
How Leonard Cohen found his Hallelujah
Meet the filmmakers of a new documentary about Cohen’s most famous song

Thu, Jul 7, 2022
3 P.M. ET
Zoom
THANKS TO ALL WHO JOINED US!
This event was recorded and is available to readers of the Forward.
Everyone knows the song “Hallelujah,” but does it matter which you heard? Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine’s new film, “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” explores how a single from Cohen’s neglected album “Various Positions” – which Columbia refused to grant an American release – became a standard of singing competitions, weddings, funerals and ceremonies of national mourning.
Interviewing Cohen’s collaborators, his rabbi and the musicians who made the song their own, Geller and Goldfine unpack what makes the song so resonant to so many, while never ignoring the Jewish roots that shaped its creation. They even had exclusive access to journals with Cohen’s many alternate verses, illuminating how the song took shape over many years. Join culture reporter PJ Grisar as he speaks with Goldfine and Geller their process and what the song has come to mean to them.
Engage
Upcoming Events
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Tucker Carlson calls for stripping citizenship from Americans who served in the Israeli army
- 2
Film & TV The new ‘Superman’ is being called anti-Israel, but does that make it pro-Palestine?
- 3
Opinion This German word explains Trump’s authoritarian impulses — and Hitler’s rise to power
- 4
News Meet the Jews who helped elect Zohran Mamdani
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Israel is so concerned about homegrown Iranian spies it is launching a PR campaign to dissuade them
-
Books Legendary ‘King of Comedy’ Jerry Lewis placed a weekly Jewish deli order, his son recalls
-
Antisemitism Decoded How Grok’s Nazi escapade perfectly captured our antisemitic moment
-
Fast Forward Columbia adopts controversial antisemitism definition as it negotiates with Trump administration