Hipster Judaism is popping up all over

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — His act has been likened to a "Saturday Night Live" skit: Picture a Hasidic Jew, garbed in traditional black attire, jumping around on a concert stage as if he's some strange amalgam of Mick Jagger, Little Richard and your latest rap- and reggae-influenced rock star.

In this case, he is your latest rock star: Meet Matisyahu, an Orthodox Jew whose recent single, "King Without a Crown," has cracked the upper echelons of Billboard magazine's "Hot 100" pop chart.

But Matisyahu is hardly an isolated phenomenon.

Take a look at pop culture these days and "hipster Judaism," as the phenomenon has been dubbed, is just about everywhere.

It's on television: Consider the new show coming to cable's Learning Channel: "Shalom in the Home," starring Shmuley Boteach, an Orthodox rabbi who counsels troubled families. Think Dr. Phil with a Yiddish accent.

It's in the bookstore: Consider two popular tomes from last year — Abigail Pogrebin's "Stars of David," a look at Jewish actors, writers, politicians and other celebrities, from Sarah Jessica Parker to Larry King, and "Bar Mitzvah Disco," a celebration of the Jewish rite of passage in all its campy excessiveness.

It's at the clothing store: Consider the cleverly designed T-shirts that declare "Moses is my homeboy" or that ask, "Who's your rabbi?" Even the trendy clothier Urban Outfitters has gotten into the act with its "Everyone Loves a Jewish Girl" tees.

And it's at the record store — beyond Matisyahu, that is: Consider the Jewish-oriented label JDub Records, which not only put Matisyahu on the map but also has a roster that includes the LeeVees, the band behind the recent Hanukkah Rocks album.

In many ways, this marriage of Judaism and pop culture has been set in motion for at least a decade. In some cases, it came from within the Jewish community: When Adam Sandler introduced his now classic "Hanukkah Song," a paean to all things (and all people) Jewish, on "Saturday Night Live" in 1994 — sample lyric: "David Lee Roth lights the menorah / So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas and the late Dinah Shore-ah" — he created a kind of template.

But you can't overlook the role of non-Jews in bringing Judaism to the mainstream. Madonna led the way with her embrace of Kaballah, a form of Jewish mysticism. But she's since been joined by everyone from Demi Moore to Paris Hilton. Britney Spears even has Hebrew letters tattooed on the back of her neck.