The word “t’shuvah” is one we hear a LOT during the High Holidays! Typically, it’s translated as “repentance,” but the Hebrew literally means “returning.” Alison Faith Levy is a fantastic (and fantastically colorful) singer-songwriter out in San Francisco whose music is great for all ages, and her song “Turn Around” is an awesome way to […]

With the Jewish New Year approaching, it’s a time for serious reflection, but it’s also a time for joyful optimism! The Israeli folk song “Bashanah Haba’ah” is a beautiful melody bursting with that fresh hope, and this version from Ellie Flier is EXTRA beautiful because she translated the lyrics to Italian to sing it with […]

It can be hard to switch gears from the summer and prepare mentally and emotionally for the High Holidays. Music is a powerful tool to help with that transition, so I HAD to share Chava Mirel’s gorgeous “Achat Sha’alti,” performed in this video by JRR Jewish Star and Chicago-area cantorial soloist and singer-songwriter Kenneth Lyonswright. […]

If you’ve been following Jewish Song of the Week for a while, you’ve heard me mention JRR’s Jewish Star leadership initiative. Jewish Star identifies talented and passionate teens and young adults ages 14-27 and provides them with mentorship, skills-training, networking and more. Claudia Sachs and Marc Luban are two insanely bright and talented Jewish Stars […]

Tu B’Av is a Jewish holiday that celebrates romantic love, but in the same way that Valentine’s Day can express all kinds of love, this holiday is also a great opportunity to talk about the love in our families! “Mi Famiya” is a cute song and video from the multi-talented Sarah Aroeste that teaches you […]

We’ve just entered a period in the Jewish calendar called “The Three Weeks,” in which we turn our attention to the many tragedies that we’ve faced historically as a Jewish people. This culminates in the observance of Tisha B’Av (this year in early August) and the commemoration of the destruction of the first and second […]

Do you ever just stop and think about what things are made out of and where it all comes from? My dear friend Billy Jonas did, and it led him to writing this song, “Some Houses,” which makes the important point that all houses are made out of materials that come from the ground. So […]

One of the BEST things about summer is getting lots of quality time outdoors to appreciate the magnificent world around us. We also have a responsibility to make sure future generations will get to enjoy that same awesomeness. Chava Mirel’s “Stand Up” is a powerful anthem for doing our part to take care of our […]

It’s a 2-for-1 summer Shabbat special this week! It’s always hard to know when to pick a Shabbat song for Song of the Week since we’re blessed to have Shabbat EVERY week. This is a rockin’ contemporary mash-up of “There’s a Dinosaur” and “Bim Bam” from New York kindie rockers Shira & Friends. The summer […]

It’s the first “official” week of summer! There are SO many great Jewish songs that remind me of summer — the list of Jewish summer camp classics is ENDLESS! But for this week’s song, I’m going with a niggun, or wordless melody, from my pal Mikey Pauker. You’ll want to ride the smooth reggae waves […]