Holy Brother

the long version

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was one of the most original and inspired Jewish personalities of the twentieth century. The episodes retold here by Reb Shlomo's followers and admirers underscore his unfailing generosity, his capacity to love unconditionally, and his desire to reconnect every Jew with his or her heritage. As a whole, the collection reveals how many individuals were touched by Reb Shlomo, and serves as a moving tribute to the man many consider a tzaddik (righteous one). The diversity of the tales is staggering, and reveals how intensely active Reb Shlomo was in his pursuit of Jews and others who needed care. Reb Shlomo's outreach to the young seekers of Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s; his gift of his own tefillin (phylacteries), left to him by his father, to a Russian boy who had none for his bar-mitzvah; his uncanny ability to guide others at crossroads; his relationship with the homeless community of New York's Upper West Side - the range of his activities and his contributions is inexhaustible.