Since it’s a Jewish love holiday, why not songs about love (and sex, and relationships) by Jewish artists?  The rule was that at least one songwriter and the vocalist have to be Jewish, (So, Joey Ramone leading the Ramones covering “Baby, I Love You,” by three Jewish songwriters, qualifies).

The result is sort of… bizarre. Jews hold (and have held) a diverse presence in popular music over the last several decades, in pretty much every genre there is.

And so, this playlist has Drake. And Carole King. And Peaches. And Vanessa Carlton. And Neil Diamond. And P!nk. And Lesley Gore. And Matisyahu. And Paula Abdul. And Haim. And Tom Lehrer. And Amy Winehouse. And more.

You can listen below, but just put it on shuffle.  There’s no way to make the order make any sense.

If any of you are bold enough to smooch a partner to this playlist, let us know how that works out for you.

And if you want to hear a bit of this in a room full of other people, we hope to see you at the party tonight!

We give you, AHAVA:

Image credit: Wikimedia

The post A Jewish L-O-V-E Playlist appeared first on Jewcy.

Formerly Orthodox singer-songwriter Matisyahu (A.K.A. Matthew Paul Miller) has penned a heartfelt, raw, honest essay for Medium about his religious journey, musical development, and struggle with substance abuse—which started when when he was just 14.

“I found company in Bob Marley and his music,” writes Matisyahu of his high school years. “I was depressed and alone, feeling misunderstood by kids, coaches, teachers and parents, so I retreated into the confines of my room in the attic with weed and music. I began to search. Summer of junior year I went into the wilderness out west and felt the gnawing gaping hole in my chest more vast then ever, and I began to think about God in relation to the void. Am I alone?”

The answer, he decided, was no. God “was with me always like an all-powerful invisible friend.” He became a Phish groupie, experienced homelessness, went into rehab, saw numerous therapists, but still “couldn’t seem to get it right.” Eventually he fell into Orthodox Judaism, got married, committed himself to his music, and became an alt-rock reggae superstar—and darling of the Hasidic-hipsters the world over. But all was not well. Dissatisfied, he chafed against the restrictions the of movement, until he found his guru—”an anti-establishment renegade Russian therapist/original thinker/Chassidic and Kabalistic creative wiz with a heart of gold and no fingers”—and a shul where he could “scream and sing during prayers and not be judged.”

It’s a compelling piece of writing, which neatly ties in with the release of his latest single, “Hard Way,” from his 2014 album Akeda (“binding”)—an allusion to the biblical story of the binding and near-sacrifice of Isaac. Read the rest here.

(Image: Matisyahu performs in Park City, Utah, January 2014. Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty.)

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Could wearing a streimel violate Jewish law? Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim, the chairman of an anti-Zionist faction in the Haredi Israeli community, thinks so. He has called on Orthodox Jews to stop wearing fur, specifically streimels, PETA reports.

According to Rabbi Pappenheim, wearing real fur shtreimels, each of which may be made of up to 30 sables, minks, martens, or foxes, violates the Jewish law of tza’ar ba’alei chayim, which prohibits causing animals unnecessary pain. He even went so far as to say that flaunting real fur hats amounts to Chilul Hashem, or desecration of God’s name, since the cruelty of the fur industry is so widely known.

In 2010, Reggae star Matisyahu also came out against fur. He drafted a petition to the Knesset, insisting it ban the fur trade in Israel, an idea highly contested for years. But Matisyahu’s petition, unlike Pappenheim’s, left out streimels.

We’ll keep you posted.

The post Haredi Rabbi Wants to Ban Traditional Fur Hats appeared first on Jewcy.

Here’s a video of Matisyahu’s adorable young son Shalom singing his father’s song “Live Like a Warrior,” which Matis the elder dutifully posted on YouTube. The boy, who appears to be growing peyes, smiles sweetly at the camera and says the song he’s singing is “by my daddy.”

BuzzFeed-ready publicity stunt? Maybe. But Matisyahu’s re-reinvention as stage dad might just be his best one yet: Mini ‘Yahu could totally be the next (next?) big thing in the pop game. After all, the Biebs will be almost 40 in popstar years by the time Shalom even gets bar mitzvahed.

We’ll start brainstorming nicknames for his tween fan base. See you in 2023…

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Previous: Does Matisyahu Look Like Old, Fat Justin Bieber?
Matisyahu Says He’s More Jewish Than Drake, Even Without His Beard

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Meet Mikey Pauker, the Los Angeles-bred musician who’s making a name for himself, as he describes it, “breaking the boundaries of traditional Jewish music with his liturgically inspired, spiritual repertoire.”

Sound familiar? With Matisyahu beardless and struggling to find a new foothold in the music industry (and get into clubs), there certainly is room for a new young Jewish reggae upstart. Could it be Pauker? He’s working on his first full-length album with producer Diwon, who’s also worked with Matisyahu and Y-Love, so we’ll know the answer soon enough.

Here’s his new music video, “Hinei Mah Tov,” which shows the keffiyah-clad singer all over Venice Beach, playing his guitar and hanging out with a bunch of people in body paint. According to Artist Direct,

Pauker, who has been described as one of the most profound and trendsetting Jewish recording artists in the world, says Hinei Mah Tov is “a call for unity.” The title is derived from an ancient Psalm in which Mikey translates, “How great it is for brothers and sisters to hang out on this day!”

The post Is Jewish Reggae Singer Mikey Pauker the New Matisyahu? appeared first on Jewcy.

• Beardless Matisyahu is so unrecognizable these days, he can’t even get into clubs. [NYP]

• Turns out not everyone is a fan of Mandy Patinkin’s memorable Princess Bride character, Inigo Montoya—a guy flying from Sydney to Auckland was asked to change his shirt, which said “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” [Gawker]

• Mel Brooks talks Catskills comedy and the garment district. [NPR]

• Gwyneth Paltrow does not tolerate slutty friends. [Jezebel]

• Adam Levine was spotted filming what looks like an SNL Digital Short with Andy Samberg and the Lonely Planet guys. [BuzzFeed]

• Children’s frightmaster and author R.L. Stine discusses the early horror classics that influenced him growing up. [MediaBistro TV]

The post Daily Jewce: Matisyahu Can’t Get Into Clubs, R.L. Stine’s Horror Influence appeared first on Jewcy.

• More lists! This time, it’s the 2012 best from our pals over at Tablet Magazine. [The Scroll]

• Matisyahu, still answering questions about the whole beard-shaving thing. [CNN]

• Father-figure Mandy Patinkin talks about sex, and it’s a little weird (“An orgasm is a real chemical thing”). [Esquire]

• How much Jewish news of 2012 do you actually remember? [Forward]

• Jeremy Piven, still doing stuff:

The post Daily Jewce: Mandy Patinkin Talks Sex, Matisyahu’s Old Beard Still News appeared first on Jewcy.

We’ve got three words that will rock your holiday season: Free Matisyahu Tickets.

That’s right, we’re giving away two free tickets to Matisyahu’s Festival of Light concert on Saturday, December 15, at Terminal 5 in Manhattan.

It’s as easy as this: to enter, all you need to do is sign up for our awesome free weekly newsletter, which delivers all things Jewcy straight to your inbox once a week. Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email asking you to confirm the subscription—you must confirm the subscription in order to officially enter.

The contest runs through Thursday, December 13, when a winner will be randomly selected and announced. Godspeed!

Enter the contest here:

The post Win Two Free Tickets to See Matisyahu in Concert on December 15 in NYC appeared first on Jewcy.

The history of JDub Records has finally been written. The Jewish record company, which was founded in 2003 and quickly became the single most popular venture of its kind, discovered Matisyahu (then battled him in court) and went on to represent acts like Balkan Beat Box, Michael Showalter, and The Sway Machinery before ultimately losing its funding in 2011. Daniel Arkin has the full oral history of the label—which formerly owned Jewcy—over at Brooklyn Ink:

It’s the story of a scrappy start-up that broke all the rules, revolutionizing Jewish music over eight years and thirty-six albums. It’s the story of the savvy innovators and radical artists who shook up Jewish popular culture at the dawn of a new millennium.

Read the whole thing here.

Klezmer Punks, Gangsta Rabbis: An Oral History of JDub Records [Brooklyn Ink]

The post The Official History of JDub Records appeared first on Jewcy.

In Rolling Stone, Jeff Rosenthal spends three minutes with Jay-Z, and we’re sure glad he did. They talk about Jay-Z’s upcoming concert series—an auspicious eight (crazy) nights—at the new Barclays Center. Why eight? “My stamina. When I got to eight, I felt like I would probably fall over from exhaustion.” So did the Maccabees!

Then they talked about Jews:

Your longtime friend and coworker Lyor Cohen just stepped down as head of Warner Music Group. Does this make you the most powerful Jew left in the music industry?
Yes! [Laughs] Sammy’s gone! It’s just me!

Mazel tov, Hov. No word yet on where he stands in the Drake vs. Matisyahu Jewish-off.

(Image: Taylor Swift and Jay-Z at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)

Three Minutes With Jay-Z [Rolling Stone] From the Archives: Matisyahu Says He’s More Jewish Than Drake, Even Without His Beard
At My Power Seder, 2011/5771
Rick Rubin Top Ten

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