Debbie Friedman, a popular singer and songwriter who is widely credited with reinvigorating synagogue music, has died.
Friedman died Sunday after being hospitalized in Southern California for several days with pneumonia. She was in her late 50s.
“Debbie influenced and enriched contemporary Jewish music in a profound way,” read a statement published Sunday on the website of the Union for Reform Judaism. “Her music crossed generational and denominational lines and carved a powerful legacy of authentic Jewish spirituality into our daily lives.”
Friedman brought a more folksy, sing-along style to American congregations. In 2007 she was appointed to the faculty of the Reform movement’s cantorial school in a sign that her style had gained mainstream acceptance.
She is best known for her composition “Mi Shebeirach,” a prayer for healing that is sung in many North American congregations.
Friedman released more than 20 albums and performed in sold-out concerts around the world at synagogues, churches, schools and prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall. She received dozens of awards and was lauded by critics worldwide.
I first remember hearing about Debbie Friedman when I came to the Mountaintop Minyan at Stephen S. Wise temple in Bel Air in April of 1994.
The cantor, Linda Robbins, was an acolyte of Debbie Friedman. Our Sabbath morning service was heavily influenced by Debbie Friedman’s singalong style. I loved it. This was an accessible way into the Jewish liturgy.
Dennis Prager started going to the minyan in 1992 and fell in love with its singing on his first visit. He then quit his shul, Young Israel of Century City, and started driving to the minyan most every Shabbos morning he was in town.
After services and a potluck lunch, we’d all sit around and sing some more. We’d usually end by putting our arms around each other and singing a Debbie Friedman tune such as “May we be blessed as we go on our way…”
When I got some money in 1998, I bought five Debbie Friedman CDs. I often listen to them when I go to bed at night. It’s a way of detoxing from my day and connecting to God before I fall asleep.
A lot of my friends hate Debbie Friedman’s music. It’s too accessible. They despise it as ’70s pop trash. One friend told me, “She’s the leading crippled lesbian singer of her generation.”
I found that a funny line but nothing swayed my love of her music. When I began praying exclusively in Orthodox shuls in 2000, I missed Debbie Friedman’s music all the more intensely.
As long as I’ve been aware of Debbie Friedman, I’ve known she’s had severe health problems.
In 2000-2001, I did an internet radio show about a particular genre of the entertainment industry. I often played Debbie Friedman tunes on my show.
