Biography
Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
In 1972after a six-month spell in the UK touring company of the musical “Hair”Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair opened SARM Studiosthe first 24-track recording studio in Europe where Queen mixed “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
His music publishing companyDruidcrest Music published the music for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1973)
He co-produced the 5 million-selling debut album by American band “Foreigner” (1976). American Top ten singles from this album included“Feels Like The First Time”“Cold as Ice” and “LongLong Way from Home”. Other production work included “The Enid – In the Region of the Summer Stars”“The Curves”and “Nutz” as well as the “Marvin” singles based on The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy .
Other artists who used SARM included: ABCAlison MoyetArt of NoiseBrian MayThe BugglesThe ClashFrankie Goes To HollywoodGrace JonesIt BitesMalcolm McLarenNik KershawPropagandaRichard O’BrienRushRik MayallStephen Duffyand Yes.
He returned to the stage in 1983. After appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in a dramatized reading directed by Howard Davies. He moved to Hollywood and appeared in “Moonlighting,” “Half-Moon Street,” and “Days Of Our Life.”
In 1987he settled in Jerusalem to immerse himself in the study of Torah. His two Torah books The Color of Heavenon the weekly Torah portionand Seasons of the Moon met with great critical acclaim. Seasons of the Moona unique fine-art black-and-white photography book combining poetry and Torah essayshas now sold out and is much sought as a collector’s item fetching up to $250 for a mint copy.
In 2020going back to his musical rootsRabbi Sinclair started a band “The OHRchestra” harnessing talented Ohr Somayach talmidim.
He is much in demand as an inspirational speaker both in IsraelGreat Britain and the United States. He was Plenary Keynote Speaker at the Agudas Yisrael Conventionand Keynote Speaker at Project Inspire in 2018.
Rabbi Sinclair now lectures in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy at Ohr Somayach/Tannenbaum College of Judaic studies in Jerusalem and is a senior staff writer of the Torah internet publications Ohrnet and Torah Weekly. His articles have been published in The Jewish ObserverAmerican Jewish SpiritAJOP NewsletterZurich’s Die Jüdische ZeitungSouth African Jewish Report and many others.
Rabbi Sinclair was born in Londonand lives with his family in Jerusalem. He was educated at St. Anthony’s Preparatory School in HampsteadClifton Collegeand Bristol University where he read Drama and English.
