{"id":2163749,"date":"2025-11-18T06:30:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T06:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2163749"},"modified":"2025-11-18T06:30:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T06:30:22","slug":"hasidic-pop-star-alnev-is-bridging-faith-and-music-in-new-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/hasidic-pop-star-alnev-is-bridging-faith-and-music-in-new-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Hasidic pop star Alnev is bridging faith and music in new EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Growing up in a Hasidic family, Ari Rabin<\/strong> would secretly share one of his sister\u2019s earbuds to listen to Taylor Swift. He was just 10 \u2014 the son of a rabbi who ran a girls\u2019 school \u2014 and pop music was his quiet rebellion. Alongside Swift, he listened to One Direction and Justin Bieber, sneaking in bits of the secular world that rarely entered his home.<\/p>\n

Now 24, Rabin, who performs under the name Alnev, lives in Crown Heights, home to the center of the Chabad movement. He says that while music was always part of his life, he never imagined himself becoming a singer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always quiet with my voice,\u201d he told Unpacked. \u201cI was super lowkey about it. I guess I was shy. I didn\u2019t know if I was any good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The birth of Alnev\u2019s creativity<\/h3>\n

Although Alnev was raised in Florida, his early education was in a Chabad high school with an intense focus on Torah study.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were strict on the dress code with the black hat and jacket, and I didn\u2019t necessarily connect to it,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI also wanted more English studies and was thinking about going to college.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alnev\"\n<\/picture>
Ari Rabin (courtesy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 10th grade, he transferred to a Chabad alternative boarding school in Pennsylvania. It was still religious, but the atmosphere was different \u2014 one that encouraged students to explore their personal connection with God.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what it would be like,\u201d he said. \u201cAll I knew was that I would learn secular studies, have access to my phone once a week, and generally have more freedom. It ended up being the best decision I ever made.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that school, Alnev began writing songs and performed live for the first time. His classmates praised his lyrics, and their reactions helped him realize that music could be a meaningful outlet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never really a fan of Jewish music,\u201d he said. \u2018It didn\u2019t speak to me. To me, it was important not to just quote a pasuk<\/em> (sentence from the Torah); it was important to write creative lyrics that showed vulnerability that people could relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music also became a way for him to make sense of his own story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was mostly writing about processing my childhood experiences,\u201d Rabin added. \u201cI had some difficulties with my parents. I was trying to formulate my feelings at 15. It was my first time leaving the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ari\"Ari\n<\/picture>
Ari Rabin, otherwise known as Alnev (Courtesy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Becoming \u201cThe Writer\u201d<\/h3>\n

During Sukkot, he would stand on street corners holding a lulav and etrog, asking passersby if they wanted to make the blessing. Other times, he would walk up to men and ask if they were Jewish and wanted to put on tefillin.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some people were happy to participate, he said, while others reacted angrily or brushed him off. A few even denied being Jewish altogether. The experience taught him a lot about how people respond to vulnerability \u2014 something he later found mirrored in performing music. The same openness and risk it takes to approach a stranger, he explained, are also required to share one\u2019s art.<\/p>\n

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