When they met as students and Jewish camp song leaders more than 50 years ago, little did Cantor Jeff Klepper and Rabbi Dan Freelander know that their friendship and musical talents would help bring about a sea change in Jewish congregations, summer camps and gatherings around the world. The groundbreaking duo known as Kol B’Seder (“Everything’s OK” in Hebrew) have been marking 50 years of making music for Jewish rituals, holidays and celebrations—all influenced by the folk, pop and rock music of the 1960s and ’70s. Their many songs are sung around the world. The group brings their unique sound to Boston with a celebratory concert at Brookline’s Temple Sinai on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at 5 p.m.
Tickets are on sale online. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the camp scholarship funds of URJ Eisner Camp and URJ Crane Lake Camp.
The pair was largely influenced by the music they enjoyed in their youth—including artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, Simon and Garfunkel and many more. They were also moved by their close friend, the late Debbie Friedman, who had a profound impact on Jewish liturgical music. Friedman, Klepper and Freelander were instrumental in a movement that brought guitars and other instruments into services, wrote new music for worship and encouraged greater participation from members, including group singing. Joe Eglash of Transcontinental Music, the world’s leading publisher of Jewish music, said, “Jeff and Dan are true giants of Jewish music.” Both were long active in key positions in the Reform Jewish movement. Rabbi Freelander served as a senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism, where he held a variety of key positions for 39 years. He became head of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, the largest organization of liberal Jewish congregation worldwide, in 2015. He retired in 2019. Following his cantorial studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (the Reform seminary), Klepper lived in Haifa, Israel, serving as cantor at the Leo Baeck Education Center. He was cantor of Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois, from 1982 to 2000, and earned a master’s degree in music from Northeastern Illinois University. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from HUC-JIR in recognition of his 25th year in the cantorate. Most recently, he served as Temple Sinai of Sharon’s cantor from 2003 until his retirement in 2019; he was also instrumental as a leader in the group that created a new Reform prayer book. Both remain active in music, religious and organizational activities. “From the time we first met in 1971 — we were in college and teaching religious school — we enjoyed singing together, but we never imagined that our music would come to define a new Jewish sound of spirit and joy,” said Klepper. “It was a natural, organic phenomenon,” Freelander said. “The campers of the 1970s and ’80s became the synagogue members and leaders of the ’90s and 21st century. And they brought their favorite Jewish camp melodies to their congregations.” The pair published a new anthology of their music and issued a new two-disc album of their music, “We Are Partners,” to mark this anniversary. The pair added: “This amazing 50-year journey has been a blessing that has far exceeded our dreams or expectations. We’re proud that our music has been a source of joy and meaning for so many.”
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