Louis Kemp, a close friend and confidant of Bob Dylan, made Aliyah this month through Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and JNF-USA. Kemp, 82, lived in Los Angeles and grew up in the small town of Duluth, Minnesota, with his best friend from the local Jewish community–who would later become the legendary singer, Bob Dylan. The two met at summer camp when they were 11 years old and kept in touch over the years, with Dylan even serving as the best man at Kemp’s wedding.
In 2019, Kemp published Dylan and Me, a memoir that recounts his childhood with the famous singer. He also produced Dylan’s successful concert tour, Rolling Thunder Revue, in 1975. 4 View gallery Louis Kemp with two of his grandchildren In addition to being a writer, Kemp managed his family’s fishing company, The Louis Kemp Seafood Company, which became one of the largest fishing and seafood businesses in the US.
He later sold the company to entrepreneur Oscar Mayer, founder of a subsidiary of Heinz Kraft. Kemp has been very involved in the Jewish community in Los Angeles, where he was a founding member of Chabad in Pacific Palisades, California. He also founded the Discovery program, Aish HaTorah, which has reached more than half a million participants.
Now, in light of the current situation, Kemp is planning to establish an “oasis” in the US for people affected by the war—wounded, kidnapped, evacue.