Soul Harmony
WHAT: Musical featuring “The Story of Deborah Chessler, Sonny Til & the Orioles”
WHEN: April 16-May 3; 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday; 2 pm Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: The Brunish Theater at the Portland’5 Center for the Arts, 1111 SW Broadway
TICKETS: Stumptownstages.org or 800-273-1530
EXTRA: Renowned rock critic, Rolling Stone Contributing Editor and author of the essay that inspired “Soul Harmony,” Greil Marcus presents a free lecture at noon, April 16, in the Brunish Theater.
For many years, Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi zt”l, and Eve Ilsen came to Havurah Shir Hadash in Ashland for an annual weekend of ecstatic music, deep learning and prayer. Jewish Renewal folks from around the country would descend on the Havurah each year to be a part of the transformational magic that was created during those Shabbaton weekends. Reb Zalman and Eve were joined by many West Coast Jewish Renewal rabbis. This year these same teachers, many of the whom who were ordained by Reb Zalman, will contribute their wisdom teachings and music in order to bring forward his amazing, paradigm shifting teachings.
Rabbi David Zaslow of Havurah Shir Hadash says, “At the end of Reb Zalman’s last Shabbaton in Ashland he said to me, ‘Please gather again next year. I’m not sure I’ll make it, but this gathering is so special. I’ll try to be there.’ In the spirit of the Rebbe’s incredible legacy we’ll have a gathering of the tribes from all over to celebrate his teachings, music, and wisdom.”
The upcoming Reb Zalman Legacy Shabbaton will take place on April 24-26, 2015 at the Havurah Synagogue in Ashland. Eve Ilsen will be exploring both the subtleties of the weekly Torah reading, and the unique period of time after Passover when the weekend gathering will take place. In the weekly Omer counting we’ll be passing from the week of Netzach to the week of Hod, and Ms. Ilsen will explore these themes through story, song and imaginal exercises. Rabbi David Zaslow says, “Eve was trained in the use of imaginal exercise in the unique Sephardi tradition of her teacher Mme. Colette Aboulker-Muscat. Unlike simple visualizations, imaginal exercises are a wonderful way to touch the inner worlds. She is an extraordinary guide!” It promises to be an extraordinary fulfillment of Reb Zalman’s vision. Rabbi David writes, “At the Ohalah rabbinic retreat in January, Reb Zalman’s presence was palpable and profoundly accessible. I think the same will be true at our Shabbaton.”
The Shabbaton will be infused with the spirited music of Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks, Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin, Cyrise Beatty Schachter, Laura Berman Benelli, Bruce Morris and others. Teachings, storytelling and workshops will be offered by Reneé Brachfeld, Mark Novak, Sue Morningstar, David Zaslow, Devorah Zaslow, Lavey Derby, Cassandra Sagan, Ashira Katz, Joshua Boettiger, Jackie Brodsky, Hannah Dresner, Julie Danan, Benjamin Barnett & others.
Ayala Zonnenschein, Executive Director of the Havurah Synagogue says, “Our Shabbatons with Reb Zalman and Eve have been amazing, uplifting, inspiring and life-changing for so many people. This year, we will continue that tradition by invoking the tremendous legacy of Reb Zalman, zt”l and also by honoring Eve, a brilliant teacher and storyteller.”
The $225 feel for the entire weekend includes Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat and oneg, Shabbat morning Torah service, lunch, various workshops in the afternoon, Saturday evening storytelling concert, Sunday morning breakfast followed by davvening and closing circle. A women’s mikvah, led by Cyrise Beatty Schachter, and a men’s mikvah led by Rabbi David Zaslow will be offered on Friday afternoon prior to the start of the Shabbaton at Southern Oregon’s kosher mikvah at the Jackson Wellsprings. For more info about the mikvah and mineral spring spa visit www.jacksonwellsprings.com. Work trade discounts are available for anyone wishing to have a reduced fee. For more information and to register, please visit www.havurahshirhadash.org. You will find there the flyer for the event, FAQ’s and registration forms. Early Bird fee of just $150 is available to all who register before February 15. Visit the website to see information on hotel discounts.
Keynote speaker: Alicia Jo Rabins, poet, composer, performer and Torah scholar. Participate in interactive breakout sessions utilizing art, drama, writing or text study around the story of Tamar. End the day with a musical piece by Alicia Jo Rabins. Light brunch included. $18, $10 for students with ID Register: oregonjcc.org/womensday
Looking good at any age. Member: $8 Non-member: $12 Use Code: CG301 Register: oregonjcc.org/registration Sponsored by MJCC & JFGP
Learn to Write Poetry with Rabbi David
Rabbi David Zaslow will be teaching a poetry writing class in seven sessions beginning Tuesday, April 21. Rabbi Zaslow says, “The power of the metaphor is a portal to a higher reality.” Rabbi Zaslow is the recipient of the 1988 American Book Award for educational materials. He travelled the nation and taught teachers how to teach poetry in their elementary and high school classrooms. Today, as a rabbi he combines his understanding of the rhythm and imagery with a tilt toward the sacred. The course is geared toward those who already write poetry and with to take their writing to a deeper level, as well as the novice. In each class participants will write and have the option of sharing in an intimate space and safe space that Rabbi David creates. Seven Sessions on Tuesdays: April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2, 7-8:30 PM. Cost for the class is $155 , with $15 discount before April 7. Call 541-488-7716 to pre-register or for more information or visit www.havurahshirhadash.org. The Havurah is located at 185 N. Mountain Ave. in Ashland.
Living our later years to the fullest! Let’s talk about everything: adult children, physical changes, emotional issues, losses, letting go, and more. Facilitators: Muriel Adler, Dorothy Dworkin, Carol Price (retired clinical social workers and group leaders).
Mar. 18, Apr. 1, 15, 29, 1:00-2:30 pm
$20 (G:$32) CG206
George Fendel, jazz historian and radio DJ, will tell the tales and play the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin. Free
No class on April 8th, due to Passover.
Wednesday Night School at Shaarie Torah for Middle and High School students
Every Wednesday (except for major holidays) from 6:00 to 8:15
For more information email Dorice at [email protected]
Saturday/Sunday, May 2-3rd.
What’s more Jewish than a great story? This festival will bring together classical and maggid style storytelling, The Moth Style personal narrative, storytelling workshops for those who want to learn the art, and even events for kids. The festival culminates in a performance by the magnificent Bohemian Cabaret ensemble Vagabond Opera.
Saturday, May 2 – 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. – Donation based, pay after performance
Sunday, May 3 – 1:00 – 7:30 p.m. – $36 whole day; $18 evening concert
For more information, tickets and a full schedule of events, please visit shaarietorah.org/storyfest
Congregation Shaarie Torah Presents:
Tell It Like It Is: Portland’s Jewish Storytelling Festival
Saturday/Sunday, May 2 & 3
Saturday May 2 – 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Sunday, May 3 – 1:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 12:30 p.m.)
920 NW 25th Ave, Portland
More information about schedule, tickets and more at: shaarietorah.org/storyfest
What’s more Jewish than a great story? Congregation Shaarie Torah, along with the Jewish Federation of Portland, are please to present Tell It Like It Is: Portland’s Jewish Storytelling Festival this upcoming May 2 & 3 with featured Storytellers: Maggid Cassandra Sagan, Mythteller Brian Rohr and Musician/Teller Eric Stern of Vagabond Opera. This Festival will bring together classical and maggid-style storytelling, moth-style personal narrative, storytelling workshops for those who want to learn the art, and even events for kids. The Festival culminates in a performance by the magnificent Bohemian Cabaret ensemble Vagabond Opera.
“We’re hosting a Jewish storytelling festival over a Saturday night and Sunday that we’re pretty excited about.” Says Rabbi Josh Rose of Shaarie Torah, “Stories and storytelling are fundamental to the Jewish worldview – each story in the Torah and stories from our sages points us toward some new way to comprehend the world, and we even derive law from these narratives. But even beyond the Torah, stories from our collective past and family legend are just so much a part of how we make sense of the Jewish experience. The event is going to be a lot of fun – some master storytellers in the classic mode, some maggidot trained in the Jewish spiritual tradition, some moth-style, edgier kind of stuff, and some really great music. This will be a great event for the whole community – for people who are plugged in Jewishly looking to explore storytelling in greater depth, people who are into storytelling and are curious about the Jewish angle and just people who are looking for something engaging.”
About The Artists
Cassandra Sagan is an ordained Maggid, a Jewish teacher/preacher/storyteller through the lineage of Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi z”l all the way back to the Baal Shem Tov. She has devoted her life to helping others access and express creative brilliance through story, poetry, song, and InterPlay, which she calls “play as a spiritual practice.” Cassandra is a designated Leitzah Kedushah, Holy Clown, on the faculty of JSE, the Jewish Spiritual Education Maggid-Educator Training Program where she teaches Personal Narrative and InterPlay Torah study. She has hosted, taught, and told stories at local schools, libraries, synagogues, churches, and the Oregon Jewish Museum, and travels around the country to teach and Tell. Cassandra shares, “I’m a student of Kabbalah and a mosaic artist and I love to make beauty out of brokenness. Through Story we enter the timeless realm, we can lift up/redeem joy from the past and transform the present and the future. Breishit b’ra Elohim: in a beginning, God starts creating. When we engage our creativity, we begin to know God, which is the goal of Judaism. When we tell our story, through words or silence or song or art, we make a tikkun, we help to repair this world. What’s not to love?”
Brian Rohr is a performing sacred storyteller whose mission is sharing the ancient art of storytelling as a way to educate, entertain and offer healing to individuals, communities and the living world. Using cultural folktales as well as stories from the Torah and other sacred texts, Rohr lifts the stories out of their usual written context and brings them to life in the realm of the oral tradition. Through doing so, we are invited to find ourselves within the ancient stories and find a deeper understanding of how the sharing of the stories in this way offers us new perspectives within our tradition. Rohr has performed and taught for a number of Jewish communities, organization and events, including: the 14th International Jewish Renewal Aleph Kallah, a keynote presenter for teachers at the “Tapestry of Jewish Learning” in Austin, TX, as an Artist-In-Resident at Camp Solomon Schechter located in Olympia, WA, various congregations in Portland, Chicago, Seattle, throughout the Olympic Peninsula and more. He was honored by JT News as a “10 Under 40” recipient for 2013 by being chosen as one of 10 Jewish people in Washington State under 40 years old whom they consider are doing particularly important and inspirational works within the community, specifically as a storyteller. According to Rohr “The oral tradition of storytelling offers insight, inspiration and meaning in our own journey as we travel our unique Jewish Path.” More at: www.brianrohr.com
Eric Stern is a nationally recognized musician and composer, best known as the founder and artistic director of Vagabond Opera. Being a song and opera composer (as well as a librettist and stage performer), the progression from storytelling as a musical art form to a spoken form–traditional storytelling– came naturally to him. In New Mexico he co-founded Neshama, a Jewish storytelling and theater festival. Since coming to Portland, Stern has been featured as a soloist by Portland Story Theater many times over. Here’s what Stern had to say about storytelling in Oregon Jewish Life: “The music and the way they [the synagogues he attends] perform the rituals of Judaism influence my compositions and stage presence.” As a storyteller, Eric is informed and inspired by the Jewish culture. “Jewish people are natural storytellers,” he says. “When you’re a part of a culture that’s been around for a very long time, it informs your storytelling. The stories you tell are derived from stories you’ve heard. You’re the next link in the chain.” More at: http://ericsternevents.com/storytelling/
About Congregation Shaarie Torah
Shaarie Torah is an inclusive, multi-generational Conservative synagogue, nestled in the heart of Northwest Portland. This warm and welcoming Jewish community has a 108-year history, which looks to the future by balancing contemporary and traditional Judaism. They strive to ensure that every voice is heard and that every member is counted. The Shaarie Torah community offers extensive programming and activities that work to foster Jewish values of social justice through: Torah / Learning, Avodah / Service, and Loving Kindness.
Contact and More Information
Congregation Shaarie Torah
920 NW 25th Avenue, Portland, OR 97210
503-226-6131, [email protected]
Web: Shaarietorah.org/storyfest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/926372900730970/