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Rick Recht Brings High Energy to the High Holy Days

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September 25, 2019
Photo courtesy of Rick Recht

Jewish rock music is a relatively new concept among American Jews but has found its way into traditional services as a way to connect people to their faith.

 Rick Recht, song leader and legendary Jewish rock star, grew up idolizing Elvis and dreaming of becoming a rock star but had no idea he would go on to impact thousands of Jewish people in synagogues around the world. 

“I didn’t grow up with Debbie Friedman or Craig Taubman. I grew up in a small Conservadoxish shul and it was great but it didn’t have a lot of music,” Recht, 49, told the Journal. “I joined [the Reform Jewish youth movement] NFTY in high school and from there I was exposed to contemporary Jewish music for the first time, but mainly exposed to holding hands with girls while listening to ‘Shalom Rav’ and ‘Heivenu.’ So it wasn’t something I thought of seriously until my mid-20s.”

Now with more than 10 Jewish rock albums, a musical partnership with PJ Library, and an internet radio station Jewish Rock Radio to his credit, Jewish music is an extension of himself. 

Recht strives to enhance the traditional Jewish experience. Together with his wife, Elisa, a Jewish educator who introduced Recht to Jewish song leading, they work with rabbis, cantors and other Jewish leaders at Songleader Boot Camp teaching how to integrate informal Jewish experiences like summer camp and youth group into a sanctuary setting.

“We found that Jews now more than ever … want to engage, they want to interact,” Recht said. This can include introducing new melodies, call-and-response songs, English transliterations and creating an energy that moves congregants.

He added it’s common to see this energy throughout synagogues across the country. “A lot of the time nowadays the concern is not having contemporary music,” he said, “it’s losing the traditional music altogether. So one of the biggest concerns is making sure while we incorporate all this new interactive music, we also still honor traditional music.” 

Many of Recht’s songs including, “The Hope,” “Hallelujah,” “Mi Kamocha,” and “Kobi’s Lullaby,” have been integrated in Shabbat and Havdalah services for several years. 

Recht said the repetition of his songs and songs of other Jewish music rockers have allowed people of all ages to sing along and join in during services. Even his sons, Kobi and Tal, whom he once wrote lullabies for, are engaged during his musical experiences and have also inherited the musical gene.

With the High Holy Days approaching, Recht is gearing up to lead services in St. Louis but the music he plans to incorporate isn’t the top priority. His energy and the way he engages with his congregants are what he is looking forward to the most. Elisa’s home cooking after services is a close second.

“I don’t zero in on any particular prayer. The holidays are an opportunity, a window, for many people who only come to synagogue maybe that time each year,” Recht said. “It is a really wonderful opportunity to the leaders of the service to share a glimpse of the highlights of the rest of the year. When I’m leading services, I’m thinking about ‘What’s the best of the best?’ and ‘How can I bring that into this High Holy experience so that we can take it into the stratosphere for people?’ ”

And, he added, it’s also about the delivery. “More often, it’s not about the song selection it’s about the presentation.” He also hopes people in their suits and dresses feel compelled to dance and sway with each other so their High Holy Day experience is meaningful. 

“This is our big shot,” he proclaimed, adding his wish is that the energy from the High Holy Days continues throughout the year, which is why his work is never about any single song but rather “about the potential [a] song might have to making a community more connected. People walking out of the experience will feel incrementally different than they did when they walked in. They will feel more connected to each other [and] have a stronger pride and connection with their identity as Jews.”

Having the ability to enrich Jewish lives in so many ways and also help others become Jewish song leaders is something Recht said he is fortunate be a part of. 

“We are educators where music is our vehicle,” he said. “Jewish artists have the opportunity to impact lives in a way that sometimes transcends anything academic or intellectual. It just goes straight from the heads to the hearts. It’s a responsibility.” 

More on Rick Recht can be found online. His music also is available on Spotify and Apple Music. 

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