The Boston Phoenix has published a terrific article on the Music Festival. A big shout out to Jon Garelick for his fine work that captured so much of the spirit. Nice picture of Ruth Dolores Weiss, too! Hope you have your tickets--they are going fast!

You can read the article here: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/97500-jew-note/

Jim 

 

There was a very nice article about the Festival in the Jewish Advocate this week. It's unbelievably exciting. The Festival direct mail brochure goes to the printer today and should be delivered within 2 weeks.  And Sunday night, we kick things off with Habanot Nechama. This Festival is no longer a dream, Its real. And it is going to be spectacular.

Well look at that. Some very nice media coverage in the Newton Tab. Yes, that's my jukebox in the background. I think we it was playing Patsy Cline (not Kline or Klein) singing WillieNelson's Crazy. Which must be what Jim and I are to be doing this. http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x1145288106/Newton-resident-co-producing-Bostons-first-Jewish-music-festival
 

But the Festival has received some incredible financial support over the last two weeks and everything planned will be officially announced after January 1.

It is through our music, our literature, our art, drama and dance that we tell the story of our past and we express our hopes for the future. Our artists challenge our assumptions in ways that many cannot and do not. They expand our understandings, and push us to view our world in new and very unexpected ways….. 

"It's through this constant exchange -- this process of taking and giving, this process of borrowing and creating -- that we learn from each other and we inspire each other.

 And ... people who might not speak a single word of the same language, who might not have a single shared experience, might still be drawn together when their hearts are lifted by the notes of a song, or their souls are stirred by a vision on a canvas.

"That is the power of the arts -- to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common; to help us understand our history and imagine our future; to give us hope in the moments of struggle; and to bring us together when nothing else will.  That is what we celebrate here today.”  

Michelle Obama,  September 25, 2009

Thank you, Mrs. Obama. You have expressed why having a Boston Jewish Music Festival is so important.  Now, more than ever, we need the creativity, the joy, and the inspiration that great art offers us.  Whether you dance down the aisle to Golem and the Klezmer Conservatory Band or bask in the beauty of Bloch's choral masterpiece, The Sacred Service, you can help make this Festival happen.

From casual friends to community leaders, the response to the Boston Jewish Music Festival is unanimous. "That would be an incredible program IF only you can get it funded." Well, they're right.  It will be an incredible event. But there can be no IFs. Boston is the only city with such a large Jewish population that DOES NOT have a Jewish music festival.  This is far too important an opportunity to hinge on an IF.

Yes, the economy is horribly difficult for many of us.  But we can't allow that to stop our community from innovating, from creating, and from celebrating! In difficult times, we need Jewish music more than ever. To inspire us. To unite us. And to give us pride and faith in the future.

Demographic research shows that music is an essential tool for reaching out and connecting to younger Jews. Can we afford to stop the music? Can we skip a generation or two from finding a meaningful entry into Jewish faith because the stock market is down? Can we wait a few more years to experience 88-year old National Heritage Fellow Flory Jagoda?

The answer is obviously no.

There is no IF for the Boston Jewish Music Festival. It is something we need to enrich our lives and our community. I urge you help the Festival in any way you can. We are crazy to do this. Aren't you glad it's contagious?