--- ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) # Rock Hashana: 10 Stars of the New Jewish Music by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Sep 4, 2013 9:45 AM UTC  American gospel singer and Hebrew teacher Joshua Nelson (known as the Prince of Kosher Gospel) leads the Kosher Gospel Singers at a tribute to Mahalia Jackson at Central Park SummerStage, New York, New York, June 22, 2013\. (Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images) American gospel singer and Hebrew teacher Joshua Nelson (known as the Prince of Kosher Gospel) leads the Kosher Gospel Singers at a tribute to Mahalia Jackson at Central Park SummerStage, New York, New York, June 22, 2013\. (Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images)Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images—NO MODEL RELEASE ON FILE. Photograph © 2013 Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos. THIS PHOTOGRAPH FROM OUR ARCHIVES IS RELEASED FOR ONE-TIME ONLY USE. EACH USE OR PUBLICATION WILL BE INVOICED AT PREVAILING RATES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TEL. 212-663-1341. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Sep 4, 2013 9:45 AM UTC The enduring popularity of Christian rock is hardly news: [for years now](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/arts/music/07prais.html?pagewanted=all), churches in the U.S. and elsewhere have been attracting worshippers with music performed in all kinds of non-liturgical forms, from rap to metal. Less well known, however, is the spread of new styles of Jewish religious music equally as varied. Whether they play folk-rock or gospel—_yes, gospel_—several artists have started mixing up the sounds of the synagogue. Part of the reason those artists are so unexpected is that a single sound has long reigned supreme within temples, particularly those associated with the Reform Jewish movement in America. Starting in the 1970s, folky Debbie Friedman began setting prayers to new music and writing new songs with Jewish themes. Those songs spread; Friedman, who died in 2011, defined the sound of many peoples’ Jewish experience. But sometimes, there’s a need for something new. “It’s about staying fresh,” says Rabbi Micah Greenstein of Temple Israel in Memphis, who is an advocate of bringing contemporary music into the synagogue. “The late 20th-century and early 21st-century, with regard to Jewish life in America, have been some of the most creative times for Jewish music.” Greenstein believes that while Debbie Friedman paved the way for today’s artists — in some cases quite directly, as many of them got started in the Reform summer camps where Friedman’s music has long been a staple — she would have been disappointed if her songs got stuck as the _only_ acceptable modern Jewish music. He also believes that it’s important to preserve the traditional melodies of major prayers and the familiar sounds of the 1970s _and_ to introduce new tunes. (And not just Matisyahu, the [once-Hasidic](http://www.vulture.com/2011/12/matisyahu-shaved-his-beard.html) rapper, who’s probably the best-known modern artist singing about Jewish themes.) After all, to him, music isn’t just entertainment: it’s a tool. “The bottom line with Jewish music or any music, is only one question: is it any good? When you evaluate what makes Jewish music good, it’s partly a matter of taste — but it’s also a matter of impact,” says Greenstein. “Music is the language of prayer.” Lucky for him, there are lots of artists trying to put new sounds to the old messages Greenstein wants to impart. So, in honor of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown tonight, here are our ten favorite new-fangled Jewish musicians: . **Rick Recht** Recht, seen here singing his take on the topic of the Israeli national anthem, is something of a granddaddy of the contemporary Jewish rock scene. He’s executive director of both [Songleader Boot Camp](http://www.songleaderbootcamp.com/about/), a training program designed to improve music participation in the Jewish community, and [Jewish Rock Radio](http://jewishrockradio.com/), an internet radio station that is what it sounds like. . **Joshua Nelson and the Kosher Gospel Singers** Nelson, who was influenced by [Mahalia Jackson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahalia%5FJackson), goes by the nickname “the prince of kosher gospel.” He’s given credit for the idea of combining two parts of his own heritage, African-American and Jewish, and creating a new style that combines Jewish meaning and gospel sounds. . **Stacy Beyer** Though she’s from New York originally, Beyer moved to Nashville and became a country singer…a country singer with an album called [_Must Be Chanukah_](https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/must-be-chanukah/id467123297). . **The Maccabeats** “A capella” technically means “in the style of the church” — but the Maccabeats, who started as the a capella group at Yeshiva University, manage to combine a collegiate _Pitch Perfect_ vibe (comedy sketches, harmonies, matching outfits, pop songs) with Jewish content. For example: their High Holy Days song, below, is a parody of [OneRepublic’s “Good Life](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZhQOvvV45w).” (**MORE**: [How One Rapper Saw the Light and Moved to Ultra-Orthodox Judaism](http://world.time.com/2011/12/14/shyne-ing-in-jerusalem-how-one-rapper-saw-the-light-and-converted-to-ultra-orthodox-judaism)) . **Epichorus** Up-and-comers recently profiled in [_Tablet_](http://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/110585/new-songs-for-old-prayers), Epichorus is a bit different from the groups that have grown out of the U.S. Reform movement. Though the group’s lyrics draw on the same religious texts, their musical influences range from the seminary (the oudist is a rabbi) to academia (the lead singer’s a Sudanese ethnomusicologist). . **Craig Taubman** Taubman is a big deal in this world: he and his band Craig ‘N Co. have played at the White House _and_ at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre. . **The Josh Nelson Project** Another Josh(ua) Nelson, another take on modern Jewish music — this time, rock. He’s the music director for the biennial Union for Reform Judaism convention and started [TheWarehouse](http://www.thewarehousenyc.org/), a group that aims to provide an “alternative” Sabbath for millennial Jews. (**MORE**: [A Healthy Rosh Hashanah: A Sweet New Year, Without the Sugar](http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/08/a-sweet-new-year-even-without-the-sugar/)) . **Dan Nichols** Nichols is the founder of the Jewish rock group Eighteen, and together they’ve put out several studio albums. Recently, he’s been working on a film called _Road to Eden_, for which the band toured the American South during the holiday of Sukkot. . **Michelle Citrin** Citrin is probably the most viral-friendly character in the contemporary Jewish music scene, though her material tends more toward kitsch than religion. You might have seen her pop up on your Facebook feed when she released the video “20 Things To Do With Matzah,” and she’s also got grooves for Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah. (She’s does secular stuff too, like the dance tune “Turn it On.”) . **Mikey Pauker** Pauker’s official [bio](http://mikeypauker.com/bio/) lists a smorgasbord of influences: folk, electronica, pop, hip-hop and reggae all get shout-outs, not to mention Bon Iver, Imagine Dragons and the XX. Pauker has an album coming out this fall. Rosh Hashanah: Jewish Music from Gospel to Rock ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7117857/rock-hashana-10-stars-of-the-new-jewish-music/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7117857/rock-hashana-10-stars-of-the-new-jewish-music/"},"headline":"Rock Hashana: 10 Stars of the New Jewish Music","datePublished":"2013-09-04T09:45:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-25T05:54:52.317Z","description":"The enduring popularity of Christian rock is hardly news: for years now, churches in the U.S. and elsewhere have been attracting worshippers with music performed...","url":"https://time.com/archive/7117857/rock-hashana-10-stars-of-the-new-jewish-music/","keywords":["Music","Jewish","holiday","Judaism"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a362519980abced/698a8e80b3fce368980d2ab0/m2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a362519980abced/698a8e80b3fce368980d2ab0/m2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mahalia Jackson Tribute At SummerStage","caption":"Mahalia Jackson Tribute At SummerStage","creditText":"Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images—NO MODEL RELEASE ON FILE. Photograph © 2013 Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos. THIS PHOTOGRAPH FROM OUR ARCHIVES IS RELEASED FOR ONE-TIME ONLY USE. EACH USE OR PUBLICATION WILL BE INVOICED AT PREVAILING RATES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TEL. 212-663-1341.","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/7117857/rock-hashana-10-stars-of-the-new-jewish-music/","name":"Rock Hashana: 10 Stars of the New Jewish Music"}}]}] ```