Rock Shabbat Services

Thanks to the generosity of Dennis & Phyllis Malinger, in honor of their brother, we have the Alan J. Malinger Rock Shabbat Fund. Three to four times a year, we bring in Jewish artists to shake up Shabbat at Temple Shalom.

We've always been a musical congregation - and yet, there is something wonderfully irreverent about having a live band or musician on the bimah. And it's clear from the attendance and participation that the congregation loves it!

But is Rock Shabbat really so new and different? In some ways, yes. The Torah never envisioned electric guitars or drum kits during prayer. But it did envision musical instruments. Psalm 150, written two millennia ago, says "Halleluhu b'teika shofar, b'nevel v'chinor - Praise God with blasts of the horn, with harp and lyre" when describing an orchestra that played in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.

Jewish music has always evolved with the times. That's why Yemenite Jewish music and Polish Jewish music sound so different - they grew up in different parts of the world and were heavily influenced by the surrounding cultures. So when we bring in new instruments, and write new melodies, we are following in the footsteps of our ancestors who did the same. We are drawing from our culture and imbuing it with sanctity, giving Jewish meaning to something that already speaks to us.

Can you really "rock" Shabbat? You sure can! Judaism teaches us that in every generation, we should "Sing to God a new song." There is nothing more Jewish than what we do on these Friday nights.

Upcoming Events

Friday, January 10, 2025 - Rabbi Noah Diamondstein

He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays almost every instrument on his records, from guitar, to bass, to drums, to mandolin, to trumpet to vocals and more! His music crosses genres from folk to jazz to pop to rock, and his textual influences span liturgy, TaNaKh, and rabbinic texts. He strives to use music to bring people together, lift us out of our normal routines and into the realm of the spiritual, and to open our hearts and minds as we try to reach out for that which is beyond ourselves.

Friday, March 21, 2025 - Dan Nichols

Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 22 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, L’takein, B’tzelem Elohim, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.