From: "The Grateful Dead" article on "The Challah Fame: Who's Who in Jewish Rock" website (http://www.jewsrock.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=challah.view&page=G; viewed 23 November 2005):
From their early days in the San Francisco psychedelic scene to their one radio hit, 1987's "Touch of Grey," the Grateful Dead have always had a large Jewish following. Deadheadism is a lot like Judiasm. Fans of the Grateful Dead, like observant Jews, glean spiritual meaning from the intensive study of their chosen texts: in this case, song lyrics. They view themselves as misfits in the greater world but draw incredible strength from their own communities. And, as the joke goes, much like the Jews, Deadheads tend to follow around the Grateful Dead. Of course, the high number of Jews in the Dead's fanbase is echoed by the band's own Jewishness. Drummer Mickey Hart was raised Jewish, and the band's publicist and manager were both Jews.