Even though he loved music from an early age, Bruce Burger was never encouraged to become a musician by his family. So he earned a degree in engineering. But when music is in your soul it creates a path that you are compelled to follow. Burger remembers setting out from his upstate New York home in the midst of a snow storm with his guitar, a pair of shorts and a strong desire to explore the world of music in Los Angeles.
It was in L.A. that he finally found his sound….and his voice. After sharing a Shabbat dinner with an Orthodox family he was inspired to write “Sister Sarah.” At the age of 22, despite having been a secular Jew for many years, Burger felt the need to form closer ties with Judaism and took the name RebbeSoul.
When he added the melodies of nigunim and prayers to his repertoire he made a decision. “Every time I play as RebbeSoul, I put something on my head….To the great Rebbes, a nigun, a melody, is something that comes from the heart and goes straight to heaven without anything getting in the way. So when I do it, I want to make sure there is something on my head, out of respect.”
To strengthen his connection to the Jewish people even further, Burger made aliya in 2007. Now residing in Zichron Ya’acov, he is exploring his musical roots and enjoying where the journey is taking him.
