Pico-Robertson 90035

Los Angeles, CA 90035
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THE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUND

Posted by on Jul 7, 2011 in Music |

Rachel emails:

I wanted to inform you of an upcoming event that I felt may be of interest to you. THE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUND will screen at The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Saturday July 23rd at 2pm.

THE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUND is a feature length documentary about the Grammy Award-winning, New York-based, klezmer band. The Klezmatics have made numerous television and radio appearances, including PBS’s Great Performances series with Itzhak Perlman as well as on Garrison’s Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. In 2006, the band released “Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie.” It was their first English language EP and won a Grammy Award for Best World Music. THE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUND captures the restless, energetic, infectious charm of The Klezmatics live. The members’ on-camera candor reveals the personal struggle behind the music as the band’s members make a living and raise families while maintaining their work as independent artists.

“…combines the best elements of a backstage doc, a concert film and an eye-opening lesson in remixing Jewish culture.”—San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

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Organization for Torah and Music Coming To Los Angeles

Posted by on Dec 15, 2010 in Music |

I got the email below forwarded to me. It is originally from Rabbi Breslauer, director of the upcoming musical Yeshiva in Israel (1 year program for American students after high school). This program could help the talented younger generation in the LA Orthodox Jewish community:

Neginat HaTorah, The Organization for Torah and Music, is dedicated to developing projects that impart Torah values and Jewish culture to young adults through Jewish music, the medium of the Neshama. The first project will be the establishment of a post high school Yeshiva in Israel for the musically inclined. The organization is also planning to open Jewish music camps in Israel and in the United States. Our goal is to reach out to Jews everywhere by connecting Torah and music. Music provides the day to day rhythms of Jewish life, shared music unites the people of Israel.

Our Rosh Yeshiva is Rabbi Moshe Simkovich. The location of the Yeshiva will be at the beautiful campus of Givat Washington (right across the street from Kerem B’Yavneh). The musical program will be provided by the Mizmor school of music located on campus.

Our goal is to help those young men to become into dedicated bnei Torah and at the same time, better musicians.

Please see our website www.neginathatorah.org Read More

This Is Chutzpah?

Posted by on Oct 19, 2008 in Music |

This is a 5 1/2 minute edit of the riotously funny ‘Hip Hop u Mentary about Chutzpah, the World’s First Ever Jewish Hip Hop Supergroup! Features cameos by Sharon Osbourne, Gary Oldman, Debi Mazar, and even Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard! The full length version is getting its world premiere at HBOs Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen this March:

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My Sunday Night

Posted by on Oct 5, 2008 in Music, Orthodox Union, YISBH |

Sunday night. It’s dark. My head aches. My stomach churns. I know i’m going to get killed as I walk to Young Israel of South Beverly Hills (at Shenandoah and Pico).

I walk down the street listening to the Philip Roth novel “Exit Ghost.” I swing my new $27 tripod in my left hand. I’m ready to be mugged and raped and chopped into little pieces in His infinite mercy.

Who shall live and who shall die.

What more appropriate for the skeptic than to get run through by a Christ-believing shvartze tonight?

I run into a girl on Sherbourne and Pico. She’s on her cell phone. I walk behind her. She’s scared. She stops. I walk past.

I get to shul. There’s a big kapparot sale and a big lulav and etrog sale.

I see people I know. I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to buy. I don’t want to pay admittance.

I sneak into the shul. I don’t want any drama.

What’s the worst possible thing I could do right now? I mustn’t do it.

I set up near the front. I figure out my new tripod. I attach my camera.

The screen doesn’t work. Hasn’t worked right in about nine months.

Rabbi Kalinsky from the Orthodox Union walks in. They promoted the event.

Sheer terror grips me. I’m not up for any confrontation tonight.

There’s a girl. She didn’t answer my email. She didn’t make me her Facebook friend. Oh, the humiliation.

I make small talk. I want it to be over.

It’s over.

I bury myself in my book, “Gross National Happiness.”

I don’t want to talk to anybody. I’ll just say the wrong thing.

This isn’t about me. This is about Lior Kaminetsky and his violin and his parents and his band.

The show beings half an hour late.

I sit contorted on my chair but strive to let my neck be free, let my shoulders relax, and let my head rise up like a balloon.

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