Bible Raps
Bible Raps is composed of Executive Director Matt Bar and Creative Director Ori Salzburg.
Matt Bar’s music has been featured on MTV's "The Real World" and NBC's “Hip Hop Nation Notes from the Underground.” He has opened for Outkast, Jurassic 5 and Matisyahu and has released 3 albums. He first introduced Bible Raps into his classroom teaching Hebrew School in Iowa City, IA and Greenwich CT. Matt is a Fellow at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and the PresenTense Institute in Jerusalem. Matt is also a member of ROI, a global community of young Jewish innovators.
Ori Salzberg is the founder of a Jerusalem Music Studio which produces and records Hip Hop and Indie artists. Ori studied at the Rimon School of Modern Music and Jazz and studies Musicology and Philosophy at Hebrew University. He performs as a guitarist, percussionist, vocalist and DJ and is also a sought after Chazan and often travels to Europe to lead services, musical activities and to run programming for teenagers.
How Gangsta Can Bible Raps Get?
Arts and Performance,
Teen Approved
Seventy percent of the Billboard #1 songs this year were Hip-Hop. The Bible Raps Tool-Kit uses this interest to help over 100 educators transmit our tradition to their students. In this session, we will explore the songs that didn't make the tool-kit because they were, in one word, too Gangsta. While these songs push the envelope, they may in fact resonate more deeply with teens and young adults due to their attachment to the more controversial elements of Hip-Hop. Expect a sophisticated discussion of Hip-Hop culture and songs that may be PG-13 -- even though they are much tamer than some of the songs that get commercial radio play.
"I'm Not White, I'm Jewish": Jewish Identity Through Rap
Arts and Performance,
Identity and Responsibility,
Teen Approved
What does it mean to be Jewish? How did important biblical figures like King David or Moshe relate to their "Jewishness"? Do Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith still resonate for Jewish student and young adults today? How does a modern midrashist relate his relationship to Judaism through the medium of rap? Through text study, discussion, and performance, participants will explore different ways figures throughout history have connected to Judaism.
Jewish Midrash Through Rap
Arts and Performance,
Text and Thought,
Teen Approved
Bible Raps has mastered the difficult art of making text study relevant, creative and fun for Jewish youth, inspiring young people and engaging with them to produce hip-hop music with lyrics from textual learning. Come see what it’s all about and take part in the Bible Raps Workshop! All ages are invited.
Bible Raps Presents
Arts and Performance,
Teen Approved
Kids, teenagers, and adults of all ages will enjoy the lyrical creativity of Matt Bar’s Bible Raps accompanied by his beat-boxing, guitar strumming musical producer Ori Salzberg. Hear the stories of the biblical stories of the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah, the Aqedah, the Ten Plagues, David and Goliath, the Battle of Jericho, and more from a whole new perspective.
