Storahtelling Turns 13: Comedy Gala and B Mitzvah

From the NY Blueprint-The Urban Jewish Guide


Storahtelling, recognized nationally as a leader in transforming the contemporary Jewish experience, is turning 13 this summer and pulling out all the stops on a B Mitzvah Celebration.

On May 16, 2011, hundreds will gather in Tribeca’s City Winery and raise a glass to 13 years of pioneering innovation and success. The gala, Storahtelling’s first, will honor Marina Pinto Kaufman, Storahtelling’s founding Board Chair, and salute Amichai Lau-Lavie, the organization’s visionary founder, who is stepping down this summer. The gala will feature a demonstration of Storahtelling’s unique approach to the B’nai Mitzvah ceremony, starring actress and comic Jackie Hoffman, direct from Broadway’s “Addams Family”. Jackie will bring a surprising twist to 5,000 years of sacred ritual and Jewish storytelling by chanting and reinterpreting the Bat Mitzvah portion she never got to read as an Orthodox Bat Mitzvah girl. Jackie has been trained through RAISING THE BAR, an innovative and transformational approach to reclaiming the B’nai Mitzvah experience. Storahtelling’s fastest growing program, RAISING THE BAR is currently a finalist in the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ search for the Next Big Jewish Idea and is changing the conversation around this key rite of passage for Jews worldwide. Jackie will be followed by ‘Frights of Passage’, an after-party comedy show featuring Storahtelling company artists who will share their own B Mitzvah tales of horror and hilarity. The STORAH 13 Gala marks the coming of age of the first organization to graduate the Bikkurim Incubator for New Jewish Ideas, successfully maturing as a key player in the Jewish educational and cultural arenas. Founded by Amichai Lau-Lavie in 1999, Storahtelling has grown into an international network of educators and artists, invigorating Jewish identity through teacher training, dynamic educational programs and performances for multigenerational audiences worldwide. Amichai is stepping down from the Executive Director position, remaining on as Founding Director, and pursuing rabbinical studies at JTS. The Storah-13 gala, which already raised over $150,000, also features a silent auction, an interactive art project in which all guests will create a version of a Torah Scroll, a live band, gourmet dairy cuisine, and an exclusive backstage tour of the winery. There will be gift bags – but no matching yarmulkes, and nobody will be lifted on a chair. Well, maybe. Details: Monday, May 16th, 2011 6:30pm Cocktails, 7:30pm Dinner and B Mitzvah Celebration 9:30pm Frights of Passage: Backstage B Mitzvah Tales – The Storah Comedy Show Location: City Winery, 155 Varick Street, New York, NY