For those who know Debbie's music, it has become a treasured part of their lives - a tape listened to every morning on the way to work in order to focus and prepare for the day, or a song like "Mi Sheberach," bringing respite and hope into countless lonely hospital rooms. For children and adults alike, Debbie's music is living Judaism - from her they learned the Hebrew alphabet, through her they came to love prayers that might otherwise have remained strings of foreign words, unrelated to their lives. With Debbie's honest, pure voice as their guide, a whole generation of Jews has come to embrace the words of the prophets and see in the message of the Rabbis of old, the spiritual meaning and relevance they seek. Debbie's music gives voice to the soul that modern life too often ignores - the soul of individuals and the soul of our People.
On September 10, 1998 Debbie Friedman received the prestigious Covenant Award for her tremendous contribution to Jewish education in America. A singer, songwriter, and guitarist Debbie has recorded 13 albums. Originally influenced by American popular music of the 1960's and 70's -- Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Beaz, Judy Collins and Melissa Manchester -- she has been influencing younger singers and songwriters with her own style. Debbie has performed in hundreds of cities in the United States and Canada, Europe and Israel. Her music is not just being sung and performed in synagogues, but also in churches, schools, camps, and community centers throughout North America and Europe. This concert marks the 25th anniversary of the beginning of her musical career.
A native of Minnesota, Debbie served as cantor for three years at a Reform Congregation in Los Angeles. She has directed music and singing programs at the University of Judaism, Los Angeles, the University of California at Santa Cruz, Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, and the Brandeis Bardein Institute. She has appeared before national conventions for most of the major Jewish organizations, including the General Assembly of Jewish Federations, Hadassah, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Cantors Assembly, the Institute of Jewish Educators, CAJE, Whizin Institute, NATE, NATA, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Woman for Reform Judaism, World Union for Progressive Judaism, World Jewish Congress, American Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee, the National Federation of Temple Youth, United Synagogue Youth.
She received the Bennett H. Walzer Memorial Judaic Arts Award - North Shore in Glencoe IL in 1992 and 1994, and the Steven S. Wise Jewish Education Award. Debbie is an honorary lifetime member of the National Federation of Temple Youth.