"A tribe of like-minded believers, with nomadic tendencies, who assimilate into the broader culture but then congregate together for ceremonies seeking spiritual fulfillment - it’s a description that might fit, broadly speaking, for the Jewish community.
Or the community of Deadheads, those most faithful fans of the granddaddy of jambands, the Grateful Dead.
A link has long been posited between the worlds of Judaism and of the band. One professor presented an academic paper on the perceived connections at a 2007 symposium on the Dead held at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Now it’s the topic of a weekend event commencing tonight at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Conn. Playfully called “Blues for Challah’’ (a pun on the 1975 Dead album “Blues for Allah’’), the confab will feature Grateful Dead-inspired meditation and prayer, an examination of Jewish themes in Dead lyrics, and guest rabbis who will muse on their experiences straddling both worlds. Organizers are expecting 50 or more attendees, mostly (if not exclusively) Jewish, who will bunk down at the compound and make connections between their religious and musical lives in the woodsy setting of the Connecticut Berkshires.
Is there really a connection here?"
Full piece on BostonGlobe.com
2 comments:
No, there is not a connection to Jews any more than there is to any other group. This is a non-story and quite insulting. Hunter's lyrics have nothing to do with Judaism. This is disgraceful.
Disgraceful? Insulting? What do you mean? Lots of Deadheads are Jewish, myself included. I love Hunter's lyrics and I love Judaism. I often find Jewish values and ethics in various artistic places (dance, art, music, etc) even though the performers may not be Jewish or have no background in Jewish knowledge. If my Judaism helps me to connect more to the lyrics of the Grateful Dead, or my Deadhead experience helps me to connect more to my Judaism, isn't this a terrific thing? I certainly think so, and I know many others in agreement with me. I attended the "Blues for Challah" retreat and had a great time. It was such a success that a second retreat is being planned again for November 2012. Come check it out and see if you find any connection while there.
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