In January (while he was in a medically induced coma, no less), the unstoppable Steve “Gangsta Rabbi” Lieberman released The King of Jewish Punk. It’s his milestone 30th album (#68 if you include his 38 cassette recordings). He figures that he’s been calling himself the King of Jewish Punk for about a decade, and if no one has challenged the term by now, it’s accepted. The album’s overtly Jewish content includes “Jewish Boy in the Mosh-Pit,” “Punk Rock Chanukah,” and “Exiled to the…
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Michael Croland
Guest Post: From Punk Rocker to Rabbi
Posted on January 29, 2017The following guest post is by Rabbi Patrick. 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. Here he explains how lessons from being a touring punk rocker helped him as a rabbi. Living in a Dodge conversion van was great preparation for being a rabbi. Seriously. Mind you, I had no interest in being clergy at the time. I was the…
10-Year Anniversary: The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB’s
Posted on January 6, 2017In October 2006, Steven Lee Beeber’s The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB’s: A Secret History of Jewish Punk was published. While both that book and Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk featured the Ramones and the Dictators, Beeber included original interviews with key people involved with both bands. He also painted a much more comprehensive picture of the 1970s New York proto-punk/punk scene as well as other important figures, with chapters on Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman, Richard Hell, Suicide, Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Chris…
Nederlandsch-Israëlietisch: Tracing a Sliver of Family History in Rotterdam, Holland
Posted on January 1, 2017In 1921, my great-grandparents were emigrating from Russia to the United States. On April 1, when the ship was docked in Rotterdam, Holland, my maternal grandfather, Max Schwartz, was born. On April 8, he had his bris in Rotterdam. Twenty-three days after he was born, they reached the U.S. He wasn’t a Dutch citizen, he never identified as Dutch, and he never had any desire to return. He’s the only one of my grandparents not born in the U.S., even…
New Memoir by Jason Diamond of Fear of a Blue Planet, Shabbos Bloody Shabbos
Posted on December 27, 2016Jason Diamond could’ve come up in Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk much more than he did. The book discusses his bands Fear of a Blue Planet (in which he screamed “Kish mir in tuchas!”) and Shabbos Bloody Shabbos (which “kind of” had one practice). One could be forgiven for reading the book and not remembering his name. There’s so much more to him. I first interviewed him for my former blog, heebnvegan, via e-mail in 2009. The following…
Jew Cocks Declare “WAR! (On Christmas)”
Posted on December 23, 2016Warning: Sometimes punk rock can be offensive and shouldn’t be taken at face value! I learned about the Jew Cocks too late to include the outrageous LA punk rock band in Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk, but I blogged about them in January. This week the Jew Cocks released the new song “WAR! (On Christmas),” in which Jew Cocks singer Todd repeated, “I’m waging a war on Christmas!” In a joint statement, Todd and Mike from the Jew Cocks explained…
Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Most Jewish Cookbook Yet
Posted on November 23, 2016Isa celebrates Passover and Hanukkah, as shown in The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook Photos: Vanessa Rees In Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk, I discussed how Isa Chandra Moskowitz integrated her Jewish and punk identities into her vegan cooking projects. Her ninth cookbook, The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook, came out last week and featured more overtly Jewish recipes and references than any of her other cookbooks! The book’s holiday focus begot three chapters on Jewish holidays: Passover, Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur,…
Blankies, Dreidels, Punk & Friendship: Speaking to 8th-to-10th Graders at the Toledo Jewish Book Festival
Posted on November 7, 2016Yesterday I spoke at the Toledo Jewish Book Festival in Ohio. My session was meant for 8th-to-10th graders, as part of an event geared toward four different grade/age brackets between kindergarten and 10th grade. The program was billed as “Blankies, Dreidels, Punk & Friendship,” incorporating the themes of the four different “children’s books.” Of course, Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk is not a children’s book. It’s a scholarly book aimed at an adult audience, with parts that are inappropriate for children. I…
Media Roundup about the Book!
Posted on September 29, 2016Last month I posted articles about Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk in Jewniverse and The Algemeiner, and there’s been more to share since then! Reviews by Amos Lassen noted, “I am one hundred percent certain that there are very few, if any, who would think of punk and Judaism in the same sentence. At least so I thought until I read Michael Croland’s book. … I had no idea how many different bands and variations there are and I found it…
Every Time I’ve Seen the Shondes Live
Posted on September 21, 2016Louisa Solomon and Elijah Oberman of the Shondes (Photo: Emily Millay Haddad / Circles of Fire Productions) My review of the Shondes’ brand-new album, Brighton, got posted on Jewcy today. On Saturday night I saw them live for the sixth time. [Update: The tally is now eight!] In light of similar posts I’ve done for Golem and Moshiach Oi!, here’s a recap of all the Shondes shows I’ve been to through the years. I first interviewed the Shondes via e-mail in 2008 for my…