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Adam Kleinberg, after learning

that he won the 2011 Hallelujah

competition in Israel

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Meet Hallelujah 2011 contest winner
Adam Kleinberg and Yair Gafni, director
of a "national Zionist project."

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Rachel Marder

JointMedia News Service

A

dam Kleinberg has the rock
star look and sound down
pat. With a coif of heavy,
brown dreadlocks, and dressed mostly
in black and leather, this 22-year-old
Mexican Jew has a powerful voice with
deep range.
Kleinberg took first prize in last
year's Hallelujah global Jewish singing
contest, a Hebrew singing competi-
tion in Israel that was revived after 17
years on hiatus. Along with 11 other
finalists, Kleinberg performed for
Israeli television viewers as a lineup
of judges representing Israeli music
royalty — Yehoram Gaon, David
Broza, Achinoam Nini (Noa), Hanan
Yovel, DJ Skazi and musical producer
Kobi Oshrat — selected a winner, a la
American Idol.
In the final show, Kleinberg per-
formed a memorable rendition of his
original submission, "Lo Kal" by Israeli
rock band Hayehudim, and won a
cash prize, the chance to collaborate
on a song with an Israeli singer and
the opportunity to perform for Jewish
communities around the world.
Kleinberg, who is a distant cousin
of David Ben-Gurion, recently released
his first single, "Geshem," with Israeli
singer Momi Levy (the original is by
Meir Banai).
From the moment he heard the
song, which in English means "Rain,"
Kleinberg says he fell in love with it.
"I really felt what the song is about
and all the meaning of the words, and
I thought I could really give the song
its meaning;' he tells JointMedia News
Service.
The young singer, who already
speaks Hebrew fluently, says he listens
to "Geshem" from his home in Mexico

City via the Internet. It is now being
played on Israeli radio and soon will hit
Jewish radio stations around the world.
At the age of 13, while preparing for
his bar mitzvah, Kleinberg says his
synagogue cantor noticed his talent
and encouraged him to take up sing-
ing. His cantor, also an opera singer,
brought Kleinberg on board to sing
at Shabbat services. Kleinberg also
began writing his own songs and
soon after formed his first band, UFN
(Until Further Notice), whose sound
he describes as "happy punk" music.
In 2009, after about two years of
performing, Kleinberg picked up and
left Mexico for Israel to participate in
Habonim Dror's yearlong program for
high school graduates.
Kleinberg grew up in Habonim
Dror, a Zionist youth movement, hav-
ing participated both as a camper and
counselor for a decade.
"We spoke a lot about Israel, about
aliyah, about Zionism:' he says.
During his year in Israel, Kleinberg
says he heard about the Hallelujah
contest from one of his group leaders.
He began reading about it online and
decided to post his video submission.
When he heard of his acceptance a
month later, he says he could not wait
to return to Israel.
Far from being competitive and
stressful, Kleinberg says, the contest
felt much more like friends and musi-
cians hanging out, with occasional
performances for judges.
The young singer admits to being
nervous at the finals — and even sur-
prised he won.
"There were people who studied
music for a long time. I didn't study
music my whole life he says. "It was
really a surprise that all the judges
chose me before people who really
studied music."

