Travelogue
2007
Sunday March 11th
Milwaukee
10:00 - Retreat workshop for families of Congregation Beth Israel.
Milwaukee
Shabbat March 10th
Shiurim throughout the Shabbat.
Motzai Shabbat - Melave Malka
Friday March 9th
Milwaukee
9:30 - Jewish Community Center - small event.11:00 - Jewish Home and Care Center.
Friday night - shiurim on Eretz Israel and Ahavat Israel.
Thursday March 8th
Milwaukee
9:30 - Workshops at Nicollet Public High School15:00 - Yeshiva Elementary School workshop + Concert.
Student Musical Creations from Milwaukee
19:00 - Main show at Joseph's Hospital.
Wednesday March 7th
Milwaukee
9:30 - workshop at Hillel academy.Student Musical Creations from Milwaukee
12:30 - Workshops at Milwaukee Jewish Day School, followed by a concert at both schools.
20:00 - Acoustic concert for 50 students of University Wisconsin.
2006
Sunday December 3
AMI
Prozdor SchoolMotsai Shabbat December 2-8 pm
Reva L'sheva
Cong. Kehilath Israel384 Harvard St.
Brookline, Mass
Thursday Nov 30 - 8:30 pm
Josh Lauffer / Reva L'sheva
Park Slope Synagogue401 9th st.
Brooklyn, New York
Wednesday Nov 29 - 7 pm
"Israel Rocks" - AMI Fundraiser
Club Sol- 609 W.29th st.
New York City
May 20-23, 2006
Philadelphia
Student Musical Creations from Philadelphia
AMI visited Philadelphia for a four-day mini-pilot, held workshops in a day school, and gave concerts and master classes at participating institutions:
Itinerary
| Jam session and dialogue with the "Chevra" young professionals' group | |
| Morning and afternoon workshops and concerts with students of the Perelman Jewish Day School, grades 4-8
Shabbat evening services and Oneg with Aish HaTorah, Lower Merion |
|
| Melaveh malkeh with "The Chevra" | |
| Morning Workshop and mini-concert at Adath Israel Conservative Congregation
Afternoon Israel-Day concert across from the Art Museum sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia, Israel Programs Division |
Jay Leberman, Headmaster of the Perelman Jewish Day School:
About our school concerts:
"Rarely have I seen middle school students so engaged with Jewish music to the point that everyone was singing and dancing with the music throughout the concert."
About the 'magic':
"I realize that the budgets for cultural arts and musical events of many Jewish educational institutions are stretched very thin. However, engaging AMI to perform their "magic" with your students and community is well worth the investment."
Participating Musicians:
Participating institutions:
- Jewish federation
- NACIE
- The Chevra
- Aish Hatorah
- Perelman Jewish Day School
- Adath Israel Congregation
2005
December 5-11, 2005
Detroit/Ann Arbor
Sampling of Events:
- A presentation and concert at the "Hebrew high school" program of a large Conservative congregation.
- A performance and roundtable at Congregation Shir Tikvah (a Reform/Renewal congregation), attended by adults and children from the religious school.
- A performance and discussion at an Orthodox outreach organization on the campus of the University of Michigan.
- A concert at a largely African American Baptist church in the city of Detroit, where Reva L'Sheva performed with a gospel choir before an audience that was divided almost equally between suburban Jews and inner city African Americans.
- A large Shabbat dinner attended by Jews of every denomination where many members of the local community got their first chance to experience a traditional festive Shabbat.
- A final concert at another Conservative synagogue that was attended by over 600 people, including a large number of teenagers, some of whom came from Cleveland and Toronto.
Here's what Judah Isaacs, director of the Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education, had to say:
About the workshops:
"Some students drew ancient Kabalistic circles, some learned to drum Middle Eastern style, some wrote their own song, and some recreated a forest through unique percussion instruments. Each workshop enabled the students to learn creatively and recognize their own talents. Most importantly they also learned about Israel, as Israel was an integral part of each workshop."
About outreach:
"The program reached many young people in Detroit through the energy and passion of the artists. The program's strength came from the artists' ability to teach and reach the students... heart-to-heart"
About the energy:
"The ruach was palatable in each school, and added a lot to the school day."
About AMI's Israel education:
"This program helped strengthen the student's ties to Israel, as they were exposed to different aspects of Israeli life as exemplified by the art. The concluding concert featured songs of Israel, and the students were all dancing and singing in the aisles."
About AMI as a whole:
"I would strongly recommend this program for every community to bring the spirit of Israel into their schools in an exciting and creative way."
More reactions by Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg, Congregation Shir Tikvah, and Robert M. Heinrich, Chairman, AMI Detroit Project
About Israel education:
"The artists and musicians of AMI managed to communicate the joy of living in Israel and the joy of being Jewish in a way that touched people's souls. Today, as American Jews are filled with stories of the dangerous geopolitical situation in the Middle East, it is easy to view Israel as a precarious place that needs our help. While there is truth in that, there is also another side to the story. There is an Israel that is full of life with the continuing rebirth of the Jewish people. Yehudah Katz and AMI were able to tell that part of the story in an extraordinarily effective way."
About AMI as a whole:
"The AMI program was a truly blessed spiritual experience for the Detroit Jewish community."
Participating artists and musicians:
- Josh Lauffer
- Eliyahu ben Ze'ev Alpern
- David Friedman
- Eliezer Blumen
- Danny Roth
- Chanan Elias
- Yitzhak Attias
- Brian Levine
- Yehudah Katz
Participating institutions:
- Congregation Shaarey Zedek
- Hillel Day School
- Congregation Shir Tikvah
- Hebrew Day School, Ann Arbor
- Jewish Resource Center, Ann Arbor
- Akiva Hebrew Day School
- Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education
- Jewish Academy Metro Detroit
- Congregation Beth Shalom
- New Light Baptist Church
- Aish Detroit
This site produced and maintained by J-Town Productions Ltd.
Some photography used on this site was provided courtesy of Eliyahu ben Ze'ev Alpern