“He marched on a Saturday morning, when traditionally rabbis and Jews should be in the synagogue praying, because it’s the Sabbath. Someone asked him, ‘Dr. Heschel, why aren’t you in the synagogue praying? It’s a Saturday morning.’ He said, ‘When I march with Dr. King, I pray with my feet.’"
While finding time to write and record new music has been a challenge given his current role and duties, Black’s passion for the art form is evident. He recently took songwriting classes through Planet Bluegrass in Lyons and is excited to perform his new material at a concert at Swallow Hill on November 19. This “gift” from God “has helped and enhanced my ability to connect with people on multiple levels,” he explains.
“I’ve always been pulled in multiple directions. When I was in college, I actually took a year off to see if I wanted to be a musician. … I made a conscious decision that it wasn’t the life I wanted to lead. "I love music; it’s a part of me,” he adds. “But my music is really a part of my rabbinic. I’m not a singing rabbi, per say. I’m a rabbi who happens to have an ability to write, sing and perform. But my music is informed by my rabbinic more than my rabbinic is informed by my music.”
Rabbi Joe Black will be at Swallow Hill Music, 71 East Yale Avenue, on Saturday, November 19, with a full band and special guests.