According to Jewish folklore, the golem is a monster made from clay. The golem was brought to life by Rabbi Löew in Prague in the 16th century as a protector of the Jewish community. In 2017 the golem continues to inspire art, including five artists from Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk. Golem in Brooklyn The Brooklyn Jewish Art Gallery at Congregation Kol Israel has a new exhibit called “Golem in Brooklyn.” Artists shared their interpretations of the…
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Michael Croland
Times of Israel Feature about Moshiach Oi! & Jewish Punk
Posted on October 14, 2017On the heels of their new album, Rock Rabeinu (click here to read my review), Moshiach Oi! was featured in the Times of Israel. The writer also interviewed members of two other Jewish punk bands, the Shondes and Asher Yatzar. I’m quoted extensively in the article. Here’s an excerpt: Among the ranks of Jewish punk include other outfits such as The Shondes (Yiddish for “disgrace”; a New York-based radical, political, feminist, queer, indie/punk band), Gefilte Fuck (a “Yidcore” band from Los Angeles), The Groggers (a New…
Punks Playing the Shofar
Posted on September 16, 2017Rosh Hashanah starts Wednesday night, so the shofar (ram’s horn) is widely seen and heard nowadays. I wrote a feature for JTA about Jewish punk bands’ use of the shofar, which was first published on August 23. The article talked about Yidcore, Schmekel, and Steve “Gangsta Rabbi” Lieberman. Here’s an excerpt: Presser, 41, played the shofar on at least 10 Yidcore songs. He explains that in the 2004 song “Hora (New Version),” the sequence of teruah, shevarim, and “tekiah gedolah” (“great blast”)…
Moshiach Oi! Double the Na Nach on Rock Rabeinu
Posted on August 20, 2017Moshiach Oi! have narrowed their focus over the past nine years. When I first found out about Moshiach Oi! in 2008, guitarist Menashe Yaakov Wagner described Moshiach Oi! as “perhaps the world’s first hardcore vegan straight-edge Orthodox Jewish punk band.” By the time I met and interviewed them a few months later, the label was more succinct: “Torah hardcore.” In 2009, their debut album dealt with a multitude of topics from an Orthodox perspective, including celebrating Shabbos, learning Torah, and wanting the Moshiach…
Jewish Punks & Resistance Music in the Trump Era
Posted on August 16, 2017In his guest post on Monday (“When Punk Rock Fights Nazism, I Hope You’ll Invite Me to the Party”), Rabbi Patrick “Aleph” Beaulier said “this battle needs to come from art” and “from music.” It’s almost become a cliche that the era of Donald Trump would usher in punk rock and other resistance music with hard-hitting social and political commentary. With the president worsening domestic and foreign problems abundantly, this is not a wait-and-see game. I wrote the lyrics to…
Guest Post: When Punk Rock Fights Nazism, I Hope You’ll Invite Me to the Party
Posted on August 14, 2017The following guest post is by Rabbi Patrick “Aleph” Beaulier. Rabbi Patrick is in Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk in Chapter 3, as the front man of CAN!!CAN, and Chapter 6, as the executive director of PunkTorah. Click here to read his guest post from earlier this year, “From Punk Rocker to Rabbi.” I live about an hour away from Charlottesville, Virginia, where we recently witnessed the culmination of people who feel like the world is leaving them behind and just want to do…
Jewish Voices on Rock Series by Jamie Marx
Posted on July 29, 2017Jamie Marx is putting out a Jewish hard rock album titled In Pursuit this fall. In the lead-up to the release, the Pennsylvania-based cantor has a Jewish Voices on Rock series on his website. The blog posts are by Marx as well as other contributors, including yours truly. Jewish Voices on Rock featured my guest post yesterday, “What Goes into a Punk Rock Cover of the Shema?” I discussed the careful considerations Moshiach Oi! had for their rendition of “Shema Yisroel.” Singer Yishai Romanoff avoids…
Golem at My Wedding!
Posted on July 23, 2017I’ve been asking Golem to play my wedding for the past decade, since long before I met my wife, Tamara. I’d seen them at least 21 times previously, including one fake wedding and one real wedding. Last month, my dream came true: Golem played our wedding! In Chapter 4 of Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk, I discussed how Golem is a klezmer-rock band with a punk edge. But at the end of the day, they’re not a punk rock band.…
Presentation at My Childhood Synagogue
Posted on May 21, 2017On Wednesday, I gave a presentation about Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk at South Huntington Jewish Center (SHJC) in Melville, New York. That’s where I attended Hebrew school and had my bar mitzvah, and my mom is still a member. It was an honor to be introduced by Rabbi Ian Jacknis, who was the rabbi at my bar mitzvah over 20 years ago. It was fitting to present a book that touched on so many facets of my Jewish identity (and…
One Year Since the Book Was Published
Posted on April 30, 2017Today marks one year since Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk was published. It’s been a fun ride spreading Jewish punk cheer, with articles about the book, guest posts on other blogs, and great events! Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk was reviewed or featured in Jewniverse, New Voices, Algemeiner, Rabbi Patrick Podcast, and Reviews by Amos Lassen. Abroad, it was reviewed or featured in the Jewish Telegraph (England), the European Institute of Jewish Music (France), and Hayom (Switzerland).…