Blog Archives

let's create together: an invitation

12/26/2017

So remember in my last post how I talked about spending time at home in January to write and create and stuff?

This is where you come in.

I LOVE taking the liturgy and sacred texts from Jewish tradition and finding new ways to understand them, new ways to see the truths in them. If you've been following along this far, you know that this love of playing with language and meaning often shows up in my songs.

Winter can be a dark time for the emotions as well as the sky. And it's usually a time when I hibernate a little, go underground and just listen. So as part of the time I devote to that this winter, I want to hear from you.
What pieces of Jewish liturgy do you love, what texts do you come back to again and again?
And why?
Fellow MOT's (Members Of the Tribe) -- we come from a pretty wordy people. And that is why I am inviting you to take part in a conversation with me, about the words in our Jewish tradition and how they speak to us. And how we respond to them.

I am seeking your wisdom and insight.

If you want to be part of this conversation, please use the contact form here at the web site and be in touch.
Soon.
Because I'm spending this next month focusing on reflection, wisdom and creating and I'd love for you to hang out with me in the process. What texts or prayers move you, and why? What do you hear or feel in the words? What do you wish you could hear in them? I want to know.

I cannot wait to hear from you!
All the best to you and your loved ones in 2018.
Talk with you soon!

Pointing to my Bat Mitzvah portion in the Torah scroll, Fall 2015

0 Comments

2018 already?! (Well, next week)

12/24/2017

0 Comments

At home today, watching freezing rain fall outside and knowing that between the weather and it being Christmas Eve, I'm staying put tonight.
It's okay. I've been looking ahead to 2018 with some hope and even a little excitement.
In January, it's kabbalat services at Havurah Shalom (my home shul), some open mics around town, and some dedicated time to creating new songs.
In February, I'll be returning to St. Louis for Song Leader Boot Camp, that amazing gathering of Jewish leaders from across North America, where I'll learn and teach and sing and recharge my batteries.
March will include a couple of coffee house shows and possibly a house concert in Portland and maybe Seattle (stay tuned).
April means Passover at home, followed by a visit to Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell, Georgia for a Shabbaton exploring the intersection of environmental stewardship in Israel and Earth Day in America.
And this summer, I'll return to Machane Jehudah, the best Jewish Day Camp in the universe, for my SIXTH Incredible June of music-making and ruach at Congregation B'nai Jehudah in Overland Park, KS.
Dates are still being added for this spring, mostly in Portland and the Pacific NW.

Looking farther ahead, I'm working on a return trip to Houston next year, and potential visits to New York and Philadelphia. I've also begun assembling what will be a fabulous, fun tour in Florida for next Chanukah. I've already got dates booked in Boca Raton, and have begun conversations with communities in Miami and Orlando as well. Stay tuned for details!

If you celebrate Christmas, may tonight and tomorrow be sweet and may you and yours enjoy a holiday of warmth, light and peace.
And may all of us look ahead to a 2018 filled wiith more -- more love, more kindness, more joy and more peace.
(Below: the view from my front door this morning. Freezing rain mixed with a little snow. Today's high of 32F was already reached and now it's down to 27F. The birds don't seem to mind as long as the feeder's full.)

0 Comments

Knee-deep in the hoopla

12/11/2017

0 Comments

Wow.
What an amazing weekend in Boston!
I was so blessed to participate in the URJ Biennial, held this year in historic Boston.
If you're a leader of a synagogue or camp and we spoke at Biennial, please know that I will be in touch soon to talk with you!
If you enjoyed my performances, Thank you for coming and I am SO glad you enjoyed the music!
And if you were one of the many performing artists who came up to me during the Biennial to introduce yourself -- or so we could meet in person for the first time after months or years of electronic communication -- Thank you! I am so gratified to meet others who are called to do this holy work, and it was an absolute delight to spend time with you!
Special thanks for Stacy Beyer, Beth Schafer, Sue Horowitz, EJ Cohen and Jared Stein for sharing their songs and delighting in each other at our Harmony In Unison live presentation on Friday afternoon. What a privilege to share the stage with you all and to bask in the glow of your beautiful gifts. I hope it won't be too terribly long before we see each other again!
(The event has been archived for viewing on the Harmony In Unison Facebook group.)

Another special thank you goes out to Nancy Swartz and the Congregation of Beth Am/Beth Abraham in Randolph, MS for hosting me on Saturday at Shabbat services and kiddush. Although weather forced the cancellation of my Havdalah Cafe concert on Saturday evening, rest assured that I am already working on ways to return and make it up for all of us.

Chanukah begins tomorrow night. As I light the first candle with my wife, at home in Portland, I wish that the lights of the festival will warm our hearts and gladden our eyes as we dream of how we can create better days for all of us in the months to come. Let's use this time to rededicate ourselves to doing the work we are called to, so that we can push the pendulum back towards a world that is once again kinder and more fair for all.

L-R: Me, Jared Stein, EJ Cohen, Stacy Beyer, Sue Horowitz & Beth Schafer at URJ Biennial, Dec 2017

0 Comments