formed in 1994 by lead singer Yehudah Katz.
The Diaspora Yeshiva Band was an Israeli Orthodox Jewish rock band founded at the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, by baal teshuva students from the United States. In existence from 1975 to 1983, the band infused rock and bluegrass music with Jewish lyrics, creating a style of music it called "Hasidic rock" or "Country and Eastern". The band was very popular on college campuses in the early to mid-1980s, and was well known in Jerusalem for its Saturday-night concerts at David's Tomb. It had a considerable influence on contemporary Jewish religious music, inspiring later bands such as Blue Fringe, 8th Day, Reva L'Sheva, Soulfarm, the Moshav Band, and Shlock Rock. Fifteen years after it disbanded, band leader Avraham Rosenblum revived the band under the name Avraham Rosenblum & Diaspora and produced several more albums.
Robert L. Stark is an American real estate developer and founder and chief executive officer of Stark Enterprises.
JudaBlue was an American Jewish rock band from Silver Spring, Maryland. Formed in 2004 by lead singer Shlomo Gaisin and guitarist Yaniv Hoffman, the band released an EP, Forty Days, in 2010.
Heedoosh is an Israeli-American Jewish hard rock band from New York City. They were formed in 2005 by brothers Yaniv and Yahav Tsaidi, and released their debut album, Meumkah Delibah, in 2006.
Hamakor was an Israeli Jewish rock band from Mevo Modi'im. They were formed in 2006 by lead singer Nachman Solomon and released two albums, The Source (2007) and World On Its Side (2010). The group's fluctuating lineup at different times included musicians like Bruce Burger, Chemy Soibelman, and Mendy Portnoy, and members would go on to participate in groups like G-Nome Project, Shlomit & RebbeSoul, and Zusha.
Bruce Burger, known by his stage name RebbeSoul, is an American-born Israeli singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer. Performing since the early 1990s, he has released five solo albums and has recorded with the bands Hamakor and Common Tongue. Since 2011, he has collaborated with Yemeni-Israeli vocalist Shlomit Levi of Orphaned Land as the duo Shlomit & RebbeSoul.
Jewish rock is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music that is influenced by various forms of secular rock music. Pioneered by contemporary folk artists like Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and the Diaspora Yeshiva Band, the genre gained popularity in the 1990s and 2000s with bands like Soulfarm, Blue Fringe, and Moshav Band that appealed to teens and college students, while artists like Matisyahu enjoyed mainstream crossover success.
Yood is an Israeli Jewish rock band from Jerusalem. They formed in 2005 with singer/guitarist Lazer Lloyd, bassist Yaakov Lefcoe, and drummer Akiva Girsh. They released two albums, Passin'over (2007) and Real People (2008). Yood play hard rock with elements of blues, country, and grunge that Yoav Friedman of Ynet called "redolent with the scent of seventies rock."
Adam Wexler is an American-Israeli musician, best known as the bassist for influential Jewish rock groups Diaspora Yeshiva Band and Reva L'Sheva.
Ben Zion Solomon is an American-born Israeli musician, best known as a founding member of the seminal Jewish rock group Diaspora Yeshiva Band, for whom he played fiddle and banjo from 1975 to 1983. A disciple of Shlomo Carlebach, Solomon and his family were among the first residents of Carlebach's moshav, Mevo Modi'im. His sons later founded the bands Moshav, Soulfarm, and Hamakor.
Lazer Lloyd is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Lloyd's music is a mix of acoustic and electric Americana, rock, folk, blues and psychedelic styles with lyrics touching on life, love, and struggle. He performs throughout the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Brazil, both in person and through social media.
Rogers Park is an American Hasidic folk rock duo from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 2011 by childhood friends Yosef Peysin and Mordy Kurtz, the group is named after the Chicago neighborhood where they grew up. Their debut album, The Maggid, was released on January 19, 2016.
Yehuda Solomon is an Israeli-American singer, songwriter, and hazzan. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the band Moshav, which heavily influenced Jewish rock in the late '90s. He is the son of Diaspora Yeshiva Band member Ben Zion Solomon, while his siblings include Noah Solomon of Soulfarm.
Yitzhak Attias is a Gibraltar-born Israeli Jewish musician. He was the percussionist for Reva L'Sheva for several years and has released two solo albums.
