For the last seven years I’ve had the honor of working with Moving Traditions in building a national program for mentoring teen boys in the Jewish community, Shevet. This morning, that work received some national attention on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Eight years ago, the first time that I heard Jeremiah Lockwood’s band Sway Machinery play at Brooklyn Bowl, I listened to two galaxies of sound merge together in my mind for the first time. Lockwood, the grandson of a well-known cantor (Jacob Konigberg), grew up in Manhattan steeped in the traditions of Ashkenazi religious music. As a young musician he fell in love with American roots music and finger-picking guitar styles and studied under the legendary blues artist Carolina Slim…
I had the honor of writing a rabbinic commentary for Sh’ma Now (published by The Forward) Check it out here.
I’m wailing on the guitar as Deb Caplan belts out this Ramones classic – then we sing a little duet of a Joey Ramone-esque niggun and bring this song in for a soft landing.
Playing the Yiddish classic Suker Zis with Midnight Nosh. Vocals here by Deb Caplan.
Break out the make-up and silicon and send a brave El Salvadoran refugee woman To Mar a Lago (Ha-Birah) And declare a fast day And in the penthouse He will extend his scepter And she will touch his scepter For the sake of her people. (For the sake of her people. I know, disgusting. But that is the story.) And when the lawyer hands her the $120,000 check She will tear it up into 120,000 little pieces And she’ll negotiate…
From the summer issue of On Wisconsin Magazine! Crazy for Klezmer By Wendy Krause Hathaway PHOTO: RONEN TIVONY It took Rabbi Daniel Brenner ’92 until now to realize that he just wants to dance. Brenner has spent two decades finding innovative ways to connect young Jewish people with their faith. Newsweek named him one of America’s most influential rabbis for his work at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Auburn Theological Seminary, and Birthright Israel Foundation. He currently develops educational programs and trains…
I had a great time dancing with members of the Cedar Crest community. Photographer Bruce Cohen captured it beautifully…
I recently published an article in an online journal for Jewish education, www.jeducationworld.com about a new book for teens. You can check it out here.
Growing up in the Carolinas, I was lucky to hear plenty of Black gospel sounds. There were songs played at family picnics in the park near my house (Freedom Park in Charlotte, North Carolina), church organ grooves on Sunday morning on WPEG FM 98, and the occasional opportunity to go with my family to visit a Black church for an event or concert. I always wanted to sing along. Driving around town with my daughter this evening, this tune came…