Even more than his contemporaries Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen’s Jewish heritage informs his music. Both of Cohen’s grandfathers were prominent figures in Jewish leadership and scholarship in Europe and America. Bible references abound in his work; “Story of Isaac” and his most celebrated song “Hallelujah” are just two of them. A strongly biblically prophetic strain runs through his album The Future with the title track and “Democracy” as the best examples. In “Who By Fire” (his variation on Unetaneh Tokef), “If It Be Your Will” and the title track of his final album, “You Want It Darker,” he addresses deity through language and form familiar to Jewish worshippers (“hineni, hineni”). “Dance Me to the End of Love” lends itself beautifully to klezmer band performance. These are just a few of the highlights of this hour of the exploration of the Jewish roots of Leonard Cohen’s art. (Near the end of the lecture I will facilitate a brief open-ended discussion of the meaning of Leonard’s most famous song, the much-celebrated “Hallelujah”).
Please Note: This program is for Temple Emanuel members only
About John Clark
Born and raised in Ohio, John taught adult education for twenty years for Emory University and Mercer University in Atlanta, creating classes on Fifties, Sixties and American Roots music and a series called Lyrics as Literature. From 2008-2014 he was also a high school history and English teacher. Since moving to Boston in 2014, he has taught adult and community education for five different programs, including Brandeis, Tufts and Cambridge. In 2025 he presented 380 American Music history lectures for senior living communities and Councils on Aging in the Boston area. John boasts a combined record and CD collection of over 8,000 recordings.
