Monday, October 11, 2010

Wanna Buy Bob Dylan's Bar Mitzvah Shul? It's Only $119,000


The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported yesterday that the shul where Bob Dylan had his Bar Mitzvah is for sale.

According to JTA, 
The former home of Agudath Achim Synagogue in Hibbing, Minn., where the former Bobby Zimmerman became a man in 1963, has belonged to Eric and Brenda Shafer-Pellinen since 2001. Their hopes to turn the building into a bed-and-breakfast failed to materialize.

The building is listed on Craigslist for $119,000. Shafer-Pellinen told the Duluth News Tribune that she is also reaching out to Dylan fans via websites such as expectingrain.com and dylanradio.com.

Item No. 8 on Hibbing's official Bob Dylan Walk, the building still has its original stained-glass windows, one boasting a Star of David, and two kitchens, indicating the congregation prepared separate meat and milk dishes.
Bob Dylan has been a supporter of Jewish causes, notably Chabad, which he says is his favorite organization in the whole world.

Here's a video of Dylan playing Hava Nagila on the harmonica on a Chabad telethon in 1989.  Singing along with him is his son-in-law, Peter Himmelman, a singer in his own right and an observant Jew.  And who's the guy in the white suit?  You may recognize him.  He's Harry Dean Stanton, who's been playing the role of Roman Grant, the manipulative leader/prophet of a polygamous sect in the HBO series Big Love.  

The first two and a half minutes of this clip is a performance by Sammy Davis Jr., and then Dylan appears.  Enjoy!


1 comment:

  1. The Stealing of James Damiano's Songs by Bob Dylan

    http://jamesdamiano.yolasite.com/

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