Shlomo Carlebach Hebron concert from 1994 rediscovered

This article originally appeared in the Jewish Press here: https://www.jewishpress.com/multimedia/video-picks/watch-rare-carlebach-video-from-hebron-discovered-full-concert/2020/12/16/

 

One of the old video cassette tapes sitting in a box in the small moshav of
Sde Warburg was a special treasure for Hebron spokesman Noam Arnon. The long-time
resident of the City of Abraham was going through old videos from his parent’s house
when he found a 1994 recording of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach performing in
Hebron.

Arnon explained in an interview for the Jewish Press that this was a special concert
during a difficult time. “The summer of 1994 was in the middle of a very tense period
when they were talking about expelling Jews from Hebron,” he explained.

 

The Oslo Accords of the year before had brought the promise of peace between Israel and
the PLO, but it brought the rash of deadly bus bombings and terrorist attacks that hit
Hebron particularly hard. Israel’s pull-out from key cities in Judea and Samaria saw the
rise of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum, Hebron’s director of tourism who today leads Hebron’s Carlebach
minyan told the Jewish Press that “Hebron was on the chopping block.” He explained that
some Israeli politicians, urged by foreign pressure had proposed turning the historic
Tomb of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs over to PLO control similar to other holy sites
in Judea and Samaria. The period of the Oslo Accords invoked “a feeling of abandonment
by the Israeli government,” Rabbi Hochbaum stated.

Previously, Shlomo Carlebach performed two concerts in Kiryat Arba, the sister community
to Hebron, one of which was broadcast live on German television in which he addressed
the viewers in German.

Shlomo was known for his universalistic message of love and peace speaking and
performing for groups of all races colors and creeds, Rabbi Hochbaum explained. Shlomo
was renowned for his empathy and sensitivity towards those in need. He travelled to
Israel during all the wars since 1967, to give strength and hope to soldiers both on the
front line and those recovering in the hospital from injuries.

It was during the Oslo Accords era that Shlomo Carlebach came to perform in the Avraham
Avinu neighborhood for an outdoor concert.

Arnon called it a morale booster. “He wanted to encourage the Jewish community and
express his love for the residents of Hebron and Kiryat Arba and although he was not in
the best of health, he made such a memorable evening.”

Those good vibes can be seen in the video as people dance in the square while singing
along to the familiar melodies now ubiquitous in the Jewish world. Unfortunately while
the audio quality is good, the video cuts out in several places and is dark at
parts.

Nevertheless, it’s a hidden gem as far as Arnon is concerned. After the discovery in his
parent’s home, he had the tape digitized and posted on the internet.

In the middle of the concert Shlomo Carlebach felt fatigued and turned the microphone
over to long-time musical companion Chaim David Saracik. Chaim David went on to record
many popular songs of his own. He spoke to the Jewish Press from his home in Jerusalem
and fondly remembered the evening in Hebron. Chaim David performed his now classic Seven
Shepherds song which references the Patriarchs who are buried in the Tomb of Machpela.
He also sadly noted his mentor’s passing only months later.

Shlomo Carlebach spent a Shabbat in Hebron at the home of Noam Arnon in the early 1990s
and led a memorable Friday night service at the Tomb of Machpela. Ever since the visit,
the “Carlebach minyan” has continued, every Friday night although today in a limited
fashion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rabbi Hochbaum called the inspirational Kabbalat Shabbat service “like a great wedding”
that resulted from Shlomo’s visit.

 

“Hundreds of people from all over come and dance and sing at this special minyan,” Arnon
said, noting that it was here that several of the now standard Carlebach melodies for
Kabbalat Shabbat were instituted.

Arnon is known mainly for his advocacy of the city he has called home for most of his
adult life, authoring several books on its history. He also had the rare opportunity to
enter and explore inside the Cave of Machpela as part of a small team in 1981. He serves
as prayer leader for the Carlebach minyan but credits Rabbi Hochbaum as being the
driving inspiration.

Rabbi Hochbaum met Shlomo Carlebach in his college days. It was at Shlomo’s synagogue in
New York where he introduced Rabbi Hochbaum to the woman who would become his wife.
Shlomo became a mentor to him and later ordained him with semicha, or rabbinical
ordination. Rabbi Hochbaum was the last person to obtain rabbinical ordination from
Shlomo Carlebach before his untimely passing.

“That Shabbat in Hebron in the early 1990s gave birth the whole Carlebach minyan
phenomenon in Israel,” Hochbaum told the Jewish Press. It was one of the few minyanim
that started in Shlomo’s lifetime besides the Carlebach shul in New York, Moshav Mevo
Modiin and the House of Love and Prayer in San Francisco he explained.

Today the “Carlebach nusach” can be found in synagogues around the world, especially for
Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat. “Shlomo’s uplifting, soulful melodies have inspired a
more spiritual and interactive service,” Hochbaum added.  

“Shlomo used to say, when one speaks, someone may agree or disagree with what you’re
saying, they may understand your point or not. But when you sing, it creates unity,”
Rabbi Hochbaum said, quoting his mentor.

During Friday night’s service, in addition to the melodies, Rabbi Hochbaum shares a
short sermon based on Rabbi Carlebach’s teachings. 

 

“Before coronavirus, Noam and I were joined by hundreds for services including a mix of
IDF soldiers, hasidim, mechina academy students, hesder yeshiva soldiers, and anyone
else who came to Hebron for Shabbat,” he explained.

“It was very special to see every type of person from a policeman to a hasidic student
dancing and singing together. Reb Shlomo’s visit left an indelible impression on the
people here and his melodies continue to inspire and resonate in the Maarat HaMachpela
(Tomb of the Patriarchs)” he said.

 

For original article see the Jewish
Press by clicking here. 

 

 

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