The House of Love and Prayer: A Radical Jewish Experiment in 1960s San Francisco

• In Event: Jewish Studies and Digital Humanities Workshop

Abstract

“The House of Love and Prayer” is the inaugural exhibition of Mapping Jewish San Francisco, a new digital humanities project of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice of the University of San Francisco. Mapping Jewish San Francisco takes a collaborative approach to examining the complex history and unique religious, cultural, and political identity of Jews who played important roles in shaping the San Francisco bay Area. Top scholars and experts—including university faculty, graduate students, and community leaders—will contribute exhibitions to tell stories of those individuals and institutions that shaped the Jewish San Francisco Bay Area over the last few centuries. Mapping Jewish San Francisco uses Scalar, an innovative digital technology that enables the user to travel numerous pathways to uncover and explore the history of Jews in this region. This project hopes to inspire original research, educational projects, and community initiatives throughout San Francisco and beyond. It is based on and developed in partnership with Mapping Jewish LA, a project of the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies.

“The House of Love and Prayer” exhibition documents the radical experiment of a synagogue and religious commune founded by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach during the counter-cultural revolution in 1960s San Francisco. An historical ethnography of The House of Love and Prayer, this digital humanities project inquires into the new Jewish identities and rituals that emerged from the intersection of traditional Hasidic Judaism and the “free spirit” of the Hippie subculture. Based on archival research and interviews with those who lived in and frequented The House of Love and Prayer, this project tells a seldom-told story about a unique moment in Jewish history, revealing the complexities of Jewish identities and Jewish experiences in post-Holocaust American Judaism. The exhibit is deeply interactive, with visitors able to see photos and posters, listen to music, watch video interviews, and read newsletters printed by residents of the House of Love and Prayer.

Author

• Oren Kroll-Zeldin, University of San Francisco