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Rabbi Yehuda Levin Interviews Lipa Schmeltzer


votelipa.jpg(Click on image to ENLARGE) As you may recall, YWN was the first to interview Lipa Schmeltzer (HERE) regarding the Big Event Concert – on Sunday (just minutes after his final decision to back out). Now many news papers, and radio hosts are conducting their own interviews. Rabbi Yehuda Levin interviewed Lipa Schmeltzer last evening on his radio show and can be heard by clicking HERE.



50 Responses

  1. THIS IS REALLY REALLY REALLY PATHETIC ALREADY, WHY ARE WE MAKING LIPA INTO A G-D? YES, HE MAY HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL THING, BUT THERE’S A LIMIT TO OVER PRAISE SOMEONE, ALL THE SUDDEN HES SOME GREAT RABBI? SOON PEOPLE ARE GONNA GO TO HIM FOR SHAILOS? HELLO EVERYONE STOP IT ALREADY.

    ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

  2. Who is this Levin person? why doesnt he just turn it off? not to justify the music, but if you want to protest at a chasuna, walk out. i have seen many prominent and even regular (non-rabbonim) people walk out when the music got to what they consider inappropriate. NO ONE is forced to buy into this music. Asser all music and stop being such a kitzoni. this is what drives away all those people. Why cant you communicate in a normal fashion? i find this strident approach very disturbing

  3. U know these interviews with Lipa and the statements recited remind me of the hostage interviews where there is a gun held to someones head and he reads off a paper..

  4. this whole thing is getting ridiculous. whats with this lipa for president graphics. He listened to rabbanim, he did the right thing. very nice but i have much better people to revere who dont wear their good deeds on their foreheads for recognition and approval.

  5. This Levin guy is living in a different era & does not have the courtesy or tact to let the guy have his say! That was a painfull interview to listen to with the interruptions to Shmeltzer & Levin thinking he has some authority in regulating music in the Jewish world. On the other hand, enough with this Lipa stuff already. We got your point, & actions speak louder than words.

  6. Yasher Koach Lipa for the Kiddush HAShem. I believe it is important to let this be spoken about.You don’t have to be a Rov to do something good worth learning about.

  7. The whole interview was aggresive, assertive and ‘my way is the HOLY WAY’. Levin indicted the entire music industry for the last twenty years, grow up and use sechel.

  8. I STILL DONT UNDERSTAND, SO WHY COULDNT HE DO THE CONCERT IN HIS NEW WAYS OF SINGING? AND WHY NOT AT THE LONDON CONCERT EITHER? I didnt really understand the ending, did he say he might as well go work in a bakery? Is it cause theyre taking away from him doing his shtick? So bottom line if he cant do his shtick then hes just like all the other singers.

  9. ILLINI-07:

    BECAUSE RABBI LEVIN DOES INTERESTING THINGS!

    I heard the interview last night. Rabbi Levin condemned the crazy gentile music that has become so common at our weddings, and I fully agree with him.

    Lipa called in halfway through the 50-minute program and admitted that he had been one of those guilty of bringing this wild music into our community.

    However, he excused himself by stating that there are always some young people–“cellphone teens” he called them–who demand such music and have no patience for traditional Jewish melodies.

    He committed himseld to changing his repertoire to avoid such music in the future.

    I think Rabbi Levin did a great job in getting Lipa to respond to the criticisms.

  10. Lipa, kol hakovod. You brought up very important n’kudos. I have to add the following. B”H, we got married @ 1 1/2 ago. We used one of the ‘big bands’. The band leader was told explicitly NO ROCKY MUSIC!!! -the chosson, kallah, AND MECHUTONIM don’t want it.EVENTHOUGH it’s “THE IN THING”. We didn’t back down. And you know what? It was an enjoyable chassuna! Ask anyone that was there. Friends told me during and after Sheva Brochos that they never experienced such a chassuna before. No, I’m not a Rosh Yeshiva’s son and my shver isn’t either. We just wanted a Yiddishe simcha, not a rocked up affair.
    also, Lipa was at a cousin of mine’s chassuna, and was asked not to sing ‘loud and rocky’, and he sang beautifully. The bottom line is, the music industry (like the basic rule of econoics) works with supply and demand. If we really want Yiddishe music, we will get it. Otherwise composers will draw upon the beat on the street, to say today’s music style, which connotes hefkerus, prikus ol, gilui arayos, etc… is o.k. with words that Dovid HaMelech,the Nevi’im, and Chazal composed with Ruach HaKodesh. It’s time to restore the glory to Jewish music. L’hachazir ha’atara l’yoshna.

  11. I don’t farshtay vat di whole trask is all about!
    R’ LIPA U R MY MAN!!!!!
    KNAIN HORA LIPA U R MORE ” LIPA BDERECH” NOW!!!

  12. #23 I agree with you that if he doesnt do his shtick and sings regular he still does a beautiful job buthonestly it doesnt make him any better than any other singer so might as well hire someone else for less. He will lose out on parnasah

  13. Jewish music is no longer. Gone are the days of Modzits, Yom Tov Ehrlich, Gur and Lubavitch. We are subjected to trash and garbage that has no place in a true Jewish home. What was once a holy and spiritual outlet , now is a chilul hashem and an embarresment to Judaism.

  14. Want to ban something???
    BAN YESHIVA WORLD. EVERY GODOL IN THE WORLD is maskim that the internet should not be an open forum for discussing the latest loshon hora that is going on in the Jewish Community.

    To YW editor:
    You want your site to have “any” credibility?? Put a name up on the site of who the editor is!
    An anonymous site is as credible as Mikveh Neis…

    Editors Response: Exactly. You dont belong here it’s banned. Please leave.

  15. “Gone are the days of Modzits, Yom Tov Ehrlich, Gur and Lubavitch”, wow, that’s a senior moment, my husband was on the Lubavitch choir records (in the late 50’s and 60’s).
    What about Jo Amar, Carlbach, Rabbis Sons, early MBD and his father, JEP music cassettes, and other hieligh and heartzig music.

  16. YW editor: There is no need to answer number 31 in such a unprofessional manner.
    Please though explain your position. How can you so gleefully endorse the ban on the concert DELETED…….

    Editors Response: When did YWN “endorse” the ban on the concert? Was the Kol Koreh even published on YWN?

    Let us know. Thanks. And while your at it, please apologize.

  17. it’s just sooo sad to look at those comments…you guys try with your best way of speech to tell ppl what to do and zi machen oif a gite zach and instead shreckliche loshon hora! what is this all about?
    finally- Lipa doch admitted what he did and took upon himseld things that is kol hakavod… and you are still not happy???
    you ppl are bored and YOU are the one that prevent the Geula to come

  18. #2 it was a nisson and he passed, pray that your parnasah wont be on the line with a nisson hes not g-d he made a kiddus hashem.

    R’ Levine relax you invited him dont bash him he did you a favor dont mevayish him berabim. and you blame lipa for bringing down jewish music it was the sattan. way before lipa got into jewish music the jewish music was lowered you blame lipa

    LIPA KEEP IT UP.

  19. It was this link http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/14982/Big+Event+Live+Is+Officially+Dead.html
    which you removed after all the posts complained about you poking fund and enjoying the ban. You used the words “the big event live is officially dead”

    and sarcastically used the banner “where will you be march 9th” and showed pics with Lipa and Gertner . That is why you removed that article.

    Also – from the fact that you refuse to show my comment shows me that you at lease feel guilty about going against daas torah

    Editors Note: Thanks for telling us why we removed the article (dead wrong by the way….). Back to the point. Kindly tell us WHERE YWN “endorsed” the ban.

    Still waiting…..

  20. #23-
    You wrote: “The bottom line is, the music industry (like the basic rule of econoics) works with supply and demand. If we really want Yiddishe music, we will get it.”
    Where is the supply and demand?
    Wanting something and getting it has nothing to do with supply and demand.

  21. You wrote that the concert is “dead” with a banner ad asking where will you be on march 9th. everyone who commented on that article agreed.

    I obviously dont expect you to say “I gleefully support the ban” but the way you were posting the articles pointed everyone to believe that you were using the ban as a tool to shtuch others. If you are saying that we are all wrong and you will be more careful in the future to let everyone belive such things then I do apologize.

  22. I was so ashamed of how levin spoke. His points might have been good but his derech of speech was disgusting.
    Before Lipa he ranted and gave musor to some guy in the most nasty and cynical way.
    He made it seem that Rabbonim were asking him to go on the air and do this show.

    2 questions
    1) What heter is there to speak loshon hara that way on the radio
    2) Who taught you to speak that way.would your Rebbe talk like that ?
    If anyone is being influenced by the goyim its him.
    He is trying to take frum politics and make it into the bob grant show.
    if there ever was a need for a kol korieh its to ban that guy from the radio.

  23. #39 the tune is played at all chasunas? i dont know what tune ur talking about … but the weddings ive gone to play jewish music… no greek i dunno what …

  24. Re. #39

    I hate to break the news to you but there is very very few nigunim available today that have been composed from start by a Jewish Composer. The fact is that Goyshe composers are very talented and that Jewish singers takea lot of music from them. Who protested “Yidden” by M.B.D which is a famous Rock Song sung by a German Band???

  25. One big question that needs to be answered. If Lipa really was going to make this concert so different and change the style to a more Yiddishe one… then why did they create video clips of him acting and dressed up like some pop star? Something doesnt sound right. It is great that has made the change but he should not rewrite history.

  26. not a rabbi says

    i never said that he didn’t overcome a huge nisayon, if you read my #2 post again i said he did do a great thing,but why are we over praising, if i recall it falls under lashon hara to over praise someone-which you see it did lead to.

  27. It is interesting that the Jewish Press online, is running a poll on banning Jewish concerts. The question is:

    Are concerts with frum performers an appropriate form of entertainment for today’s Jewish youth?

    — Yes
    — Yes, as long as there is separate seating
    — No, a concert environment (even with separate seating) is not the right place for our children

    To date, it appears that no one has voted “no.” The other two selections are split 50/50.

  28. #48 you make a good point. Those commercials came off as if Lipa was drugged up and in no way was the impression that this concert was going to be some holy event. I think they were trying to farenfer after the fact but it was too late. Also if this concert was supposed to change the course of Jewish singing and performing they should have focused on that at the time of advertising the event not after the ban.

  29. Anyone with enough knowledge of Jewish Music can tell you that most of the real old Chassidishe music, e.g. marches and waltzes, were taken from the goyim, especially Lubavitch! Ever listen to the traditional Syrian and Persian Sephardic songs at their weddings? A lot of that stuff is taken from goyim. If you hear hebrew words, chances are they’re NOT the original lyrics! Yet, none of their Rabbonim have a problem with those!

    #47, I was at a hotel where Dr. Abittan (not the singer) was shmuzing with Lipa on stylish eyeglasses. LOL!

  30. “Anyone with enough knowledge of Jewish Music can tell you that most of the real old Chassidishe music, e.g. marches and waltzes, were taken from the goyim, especially Lubavitch!” You are mistaken.Lubavitch does not employ marches and waltzes for nigunnim.Gerer nigunnim are mostly marches and waltzes and so are modzheser niggunim to a certain degree.

    Even though Rabbi Levin has brought up some legitimite issues he seems to be extremely egocentric and full of gaiva.In addition whats this fixation with “bubble gum chewers”? Perhaps he has a deep rooted taiva for bubble gum.I suggest funds should be raised to send him a couple of tons of the stuff.Maybe a Lipa concert?

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