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.

Here's a great interview with Flory Jagoda, Ladino cultural treasure, who will be coming to the Festival on Tuesday, March 9. This woman is INCREDIBLE and not to be missed.

 

http://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/3184/ocho-kandelikas/?utm_source=Tablet+Magazine+List&utm_campaign=3d12efed52-12_15_2009&utm_medium=email

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.

Just a quick note. The major marketting push for the Festival will kick off in January. But our program line-up is just about to be officially confirmed. So be sure to have all your friends register their email list with us.

Also, as the year comes to an end, here's a subtle reminder that ANY DONATIONS MADE TO BJMF ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. Subtle, eh?  You can give on line, just by clicking on  http://bjmfestival.org/index.php/you-can-help.

 And as you get ready Chanukah,  here is a lively version of a Flory Jagoda holiday classic (not by Flory but Daddo has great hair!).

I attended the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial a week ago (full disclosure: I'm a member of their North American Board and on several commissions for the Reform movement). Held in Toronto, more than 3,000 Reform Jews gathered for five days of learning, meetings, worship, workshops, being together...and some pretty amazing music. Kudos to Josh Nelson, in particular, who was music director for the entire week. (Josh, as you may know, grew up in the Boston area and attended BU--now he's living in Brooklyn and touring extensively; he's one of the most exciting and powerful performers in Jewish music.)

The Saturday evening highlight of the Biennial was a musical/mixed media event entitled "Faithjam," created by well-known Jewish musician Craig Taubman, and it was extraordinary. It brought together: a slew of Jewish musicians; an Arabic singer and music ensemble; an African American Gospel Choir; a Japanese drumming group; and the 50 voice biennial choir, along with dance video and spoken word. It was, as the program said, "An interfaith celebration designed to build bridges of cultural exchange between various faith communities."

And that it did! Imagine a woman cantor and an Arabic singer standing together singing; a guitar playing Jew and a Gospel choir in harmony; an imam, minister and rabbi exchanging blessings in their own languages and joining arms beneath the rabbi's tallis. The music was powerful, and the connections were palpable and strong. It brought everyone to their feet, clapping, crying, singing... together. It also kicked off an anti-hunger project, with audience members taking home bags to pack with groceries.

It was a perfect example of the power and connection that perhaps only music can bring. The spirit that enables us to transcend difference and lifts us to new heights and a different place. Which is precisely why we are planning the Boston Jewish Music Festival. Our aim is create a way to connect, lift and empower us all through Jewish music. A way to celebrate and create harmony. We hope you'll join us in this venture. (And PS: we're talking to Craig Taubman about replicating Faithjam here in Boston in the near future).

Jim

Lats night, I went to the New Center for Arts and Culture program with Roger Bennett on the history of Jewish albums.  In emailing Roger, I discovered these great Chanukah cards that are supporting his research. Here's the link to them. http://www.idelsohnsociety.com/products.html

And speaking of Chanukah, don't forget that Rick Recht, will be performing a special Community Chanukah Concert on Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 7PM Congregation Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street, Brookline.  Tickets for this event are $12 each, with a maximum of $45 per family and can be purchased online at www.congki.org, or by calling 617.277.9155 x215.  Tickets are also available in the synagogue office, or at Kolbo Judaica Shop, 437 Harvard Street, Brookline. This is great way to for the entire family to celebrate Chanukah together.

But the ultimate present this year? How about tickets to a Boston Jewish Music Festival event? We're hoping to have our ticketing system set-up in time for your holiday gift giving What could be better than concert tickets in one of those historic album Chanukah cards?

 

 

 

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.

I'm one of the lucky ones. I got to grow up in Mattapan, Boston's last urban shtetl. My dad is the youngest of nine so I had an aunt, uncle or cousin on almost every street in a ten block radius. We left in 1969 so my 13 years young brother, Les, grew up in Brookline.  His was a different world.  Mine was all Jewish. His was eclectic, international.  Mine was part of an extended family.  For him, the family was already geographically over-extended.  Growing up in my world, just about everywhere you went, you ran into someone who knew you. Someone who was related to you, who went to the same school or shul as you. On some deep,personal level, that's what I hope the Boston Jewish Music Festival will be like. Over the course of a week, I hope everyone runs into someone they know as a Festival event. Maybe someone you grew up with. Or went to school with. Maybe its a distant cousin you haven't seen since you were a star of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah circuit.

There's nothing like the feeling of entering a theater or auditorium with the anticipation of experiencing something wonderful with the distinct sense that you know a lot of the other people there.

Jewish music has the power to move us individually.  But it can also unite us as a community. Get ready to listen. Get ready to shmooz. And get ready to dance, too.  That's what being a community is all about.

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?

Last year in March, it was my great luck to sing in Carnegie Hall (and yes, and I practiced, practiced, practiced). I was part of a celebration of Israel’s 60th Anniversary which featured more than 200 choral singers and stars such as Theodore Bikel, Debbie Friedman, Cantors Abe Mizrahi and Jack Mendelsohn and others. It was organized by my friend Matthew Lazar, who founded and directs the Zamir Choral Foundation in New York.

It was an incredible gala and an unforgettable event—and certainly a highlight of my life! The finale included everyone on stage, and a capacity crowd of over 2,000 standing and singing Hatikvah together—as one. There were chills up many a spine and tears throughout the hall as we shared such a magnificent moment—an outpouring of power and unity, a sense of community that touched everyone present.

And I thought—wouldn’t it be important to do something like that here in Boston! Well, we’re working on it. The Boston Jewish Music Festival can be another beacon in the Boston Jewish community, bringing together young and old, hip and square, religious and secular, round and thin (and in between). But it’ll take your help. So c’mon—help us out in any way you can. I promise you’ll be glad you did.