Major movers and shakers in Philadelphia's economy were among the 1500 supporters at Saturday night's 155th Anniversary Academy of Music Concert and Ball, including (left to right) Ron and Rachelle Kaiserman, Robert and Caroline Zuritsky, and Renee and Joe Zuritsky.
The Philadelphia Orchestra's 155th Academy of Music Anniversary Concert and Ball featured the debut on the Academy of Music stage of. Music Director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin , with special guests multiple Grammy Award®-winners singer/pianist Diana Krall and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Tipping its hat once again to the first Academy concert, the program was a mix of popular and classical music, just as the 1857 opening concert was.
Jazz performer Krall surprised the audience by calling back on stage her friend and collaborator, Yo-Yo Ma, to the delight of everyone.
If the bid for the Republican nomination has got you down, if spring time in February makes you wonder about global warming, if robo-calls during dinner time exasperate you, you might want to head to InterAct Theatre's lively production of Microcrisis, a new satire written by Michael Lew and directed by Seth Rozin. The play takes you from a Monaco casino to a Washington D.C racquetball court in a fast-paced 80 minute romp that follows characters through a corrupt microcredit investment scheme not unfamiliar to most Americans.
Christopher Durang's Why Torture is Wrong, And The People Who Love Them
New City Stage Company's 2011-2012 season began on December 10th at the Adrienne Theatre Main Stage with a Philadelphia premiere of Christopher Durang's satire Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, directed by Michael K. Brophy. The play is part of season called The Terror Within, a body of work that considers political and ethical questions posed a decade after 9/11. What does it mean to live in a world of terrorists?
A Review of Gypsy by Dewey Oriente and Tony Cassidy
It was swell! It was great! Opening night of Gypsy at Bristol Riverside Theatre was first rate! What can be called the crowning jewel of BRT's 25th Anniversary Season Gypsy, starring the four-time Tony Award nominated Broadway veteran Tovah Feldshuh, moved the audience (especially these two
reviewers) in a way that we have never seen Rose portrayed. Tovah's take on the iconic role took the character from the highs and lows living her life vicariously through her daughter's careers and wrapped them up in a truly unique package of when her character needed to take action, the fire in her eyes and the raving richness of her bellowing voice showed that she was a force to be reckoned with. Tovah's Rose never shuts down, as we can see she is always simmering even when she is in the background. We have seen many a Rose take us on the journey, but this would be the first time we felt the driving force pushing us into the story as she pushed her daughters into theirs. Mazal Tov to you, Tovah for this truly rare look into Rose's life.
Broadway veteran and four time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh will star as Momma Rose in the Julie Styne-Sondheim-Arthur Laurents musical Gypsy at the Bristol Riverside Theatre December 6, 2011—January 15, 2012. I had the chance to interview Ms. Feldshuh about the upcoming show and her life as a performer.
Gypsy opens on December 8, which is a good omen, as Tovah noted it's the yahrzeit (anniversary) of Golda Meir's passing as well as the date of her own Bat Mitzvah. Tovah performed Golda's Balcony, the longest running one-woman show on Broadway, at the Bristol Riverside in 2010.
Tovah was not always called Tovah: "I was named after my Aunt Tilley who died in her 30s from tuberculosis. The Sue comes from my Great Grandmother." After she changed her name from Terry Sue to Tovah, her Hebrew name, and began her performance career Tovah said that "it changed the landscape of my life." She starred in Yentl on Broadway and in Golda's Balcony on Broadway, the longest running one-woman show. But interestingly, she has worked hard not to let her notable Jewish name typecast her: "I've played all kinds of roles from Diana Vreeland to judge Danielle Melnick in Law & Order and now, Rose in Gypsy. What's in a name? Everything."
Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." Following the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage, the musical contains many popular standards, including
Today we observe Veterans Day. May we all remember and honor the service given to our country by these brave men and women in uniform. They upheld the values of our country and, as young as they were when sent into service, they gave it all they had. We owe it to them to remember their service.
On October 18th, I attended a ceremony dedicated to the 14 Jewish chaplains who'd fallen during service to the United States. Their names are engraved on a plaque that was on exhibit that day at the National Museum of American Jewish History and a week later was installed on Chaplains Hill at Arlington National Cemetery. The moving moment for me was the sight of the aged veterans, in full military regalia, snap to attention and salute the flag while we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Being a child of the 60's, I grew up in an era when we distrusted authority (and anyone over 30). Saying the Pledge was perfunctory and maybe also ironic. Singing the national anthem invariably induced some jokester to call out, "Play ball." But it was no joke for these veterans of America's wars. They remember their fallen comrades and why they were posted to foreign lands, regardless of whether it was the right strategic move. The values they upheld were of civic and religious freedom (and the "pursuit of happiness" which our religious forefathers did not mean the right to shop until we drop).
4th Annual Israeli JazzPhest Offers International Flare
From South to West Philadelphia and Center City to the 'Burbs, November will be filled with the eclectic sound of the Israeli JazzPhest (November 10-20). This year's JazzPhest hosts five dynamic ensembles each with a unique voice - fusing jazz with a wide range of musical forms and genres from around the world.
Theater critics should add caveats to their reviews. After reading the rave reviews in the Inquirer and the Main Line Times, I booked tickets for The Big Bang for my family. Judging from the number of young children in attendance for a comedy that deserves an R rating, I know that other parents were mislead by the praise for a zany, frenetic romp through history.
Following the Six Day War in 1967, the Soviet Union restricted Jewish emigration. The Soviet government feared that Jewish citizens would share valuable information about the Soviet Union with Israel and the United States. The American Jewish Community galvanized into action. American Jews were still ashamed of their lack of action when Jews were being annihilated by the Nazis in the 1940s. The Soviet Jewry Movement was born.
All we get is the poetry of a Jewish fruit peddler and a heap of vanishing figs. — Baruch Spinoza
You will be greater than all of us, but not as a Jew. — Rabbi Mortera
Reminiscent of intellectual dramas like Copenhagen, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656 is an ambitious new drama by David Ives, known for his evenings of one act comedies called All in the Timing and Time Flies. Playing through November 6th at the Lantern Theater Company, this heady play directed by Lantern's Artistic Director Charles McMahon is based on true events in the life of the philosopher Baruch de Spinoza. This recent off-Broadway hit challenges traditional political and religious thinking with passion and wit.
The production's action takes place in the Amsterdam synagogue where the 23 year old stands trial for his revolutionary thoughts about God, nature and human life. Sam Henderson's Spinoza, donning a black leather bomber jacket, (costumes beautifully designed by Maggie Baker with lighting by Shon Causer) is arrogant but humble, witty and rakish. The favorite son of the rabbi's heir apparent, (played by David Bardeen) Spinoza refuses to remain silent about his revolutionary thoughts, and is accused by political leader and Calvinist Abraham van Valkenburgh ( played by Seth Reichgott) of heresy. The audience becomes part of this trial as we witness Spinoza refuse to silence his radical beliefs, denying the divine origin of the Torah which sits in the Ark of the Covenant, that provides the effective and sparsely designed backdrop for the action (designed by Nick Embree).
Rembrandt's Head of Christ Philadelphia Museum of Art
-- By Hannah Lee
When I learned that the National Museum of American Jewish History would be collaborating with the Philadelphia Museum of Art on an interfaith forum and conversation about the Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus exhibit at the art museum, I was eager to sign up. So much has been written about this exhibit, both in secular press (New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer) as well as the Jewish press (Tablet and Forward). It is a topic that is not surprisingly fascinating to Jews, as Jesus was born of Jewish parents and so much strife over the centuries have been waged in his name by descendants of his apostles. It was thrilling to be in the audience with members of the other faiths, in a harmonious conversation about a religious icon and symbol, because we usually only are taught by members of our own faiths.
Larry Silver, Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania, moderated the interfaith panel discussion, and he launched it with a query from his curator friend who asked, "why not the head of Christ?" He proceeded to answer it himself by pointing out the works of Rembrandt represented a movement away from iconography towards a more human portrayal of Jesus, and the face is the window onto the human soul. He then presented to us in the audience and the panel members (on a separate monitor) about 13 paintings of Jesus, only one of which was by Rembrandt.
(More Than 2000 Shows, More than 10,00 artists and more than 250,000 audience members at the Philadelphia Live Arts and Fringe Festival. - promoted by Lisa Grunberger)
Live Arts Festival. Live. In a world of the virtual - walk down a city street like Philadelphia these days and you will not see the whites of people's eyes, but the tops of their heads, a world of television and film and staring at computer screens for hours-- the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival is balm. The Live Arts Festival is taking place right now, through September 17th at various venues throughout the city. I attended Canyon, Twelfth Night, and Namasya, an Indian dance performance this weekend and urge you to run, don't walk to at least one show this coming week. You will be infused with live art, in real time - raw, alive, unexpected, and vibrant.
"The Submission" by Amy Waldman, reviewed by Rabbi Jack Riemer
Do you remember what happened a few years ago when a group of Moslems wanted to build a mosque &mdash well, it was not exactly a mosque; it was more like a Jewish Community Center with a gym and classrooms as well as a place of prayer — at Ground Zero — well, it was not exactly at Ground Center, but it was meant to be built a few blocks away? The country went berserk. How dare they desecrate the sacred ground on which Moslems killed several thousand people and destroyed one of America's iconic symbols? True, the Constitution provides freedom of religion for all, but so what? Does that justify this kind of an insult? Don't the feelings of the families of those that died on 9/11 have priority over the Constitution?
For weeks, insults flew back and forth, as zealots on both sides called each other names, and the politicians tried to stake out a position that would straddle the conflicting claims of the public with the principle of freedom of religion.
The issue seems to have calmed down, at least for a while, since the people who were planning to build this mosque-or center-or whatever they will end up calling it if they ever build it — turned out not to be able to raise the money for it-at least not yet-and as the media turned its attention to other matters.
Amy Waldman wrote most of this novel before this bruha took place, but it raises the same kind of questions; Are American born Moslems entitled to their civil rights, or are they all to be stereotyped as terrorists out to kill us? Do those who lost loved ones on 9/11 have special claims on the memorial which is being built there, or are professional architects and artists the only ones who are capable of making aesthetic decisions? Are Jews entitled to suspect Moslems, in view of the fact that they have been the special targets of violence by Moslems in many countries, or should Jews be the defenders of civil rights for Moslems, because their own place in this country depends upon civil rights?
These are some of the questions that Amy Waldman deals with in this novel. She gives no easy answers. Her characters are complex and ambivalent on these questions.
As a Chinese-American, I am neither white nor black and I am privileged to observe the nuances of race relations in this country as a bystander (except when my own racial heritage is a source of grievance). I wonder if an academic awareness of an issue allows one to appreciate the inherent complexities?
I read Kathryn Stockett's The Help and I was riveted but very perturbed by its central issue of race relations. Set in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi, a young white woman interviews and edits the painful narratives of black maids about their relationships with their white employers. I wanted to identify a black perspective. Another friend cautioned me that I cannot generalize to all blacks, as African immigrants and people with Caribbean roots do not share the same experience as those descended from slaves brought to America. No, indeed, but I was sure that a black person would respond differently to the book.
Place: Greenwich Village, New York. Venues: Garage. Fat Cat.
Time: Saturday, October 9, 2010 at the Garage, 11pm-12.30pm. March 2010 at the Fat Cat. 12am-3am.
Just like love, music is something we do not fully experience at each moment that we invite it. Much of the time, all we have is a memory. We hear music, but circumstances prevent us from fully experiencing it. At these times, what is happening is that we recognize the things that comprise a to-the-essence experience of music, and remember the types of feelings we have felt at that time. This occurs for two reasons. Firstly, it is difficult for us to be fully immersed in one particular thing. Instead we are constantly distracted by what goes on around us. Secondly, music requires certain conditions, such as acoustics, or a person's physical distance from the origin of the sound, in order for it to penetrate into the listener's being, resulting in a real experience of music listening. It is impossible to view music as a detached abstract entity, unaffected by the reality in which it is made. Place, time, ambiance, and of course the listener's directness to the sound, depict the level, since various levels do exist, at which the music is experienced.
John Perez along with his quartet is a curiously interesting bunch. While he appears to be well into his fifties, the others are explicitly young. That contrast immediately gives the impression of being hip and up to date. As I walked in to the Garage, the first thing to catch my eye was the drum player; his eyes closed, his body bewitched; favoring soft, minimalistic beats, rather than a full loud sound. Next, the female piano player; she gave off skillfulness but also lacked the ability to capture. The bass player, a young fellow as well, was non-descript. John, on the saxophone, looked like an old timer performer, somewhat of a teacher to them all. They were playing mostly classic jazz. All in all, it was difficult to exchange vibes with the musicians. One could come up and stand right by the stage, yet still there wasn't a feeling of close dialogue. The place was not packed to capacity, but a bunch of people were gathered around the bar facing the stage, and most of the tables spread around the empty space were occupied. The crowd varied between young, older, hip, more conservative, all kinds; eating, talking and only a fraction fully concentrating on the music. It felt like, perhaps half-purposely, the music was there for background, which is not said as an advantage. A full, exhilarating, feeling of the music was missing.
Just a corner away from the Garage, there is the Fat Cat. I went there several months ago along with a few of my musician friends. We got there around midnight; the stage was just being set up with equipment. Sometime around 12.30 am, the first batch of players came on stage. They were fantastic. After an hour or so, some of the players were exchanged by new ones. By this point, a whole lot of musicians were gathered around with their instruments in hand, waiting for their turn to join in. Several of my friends eventually joined the stage too; and it was perhaps this personal connection to the music making, which made it such an incredible experience. As at the Garage, so too here not all of the audience was devoting their attention to the music. People were playing pool, drinking or simply socializing with their friends. But up front by the stage, a true momentum of music was being experienced. The listeners' eyes and ears kept switching from one point of action to the other, their full attention trying to keep up with the creation in action. Although some surrounding noise existed, the sound of the music and the whole musical being created surrounded you powerfully, bringing on pure pleasure. That was a true experience of music, one to remember as music in the future, whether listening to a recording or a live concert. I took advantage of the opportunity, standing just a short distance from the musicians, to dive into the voice waves and to let them dive into me.
In our day, it seems to get more and more difficult to experience music in a way which enables a full grasp of it. The performance spaces are expanding, and the technology which transmits the music to us more advanced and is used more often and with more innovation. Also, why bother go to a concert, when records are so prevalent? The jazz world might be one in which intimacy is preserved more than with other genres since it is based on live spontaneous interactions between the performers and is customarily set in smaller venues. Still, in jazz or other musical genres, obstacles such as huge performance halls in pursuit of revenue and mass production, where one cannot have a full impression of the music being presented, are given priority over the listener's enjoyment and ability to appreciate the music. It is no wonder that many have developed insensitivity to qualities in music and have lost the enlightenment a musical experience can offer.
Irish Poet Micheal O'Siadhai's Response to the Shoah
West Chester University Poetry Conference is an international poetry conference that has been held annually since 1995 at West Chester University, Pennsylvania. It hosts various panel discussions and poetry craft workshops, which focus primarily on formal poetry and narrative poetry. The conference was founded in 1995 by West Chester professor Michael Peich and poet Dana Gioia with 85 poets and scholars in attendance.
On June 9th, Former poet Laureate Robert Pinsky was interviewed by Dana Gioia. Pinsky emphasized the visceral nature of poetry, stating, "like dancing or singing, I produce it even when reading silently - it's physical." Pinsky spoke of his Orthodox Jewish upbringing in Long Branch, New Jersey and how, despite the beauty of the cantorial singing, he grew bored sitting through three hours of praying on Shabbat. If we are to start with The Sounds of Poetry, the title of his 1998 prose collection, we need look no further than Irish poet Micheal O' Siadhail, whose 2002 poetry book, The Gossamer Wall, is composed of a sequence of poems about the Holocaust.
A beautiful young woman, clutching her film reel like a Torah, is fighting to defend her work against an arresting American officer in occupied Austria in 1946. Reluctantly, with a pistol in her face, she hands over the canister. Then, in a demanding voice, she says, "Cut! We'll do it again."
Playing Leni, by David Robson and John Stanton, directed by the innovative Seth Reichgott, and produced by Madhouse Theater Company at the Adrienne Theater in Philadelphia, looks at the manipulations of Leni Riefenstahl, the Führer's most influential filmmaker, her many propaganda films, and her denial that she glorified the Nazi Empire, numbing millions to the horrors to come.
(left to right) Ken Kaiserman, long-time Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) board member and past president, was congratulated on his being honored at the 35th anniversary gala by Mayor Michael Nutter and CBS3's Pat Ciarrocchi, who served as auction host.
-- by Bonnie Squires
The Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) dazzled hundreds of supporters with its 35th Anniversary celebration Gala, honoring long-time board member Kenneth S. Kaiserman of Kaiserman Company, Inc., and PTC Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik on Monday, June 6 at 6PM in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt at the Bellevue. Governor Ed Rendell served as master of ceremonies, and his son Jesse beamed approvingly from the first table down front.
In addition to the honorees, Rendell praised Suzanne and Ralph Roberts, and Carl Dranoff, the developer of Symphony House, which houses the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, the permanent home of the Philadelphia Theatre Company.
The evening featured appearances by multiple Tony- and Emmy-award-winner Tyne Daly, star of the upcoming revival of Terrence McNally's Master Class on Broadway; Broadway and film star Kathleen Turner, who starred in PTC's world premiere of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins; Tony Award-winner and frequent PTC performer John Glover; Quentin Darrington, star of the recent revival of Ragtime; and the glorious voice of Alexandra Silber.
I write as a concerned music patron. The recent decision to apply for Chapter 11 financial re-organization sets a troubling precedence in the music world and I wonder how Philadelphia would fare in the end? Since that decision, I have been having weekly conversations with a source within the organization and I was moved to write by our latest chat yesterday.
Yes, we can be proud that the Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the top five in the nation (along with New York, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland), but I was amazed to learn that our orchestra also pays the highest salary of all these as well as the highest starting salary for the musicians (at $70,000, an unheard-of amount in the fine arts)! Equally amazing facts to me are: the Orchestra does not perform or rehearse on Sundays; the 12-week vacations that some musicians enjoy; and the contracts that stipulate a full orchestra for each performance, necessitating substitute players and a huge substitute salary payroll.
I am honored to join the Jewish Voice as the new Arts and Culture Editor. I welcome you to send me any news you might have regarding the vibrant arts and culture scene here in Philadelphia. If you have books to review, theatre productions, music, museum exhibits please feel free to contact me at art@pjvoice.com.
I moved to Philadelphia from Manhattan four years ago to work at Temple University where I am an Assistant Professor in English. I teach creative writing in poetry and literature. I grew up in Long Island and always dreamed of moving to New York City, but to quote short story writer, Anne Beattie, "I became disenchanted with New York when I realized that I felt as if I had accomplished something when I picked up the laundry, and got the Times and a quart of milk." In Philadelphia, it's just easier to get things done — a walkable, beautiful city brimming with culture and art.
In playwright Seth Rozin's dramatic comedy, Two Jews Walk into a War, two middle-aged Afghani Jews exchange schtick and tsuris over their being the two last Jews of Kabul following the overthrow of the Taliban government in 2001. The two men -- Ishaq and Zeblyan -- hate each other - but agree to work together to write a new torah in order to find a rabbi who will convert a couple of Afghan women to Judaism so the procreation of Jewish babies ma proceed. This is a delightful farce masterfully acted by Tom Teti and John Pietrowski, directed by James Glassman and currently playing at Interact Theatre (2030 Sansom Street).
Bonnie Squires, president of Squires Consulting, was honored by the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival at its recent New Filmmakers Festival at the Gershman Y, for her 25 years as vice-chair of the PJFF and her role in creating the New Filmmakers Festival. She is seen here with Louis Coffey, Esq., chairman of the board of the Gershman Y, who made the presentation.
Hissing snakes, leaping monkeys, and mooing cows. No, not stage props, but animated decorations at the sumptuous dessert table at Theatre Ariel's theatrical salon, hosted by Susie and Marty Lautman at their Merion home last evening. Susie knows how to put on an extravaganza, so in addition to the multitude of frogs in different guises brought out annually for Pesach (Passover), she added some additional wildlife. Me, I thought I lost a year of my life, when not three feet away the huge snake started hissing, his eyes glowing red.
The event was a reading of four ten-minute plays on the theme of "A Stranger in our Midst." Founder of the 20-year-old Jewish company, Deborah Baer Mozes had invited playwrights to submit new compositions on this theme after last Pesach. They received 63 submissions from around the world. She and Theatre Ariel President, Adena Potok, selected the final minyan plus one (11) plays. Last night was a reading of a sample of the new pieces, plus others already in the Jewish repertory canon, so to speak.
The original reading was: An Answer to their Prayers by Henry W. Kimmel about two disaffected single people, sitting in the back pew of a synagogue for Friday night services. They were strangers in their own Jewish tradition.
The other plays that had been performed before are: From the Narrows by former Akiba student Lisa Silberman Brenner, who holds a Ph.D. in theater from Columbia University and now teaches at Drew University in Madison, NJ. This is a modern midrash, re-imagining why we never hear from the Biblical Moses's mother, Yocheved, after she'd given up her son, twice. In this play, Yocheved choses not to leave Mitzrayim, ancient Egypt, with her family, because she doesn't want to be a stranger in a new land. Her story could be that of countless women who've had to choose between a war-torn homeland (even from servitude) and the bewildering unknown. The actresses, Rene (pronounced "Reen") Goodwin as Yocheved and Alana Gerlach, who teaches theater at Rowan University, as her daughter Miriam were superb in their roles, notably without sets, costumes, or makeup.
Ceasefire by Columbia-trained playwright, Ken Kaissar, is set on the Israeli-Lebanon border after the Second Lebanon War had ended in August, 2006. The cast of characters are: Udi, a sarcastic, jaded Army veteran; Yossi, a nervous young soldier, fresh out of training, and the Arab "Ahmed" from the Lebanon border, who finally relates his real name. The verbal interactions between Yossi and Ahmed succinctly highlight the historical context for fear and suspicion between these two peoples. They are each strangers in each other's narratives.
Wordplay by Rich Orloff is the relative classic, having been performed since 1999. It is a hilarious, quick volley of words, as spoken by Yiddish-fluent Jews, and anyone else who attempts to learn them from a dictionary. Here, the stranger is the goy, non-Jew, who joins a Jewish company of unspecified business.
Theatre Ariel plans to hold a reading of all 11 finalist plays in June at the Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA.
I was so glad to be able to participate in the Old City Jewish Art Center Purim Art Exhibition. The opening reception was a joyous occasion and it was a wonderful opportunity to see all of my friends at the OCJAC and see all of the artwork inspired by the holiday of Purim.
My painting,"The Triumph of Mordecai," depicts a man who is happily celebrating Purim. He is wearing a "Mordecai" mask and is also wearing an extremely elaborate horse costume around his waist which is worn by celebrants to commemorate Mordecai's triumphant ride on King Ahasuerus' horse. He is playing the violin and dancing which is part of the merriment that is required on Purim.
I have to admit that my own family Purim costumes were a much more low-key event. My son and I always created a Purim outfit for him utilizing the obligatory empty milk carton for his helmet and a bright bathrobe became his biblical attire. My two daughters wanted, of course, to always be Queen Esther and we three "girls" enthusiastically transformed ourselves into Queen Esther using anything bright that we could find in our closets. I think the excitement and fun my husband and our three children (now grown) associate with the holiday of Purim is reflected in my painting.
Details about the exhibition and artist reception after the jump.
Artists whose works have been exhibited include Rita Ackert, Steve Belkowitz, Linda Dubin Garfield, Liliana Life, Carla Goodstein, Peter Reich, and Mordechai Rosenstein, Mickie Rosen, Hinda Schuman, Susan Leonard, Kathryn Pannepacker, Else Wachs, Paulette Bensignor, Susan Forbes, Rachel Issac, B.Leah Palmer, and Barbara Rosenzweig.
In Jewish terms, the practice is fairly recent - only 200 years old - of reading Psalm 27 twice daily during Elul. But it's a powerful tradition today, and one that informs the new "L'Dovid Ori" show at the Old City Jewish Art Center, which opens First Friday, September 3, from 5 - 9 p.m. and will be up until October 27, with an Artists' Reception and Grand Opening on Wednesday,
September 15, from 6:30 - 9 p.m.
The psalm is called L'Dovid HaShem Ori, "To David - the L-rd is my light." Rabbi Menachem Schmidt, who founded the gallery, says he hopes the joy and hope expressed by these artists "will bring a warm and welcome light to difficult times."
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Tovah was not always called Tovah: "I was named after my Aunt Tilley who died in her 30s from tuberculosis. The Sue comes from my Great Grandmother." After she changed her name from Terry Sue to Tovah, her Hebrew name, and began her performance career Tovah said that "it changed the landscape of my life." She starred in 
By Hannah Lee
and I was riveted but very perturbed by its central issue of race relations. Set in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi, a young white woman interviews and edits the painful narratives of black maids about their relationships with their white employers. I wanted to identify a black perspective. Another friend cautioned me that I cannot generalize to all blacks, as African immigrants and people with Caribbean roots do not share the same experience as those descended from slaves brought to America. No, indeed, but I was sure that a black person would respond differently to the book.
Irish Poet Micheal O'Siadhai's Response to the Shoah
I am honored to join the Jewish Voice as the new Arts and Culture Editor. I welcome you to send me any news you might have regarding the vibrant arts and culture scene here in Philadelphia. If you have books to review, theatre productions, music, museum exhibits please feel free to contact me at 
Hissing snakes, leaping monkeys, and mooing cows. No, not stage props, but animated decorations at the sumptuous dessert table at 
