Barrow, Cohen & Wurtzel Word from: David

Barrow, Cohen & Wurtzel are not a law firm but rather three very different creative figures with little known ties to Jewish observance.

Rapper Jamal Barrow is better known as Shyne or Po. Born in Belize, raised in Brooklyn, Shyne had moderate success until he was imprisoned for shooting another patron inside a nightclub. In prison, he has changed his name to Moses Michael Leviy, perhaps inspired by his Great-Grandmother an Ethiopian Jew. Only time will tell if and how Judaism will influence his gangsta rap. The only sure thing is that Shyne is now the toughest Jew to ever hail from Flatbush.

Leonard Cohen, who Jake discussed in the previous post is not only a Cohen (surprise!) but has a lot to say about the religous experience and his Litvish roots. This interview is a must read and here's a tidbit.

"When I read the psalms or when they lifted up the Torah, that kind of thing sent a chill down my back. I wanted to be the one who lifted up the Torah. I wanted to be in that position. When they told me I was a Kohen, I believed it. I didn't think it was some auxiliary information. I wanted to wear white clothes and go into the Holy of Holies and negotiate with the deepest resources of my soul. So I took the whole thing seriously. I was this little kid and whatever they told me in these matters resonated, and I wanted to be that figure who sang, "This is the Tree of Life."

It's always nice to an artist be known for their ability to touch the world at large rather then their roots alone. Another good example of this is Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of 'Prozac Nation' a book that has it's own merits, and unexpectedly touches on Orthodoxy.

"While we didn't keep a kosher home, I somehow managed to win the school Brochos Bee, the Jewish equivalent of a spelling bee, five years in a row. Instead of spelling words, I had to know what blessings to say on different foods. I retired from this rather odd competition after winning the national contest, against boys with earlocks and girls who wore long sleeves and thick tights in June."

She later goes on to discuss her difficulties with the concept of Batel B'Shishim. Arguably, Wurtzel's deeply individual account of life on the Upper West Side, of divorced parenting and anomie should be added to the library of American-Jewish classics. Mental health is a crucial theme in our contemporary literature, be it Woody Allen's humorous look at neurosis, endless books on the mental impact of the Holocaust on survivors and their offspring, to say nothing to of the compulsion to learn and to steal in 'Bee Season.' I can see it now-a curriculum starting with Gluckel of Hameln and ending with 'Prozac Nation.'

P.S: Katyushas are nothing to sing about. Or are they?