Three years ago, if I had told you that the Shema would be heard on MTV, that thousands would gather to hear Israeli, Arab, Jewish, and Muslim hip hop musicians perform together, and that a 6 foot tall Hasid would sing his way into the hearts, souls, and iPods of unaffiliated young Jews the world over, you would have laughed me out of your office. And yet that was our vision when we created JDub Records.
JDub was the brainchild of Ben Hesse and me. We were NYU students who believed that just because our friends weren’t hanging out at Hillel, it did not mean they had no interest in Judaism. We poured our hearts into the organization’s development because we knew that if we offered our peers high quality, authentic Jewish experiences, they would flock to the opportunities to be actively, proudly, and uniquely Jewish. And with the help of a few brave and visionary supporters, two young social entrepreneurs were given the chance to put our ideas into action.
I learn every day
About the unbelievable power of music to effect and inspire change,
That money clouds vision, even of the mighty,
That there is always room for one more voice at the table,
That growth is exponential when supported by community.
Aaron Bisman is the founder and director of JDub Records.
www.jdubrecords.org
