Kosher Kountry



When you ask Rabbi Bruce Adler how he happened to become interested in country music, he'll tell you that he's been a mountain man ever since the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai 3,000 years ago and listened as God delivered the Ten Commandments. Actually, mountain music and country music are somewhat different and Adler leans toward the more traditional forms of mountain or bluegrass music.

He describes what he does as "kosher kountry." Kosher means fit or acceptable. "My music is positive and clean and has similarities to Christian country but, since I'm Jewish, that wouldn't really be an accurate description. I've heard some people refer to it as Jewish gospel. As a rabbi, my songs are kosher - they express reverence for God, committment to Torah (Jewish sacred scripture) and the need for responsible moral living."

"I don't really consider myself a rebel," says Adler. "It's just that what comes out of my heart and mind are rather different than what most people consider mainstream Jewish music. Today, there are musicians who set Jewish themes to rock 'n roll, jazz, raggae, rap and everything else you can think of - but, so far as I know, I'm the only rabbi in the United States, probably in any country, who does Jewish bluegrass. For this, I've come to be known as 'The Bluegrass Rabbi.'"

The Adlers have released five albums on the Maplestaff label, entitled, Walk Humbly With Thy God, If It Be Thy Will, I Choose Torah, Eternally Hopeful and Incredible Journey.

"On all four of our albums, my instrumentation of choice has been that which is most often used in bluegrass - guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and bass. I also frequently include keyboard in my arrangements as it lends a degree of versatility to the music and because the keyboard is capable of producing so many different kinds of sounds and textures. This is fine for country and other kinds of music, but because bluegrass has stricter guidelines as a traditional form of music, bluegrass purists don't favor the inclusion of keyboard."

As a songwriter whose songs have been recorded by other bluegrass artists, Adler has to take this into account. "If I would want a traditional artist to listen to one of my songs for possible recording, I wouldn't present it to him or her with keyboard on it. So, in many cases, I've worked out two different arrangements of my songs - one version with strictly traditional instrumementation for the purists, and the other for people to whom this is not a concern and who enjoy a more contemporary sound. I think if a song is a good song, it can be rendered effectively in a variety of styles, but some people embrace a particular genre of music almost religiously, and I certainly respect that."

Even though Bruce writes all the songs and he and Donna share the singing, they have different personal favorites as far as styles go. Donna prefers the gentle, pastoral ballads and sweet spiritual songs her husband has written, while Bruce generally favors the hard-driving, traditional bluegrass songs. So, their albums include a lively mix of styles and even songs in Hebrew which could only be described as Hebrew bluegrass.

Bruce and Donna Adler are both genuine rabbis and served as spiritual leader and educational director, respectively, of Conservative Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, in Hamilton, Ohio, from 1984 - 1997. Bruce became the rabbi of Congregation B'nai Tikvah in August, 1998. B'nai Tikvah is the first and only Reconstructionist Congregation in all of Southwestern Ohio. Bruce was ordained from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1983 and Donna, who is a Reform Rabbi, was ordained from Hebrew Union College in 1987. The couple met in Niagara Falls, New York while serving two separate congregations whose Sunday schools met jointly. "We immediately found that we shared a mutual interest not only in spiritual matters but also in music," says Donna. "Since then, both have been essential in our lives."

The Adlers have one son, Aaron, who is nine years old, and just now seriously starting to show an interest in singing and playing an instrumement. He knows a lot of his parent's songs and sings along, but as far as becoming a rabbi like mom and dad, he's not quite sure about that just yet.

The Adlers' albums, are published by Maplestaff Music. I Choose Torah is available on both cassette and CD, Walk Humbly With Thy God, If It Be Thy Will and Eternally Hopeful are available on cassette.

To order, call B'nai Tikvah at 1-513-759-5356, the Adlers at 1-513-755-2334, print out and send in this Order Form, or E-mail Bruce Adler.

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