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The complex Jewish past of Bob Dylan

JL;DR SUMMARY Bob Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, has a multifaceted relationship with his Jewish heritage which has influenced his life and music over six decades. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityChabadJewish HeritageMusicSongsSpiritualityBob DylanNeighborhood BullyBiblical ImageryChristian Period

Places mentioned

Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
"Dylans Yiddish-speaking grandmother lived with the family in Hibbing, Minnesota, and his parents were central to the close-knit Jewish community of their hometown: his father was president of Bnai Brith, and his mother was president of the local Hadassah Womens Zionist Organisation of America."
Wisconsin, United States
"He attended cheder at the Orthodox synagogue Agudas Achim, and spent his summer holidays at the Herzl Camp in Wisconsin."
California, United States
"Bob Dylan had famously upset his fans when he went electric at the Newport Fok Club in 1965. But the icon of Sixties counter-culture astonished his fans and fellow musicians once again by becoming a born-again Christian in the late-Seventies. This included a stint at Bible school, the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in California."
Washington, Washington DC, United States
"Folk singers Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in 1963 in Washington D.C. (Getty)"
Jerusalem, Israel
"By the early 1980s, Dylan had returned to his Jewish roots. He was soon seen holding a bar mitzvah for his eldest son Jesse (born to Dylans first wife Sara Lownds) at the Kotel in Jerusalem."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"In mid-90s Dylan prayed with the Lubavitch in Brooklyn, and he was later seen reciting the blessings at Yom Kippur services."
Israel
"It's said that Chabad rabbis helped Dylan in his return to Judaism."
San Francisco, California, United States
"Soon after his (temporary) conversion, Dylan took his new faith songs to San Francisco for a two-week residency."

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Retrieved 2025-01-17 05:30:46 UTC
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