Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach—a man considered the most influential composer of Jewish religious music of the 20th century and a progenitor of the modern neo-Hasidic renaissance—is the focus of this systematic study. The book presents a scholarly analysis of his teachings, innovations, and music and examines Carlebach’s life and career via the prism of the historical and cultural developments of his time, including the Holocaust, the Six-Day War, the hippie phenomenon, the New Age movement, and other events that were channeling the course of Jewish life. It also attempts to understand the roots of the Carlebach phenomenon and its wide-range appeal, but above all, this book provides a new framework to evaluate and appreciate the unique form of heartfelt Judaism, joyful optimism, and soulful rejuvenation that Shlomo Carlebach inspired.

Natan Ophir (Offenbacher) is a teacher of practical Jewish meditation and a professor at the Jerusalem College of Technology and the Ono Academic College. Neshama Carlebach is a singer and songwriter and the daughter of the late Shlomo Carlebach. She lives in New York City.