Friday, April 25, 2025 - Sunday, April 27, 2025, 6:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Congregation Torat El
301 Monmouth Road
Oakhurst, NJ 07755
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Raised Catholic, Coleen Dieker sings in an Irish punk and Jewish band. Coleen, 31, doesn’t just play Jewish music. She’s in an Irish rock band called Flannigan’s Right Hook, and she can sing in Turkish and Spanish.
Coleen Dieker isn’t your typical Jewish soul singer. A Korean-American musical prodigy who plays everything from violin to guitar to piano, Dieker was raised in a devout Catholic home where she played church music every Sunday with her three siblings. But after a rebellious stint in her 20s in which she struggled with addiction and depression and gave up religion, Dieker stumbled into an unusual gig with a traveling Jewish prayer band in Kansas City. “I didn’t really know anything about Jews because I grew up going to Catholic school and had never really connected to Jewish communities or people,” she said.
Dieker got sucked into the world of bar mitzvahs, Jewish holidays and Shabbat, and before she knew it was rediscovering spirituality – this time from a Jewish vantage point. “All the music I play follows my spiritual journey,” she said. “I fell in love with Jewish music.” Dieker started working at a Reform synagogue in 2012 as a pianist, quickly picking up Hebrew and helping lead songs during services. A year later she became the musical director at The Temple-Congregation B’nai Jehuda in Overland Park, Kansas, working with the rabbi to redesign the congregation’s High Holiday services. Her interest in Judaism deepened, and she took her first trip to Israel. On Hanukkah 2016 she formally converted to Judaism. She chose for herself the Hebrew name Rafaela Zimra.
We hope you’ll join us for this special weekend. Please make your reservations below for the events you will be attending.
Friday, April 25 – Shabbat Service & Dinner 6:00pm ~ Coleen will join Rabbi Schonbrun in leading services and singing/playing with our very own CTEast Street Band.
Saturday, April 26 – Sabbat Service & Kiddush Lunch ~ Coleen will join Rabbi Schonbrun for Shabbat morning service, followed by Kiddush lunch with song and teaching.
Sunday, April 27 – 3:00pm ~ Concert featuring Coleen and friends.