08/30/2026
This Shabbat, our sanctuary had a little extra sparkle. Cantor Melissa Cohen offered a heartfelt Adon Olam set to the tune of 9 to 5, a loving nod to Dolly Parton, who passed away this week at age 80. Her music, her generosity, and her unmistakable joy touched millions, including our own community.
As we remember her, here are a few meaningful Jewish connections from Dolly’s remarkable life:
She helped inspire PJ Library.
Dolly’s Imagination Library, her program that mails free books to children, directly inspired philanthropist Harold Grinspoon to create PJ Library, which now sends Jewish books to families in 40 countries. When they met in 2023, Dolly told him: “I am honored to get to help inspire a love of reading in children. They truly are our future.”
Her closest longtime manager was Jewish.
Dolly worked for more than 20 years with Sandy Gallin, a Brooklyn‑born Jewish talent agent who helped her expand into TV, film, and broader stardom. She once said of their friendship: “Nobody could quite get how the Christian Southern girl and the New York Jewish boy could have so much in common. But it was real.”
Her crossover success came through Jewish songwriters and producers.
Her first major pop hit, "Here You Come Again," was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, a Jewish husband‑and‑wife songwriting team, and produced by Gary Klein, also Jewish. The song earned Dolly her first Grammy and helped launch her mainstream career.
Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of kindness, literacy, empowerment, and boundless creativity. May her memory be a blessing, and may her music continue to lift our spirits, from Nashville to our own bimah.
