Deborah Lynn Friedman was an American Jewish singer-songwriter, whose compositions played an important role in dramatically shifting the aesthetics of liturgical music in the liberal Jewish movements of North America. Friedman’s compositional career began in the 1960's, developing out of the folk music and communal singing tradition of Jewish summer camps. Jewish youth first brought her music into the mainstream of Jewish life and into their synagogues, where many worshippers were seeking more accessible, communal modes of prayer. Friedman’s early compositions were designed to be accompanied by simple guitar accompaniment, but as her career developed, she collaborated with other professional musicians and performed with various ensembles. Friedman’s compositional corpus includes music for the Hebrew liturgy, English translations and interpretations of liturgical and religious Jewish themes, educational songs for children, community and identity-building songs for youth, and introspective songs meant for spiritual healing.
Photo courtesy of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music Website.
To read Debbie Friedman's Biography on the Milken Archive Website, click here.
