GOT A LIGHT? CHECK OUT THIS NEW 90 SEC. NEW VIDEO - A WINTER WISH FROM AMICHAI & STORAHTELLING

HAPPY CHANUKAH!

Got a Light?- Winter Wish from Storahtelling from storahtelling on Vimeo.

StorahSteps Chanukah Kid Vid


Meet Judy the Maccabee to find out the reason for the Chanukah Season.


Enjoy Storahtelling's new KID VID for the preschooler in all of us.


Light Up the Night and Go Chanukah!

StorahSteps Chanukah Video 2010 from storahtelling on Vimeo.

"My Brother's Keeper"
Vayeshev in Minneapolis
by Naomi Less

This past Friday night, during a most warm, inviting Kabbalat Shabbat Service at Shir Tikvah in Minneapolis, I was invited to present "My Brother's Keeper" - a mini-Maven program exploring just three verses of the famous Joseph chronicles. Rabbi Michael Latz and his community were true to their tagline on their website, " A congregation welcoming all, embracing diversity, and seeking to make the world more whole," as evidenced by the deep, thoughtful and heart-opening responses and reactions to the infamous narrative of mob-mentality, murder plots and devaluing human life.

We explored together the long lineage this Genesis family has with sibling conflict - seems to be in the DNA. But that generation of siblings really took the cake, or shall we say, took the pita. Verse 20 says: "Now, come, let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

The brothers speak in one voice - no one brother is designated as the leader of this charge - it smells like "mob-mentality" and it's something that is clearly relevant today. When we lose individual voices, when we lose the sense of responsibility to speak up with dissent against what clearly is an injustice, we are accountable and we are accomplices. Especially in today's "bullying" climate - who will step up and say "Shed no blood" like Reuben finally did?

My Brother's Keeper created by Naomi Less with Jon Adam Ross and Amichai Lau-Lavie

Rebecca's Well at the Marks JCH in Bensonhurst
by Michael Bradley Cohen

On a bright, cold Sunday out in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn a little magic was happening early in the morning. Michael Bradley Cohen and Jessica Bay Blyweiss (with a little help from a very special StorahPuppet) brought to life the story of Rebecca's Well; a journey that brings Eliezer, Abraham's servant, to the outskirts of Nahor in search of a perfect match, a best friend for Abraham's one and only son, Isaac.

Through StorahSteps, child and adult participants alike get to illustrate and color the StorahSteps Torah! After drawing the many things we find in the desert, the Torah came on stage, and Eliezer dragged his ten camels of different colors through the desert of everyone's imagination to the well...the possibly magical wishing well. At the well, the children in the audience helped Eliezer figure out what makes a good friend so that he could more easily find the right best friend for Isaac. Rebecca finally arrived to let them know that all of their ideas of a good friend could be summed up in one Hebrew word, "Chesed," which means kindness. Together, audience and actors all found out what it meant to wish for what they want as well as to wish with "Chesed" for someone else.

The journery of wishing continued until Eliezer realized that all he was wishing for was right under his nose. Rebecca's chesed toward Eliezer and his ten camels of different colors was exactly what he was looking for. He had found the perfect match for Isaac. All the kids that spent this hour with StorahSteps showed great chesed by participating throughout the show with singing, dancing and watering of camels. They also opened their hearts to the idea of chesed and becoming a good friend.

As an actor and a StorahSteps Maven, it is always the greatest reward to bring these shows to children. To see them participate, to engage with them playfully and meaningfully is always the greatest reward of being on stage. It was especially rewarding this last performance because of the unique community and context we were performing in. In a primarily Russian speaking community, we performers were curious what language barriers might impede the Storahtelling experience. However, we found that the more we played with them, the more the audience (kids and adults) joined with us bridging any language gaps. At one moment in the show when we introduce the Hedrew word "Chesed" for "kindness", we taught the audience the word and then reminded them that every language has a word for "kindness" because it is universal. I think that best sums up the universality of what we do with StorahSteps.

The Man in the Mirror Wrestles with Cleveland
By Judith Schiller

Parshat Vayishlach got folks talking about Jacob’s wrestling match at Congregation Bethaynu in Cleveland OH two weeks ago. On Shabbat morning, students of varying ages and their parents participated in a family education program that included creating context and engaging text exploration through tableau work of the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel, followed by a Storahtelling-style service.

The Storahtelling was based on a script that Jesse Freedman and I developed two years ago. Translation and drash was done through the characters of a very anxious Jacob struggling with inner turmoil and his BFF- (Best Friend Forever) aka the angel, trying to persuade Jacob to talk out his issues, and actively wrestle with his guilt over his relationship with his brother Esau. In addition, a narrator-storyteller helped anchor the flow of the story. Friends from the synagogue joined me in performing the Storah-service. We incorporated a Capoira-like movement piece to show the “wrestling.”

After the second aliyah, we opened up discussion focusing on the question: “What do you do when you mess up and can’t change what happened?” We invited the congregation to explore how each of us handles guilt over things we’ve done to others, and how we can repair relationships that have been damaged from those regrettable actions. The congregation was given some time to talk among themselves about the issue of repairing hurts and ill feelings we may have caused or experienced, and then were asked to share with Jacob how he could do teshuva (repentence) with his brother Esau. While there are many ways to open up a congregation to contemporary conversation, this particular technique (bet midrash) was very fruitful in getting families to “talk Torah” with each other and their fellow congregants. After allowing them about 5 minutes of discussion warm-up, they were prepared to share their advice with Jacob: “Admit you were wrong… apologize… give back his blessing… give him gifts… acknowledge what he did for the family…”

One thoughtful response was that Jacob could make amends with Esau, but his aching hip would always remind him his wrongful behavior .

A few more lives were changed in Cleveland Ohio.

STORAHSTEPS PRESENTED
REBECCA'S WELL at the 14th Street Y

This Sunday was well...well...weeeellllll...well, a lot of fun to say the least. During StorahSteps at the 14th st Y, Michael Bradley Cohen and Jessica Bay Blyweiss, with a little help from the StorahPuppet, brought to life the story of Rebecca's Well, a journey that brings Eliezer, Abraham's servant, to the outskirts of Nahor in search of a wife, a perfect match, a best friend for Abraham's only son, Isaac.

At StorahSteps, participants get to illustrate the StorahSteps Torah! After drawing the many things we find in the desert, the Torah came on stage, and Eliezer dragged on his ten camels of different colors through the desert of everyone's imagination to the well...the possibly magical wishing well. At the well, the children in the audience helped Eliezer figure out what makes a good friend so that he may more easily find the right best friend for Isaac. Rebecca finally arrived to let them know that all their ideas of a good friend could be summed up in one Hebrew word, "Chesed," which means loving kindness.

The journery of wishing continued until Eliezer realized that all he was wishing for was right under his nose. Rebecca's chesed toward Eliezer and his ten camels of different colors was exactly what he was looking for. He had found the perfect match for Isaac. All the kids that spent this hour with StorahSteps showed great chesed by participating throughout the show with singing, dancing and watering of camels. They also opened their hearts to the idea of chesed and becoming a good friend.

Oct 15-16
Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple - 5th Grade Shabbaton at Camp Wise, Chardon Ohio
Parshat Lech Lecha- Go Forth and Be a Blessing

Abraham has a big challenge on his hands. His new assignment to be the leader of a nation is stressing him- that along with a major pack-up as he prepares for his journey to a new place that God will show him. He turns to a group of 5th graders who are exploring what it means to be a Kehila Kedosha (holy community), for advice about being a leader.

This was the focus of a recent mini-maven for a Fairmount Temple 5th grade retreat. I wrote the script and directed the Maven, in the character of Abraham (played by a staff member who loves Storahtelling). He opened with his monologue about feeling a bit overwhelmed, followed by an abbreviated “Welcome to this Storahtelling-style service” intro; translation of 3 verses of one aliyah, and then an interactive piece. Audience interaction was done as a small group activity in which the participants sorted out words on cards relating to qualities of leadership ( e.g.-integrity, dedication, values others, humility, openness, etc.) and a set of cards related to Jewish values. Their task was to get consensus on the top 3 leadership qualities and top 2 values for Abraham to focus on, as he goes forth. They then reported back to Abraham.

The results were great. This process was in sync with their Kehila theme. The kids were all involved and had a chance to share their thoughts. It was a more productive way to handle a “stretch” that the popcorn-style audience response. This structure worked well for this age group, and still retained the magic of the maven experience.