Peter Himmelman

Grammy and Emmy nominated singer-songwriter, author, essayist

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Jul 13, 2025, 11:41 PM

The betrayal (entering the mindset of Gazan workers in the weeks before 10/7)

I want to share something that haunts me. Not because I agree with it—and certainly not because I find it morally acceptable. I want to explore it because it happened, because it is real. And because it has, in...

Jul 12, 2025, 12:32 PM

‘Family Tree’ (Written on 10/23/23)

Since October 7, 2023, I’ve written dozens of essays, five songs, and several poems — attempts to give voice to my feelings about the war against Israel, the disorientation of Jews in the galut, and those who steadfastly refuse...

Jul 9, 2025, 9:56 AM

640 Days On: Israel/Hamas—The West’s Moral Reckoning

The following is in response to an email I received last week. The person writing wasn’t hostile or inflammatory—just trying to make sense of things. Their concern was genuine. And because we live in a moment when so many...

Jul 6, 2025, 11:54 PM

Moving forward: Reflections from an American Jew

(courtesy)

Before 10/7, I'd been writing more softly—songs and prose. Quiet hopes. Phrases meant to express something about love, about longing, about the mystery of being alive. About beauty itself. But in the aftermath, what I wrote took on a different...

Jul 2, 2025, 3:06 AM

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz: My Words of Adoration

The author & Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (z”l)

In 2016, my wife, my younger son and I had an opportunity to meet privately with a person that Time magazine described as a “once-in-a-millennium scholar.” His name was Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. I was first introduced to Rabbi Steinsaltz’s writing...

Jun 30, 2025, 1:32 AM

The BBC’s Shame: Broadcasting ‘Death to the IDF’

Punk Hip-Hop Dup Tacitly Calls for the Death of Seven Million Jews. The BBC Is Complicit I won’t be writing overlong about a certain Punk Hip-Hop duo whose name I won’t mention—why advertise for them?—but whose moniker has been co‑opted,...

Jun 27, 2025, 5:58 AM

Zohran Mamdani: Calling for change in insidious ways

Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, June 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

This nomination normalizes language and behavior that is dangerous for all Americans and the increasingly polarized nation

Jun 25, 2025, 8:08 AM

The Stories We’re Given: Relating To The “Other”

In This Moment of Disconnection, how do we act toward people whose views seem diametrically opposed to our own, Contrary to the way many people react when they encounter someone with whom they vociferously disagree—which is to label them...

Jun 19, 2025, 10:26 PM

I’m a songwriter, not a warmonger. Confronting evil gives me hope.

Those surprised by an artist's support for the strike on Iran don't get that Israel is fighting a threat to the fragile idea of a civilized world

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About Me

Peter Himmelman is a Grammy and Emmy nominated rock and roll performer, songwriter, film composer, visual artist and award-winning author. He has been profiled in Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, Tablet, The Jerusalem Post, The Times Of Israel, and NPR. His newest book is: Suspended By No String: A Songwriter’s Refections On Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder (Regalo Press/Simon and Schuster) For more of his writing follow Peter at peterhimmelman.substack.com

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