Phish has a diehard fan base and a dedicated community of enthusiasts—called Phishheads—who follow the band around the country, some fans attending every show. What may be surprising is that a significant percentage of Phishheads are Jewish.Two members of the band—bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jonathan Fishman—were raised in Jewish households, and Phish has been known to play Hebrew songs in concert. At live shows, many attendees, some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “Phish” written in Hebrew letters, express feeling something special—even distinctly Jewish—during their performances. As this book shows, Phish is one avenue through which many Jews find cultural and spiritual fulfillment outside the confines of traditional and institutional Jewish life. In effect, Phish fandom and the live Phish experience act as a microcosm through which we see American Jewish religious and cultural life manifest in unique and unexpected spaces.
Featuring an interview with Mike Gordon and a collection of fascinating photographs, This Is Your Song Too is an in-depth look at Jewishness in the Phish universe that also provides a deeper understanding of how spirituality, ritual, and identity function in the world of rock and roll.
In addition to the editors, the contributors include Evan S. Benn, Dean Budnick, Jacob A. Cohen, Benjamin David, Jessy Dressin, Josh Fleet, Mike Greenhaus, Joshua S. Ladon, Noah Munro Lehrman, Caroline Rothstein, and Isaac Kandall Slone.
Oren Kroll-Zeldin is Assistant Director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice and Assistant Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco.
Ariella Werden-Greenfield is Associate Director of the Feinstein Center for American Jewish History and Special Advisor on Antisemitism at Temple University.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
The People of the Helping Friendly Book Oren Kroll-Zeldin and Ariella Werden-Greenfield
SET 1 “SHARING IN THE GROOVE”: PHISH AND JEWISH CULTURE
1. From Summer Camp to Summer Tour: Phish and the Cultivation of Jewish Cultural Identity Oren Kroll-Zeldin
2. Performing Jewish Identity and Community Through Phish’s “Avenu Malkenu” Jacob A. Cohen
3. “Finest in the Nation”: The Food of Phish and the Jewish Experience Evan S. Benn
4. Exploring Jewishness and Queerness on Phish’s Dance Floor Isaac Kandall Slone
5. I’ve Been Wading in the Whitest Sea: Reflections on Race, Judaism, and Phish Caroline Rothstein
6. “Feeling Weightless in the Sea”: Phish and Overcoming Cancer Benjamin David
SET 2 GOD ON TOUR: JUDAISM AND THE LIVE PHISH EXPERIENCE
7. Beyond “Avenu Malkenu”: Fan Responses to Sacred Music in Phish’s Musical Canon Ariella Werden-Greenfield
8. “All Times and Seasons Are the Reasons”: How Phish Brought America to Shul Mike Greenhaus
9. “Where the People Come to Pray”: Sacred Pilgrimage and Communal Rejoicing from the Ancient Temple in Jerusalem to YEMSG Jessy Dressin
10. “Pull This Timber ‘fore the Sun Go Down”: The Joys and Questions of Shabbat Observance at Phish Josh Fleet
11. Phish Jews: Improvisation as Religious Orientation Joshua S. Ladon
12. Tour and Torah: Jews and Crews from the Sages of the Gemara to the Ragers on the Rail Noah Munro Lehrman
ENCORE “ALL THINGS RECONSIDERED”: REFLECTIONS ON PHISH AND JEWISHNESS
13. “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” Comes to Phish: An Interview with Shirley Halperin
14. Bringing Phish to the Holy Land: An Interview with Rachel Loonin Steinerman
15. Blessed by Bass: An Interview with Marc Brownstein
16. Becoming the General of Jam: An Interview with Jonathan Schwartz
17. Mike’s Corner Reprise: An Interview with Mike Gordon
Afterword Dean Budnick
List of Contributors
Index
Download a PDF sample chapter here: Introduction
