Michael Goldlist, Storahtelling Company Member
Jessica Bay Blyweiss, Storahtelling Company Member
StorahSteps Show


The story is familiar: while wandering in the desert G-d tells Moses to talk to the rock to get water for the people of Israel. Moses, instead, hits the rock – and is severally punished. The moral: follow orders precisely… right? But Jessica Bay Blyweiss, Shira Kline and myself, felt there was another lesson to be learned from this parasha. Instead of being a tale between Moses and G-d, familiar players to say the least, why not hear from someone else involved… why not talk to the rock? And so Iggy (short for igneous) was born - a talking, dancing, and guitar playing ‘rock’star, played by myself.

A young Moses, played by Jessica, has far too grand an opinion of himself to deign to speak to a lowly rock. As opposed to sitting down and talking with the rock, Moses, assuming himself to be in control of the every situation (after all, he did unleash all ten plagues, and part the Sea of Reeds) smashes the rock to get the water out. We felt that not only was Moses wrong to resort to violence, but that he also suffered from a larger problem – an inability to listen and respect the world around him born out of an inflated sense of importance. It takes a rock to teach him the lesson that everything in the world is connected and helps everything else out, and that it is always important to listen, sh’mah, to world around you, and not be blinded by egotism.

To frame the show, we had an older and wiser Moses read the story from his book, the Torah, to a stubborn grandson Gersh, our wonderful new orange Storah-puppet. We threw in some fun songs – a rock-medley, and an original number, Moses the Great, in which Moses sums up all the reasons he is wonderful and “shouldn’t have to talk to a rock”.

Moses' Book was performed at the 14th Street Y, the JCC in Manhattan and the Marks JCH of Bensonhurst. The children at all three shows responded with overwhelming enthusiasm. When we taught them to put on “sh’mah ears” (a cupped hand) in order to listen to the world around them, the children never failed to follow suit. A particularly great moment happened near the end of our last show, for the Russian-speaking community at the Marks JCH, when, unbidden, the children started offering up examples of all the people and things in the world that it are important to listen to. All in all, it was a wonderful experience us to perform this fun, high-energy show and bring it to three outstanding communities.

Unexpected Guest Graces Storah 13 Gala

Unexpected Guest Graces Storah13 Gala

May 18th, New York City
Storahtelling’s B Mitzvah gala, celebrating the organization’s 13th year, featured comedy from the Addams Family’s Jackie Hoffman, tales of hilarity and horror from Storahtelling’s company and tearful moments honoring Marina Pinto Kaufman, who stepped down as Chair of the Board.

The most moving and unexpected moment was when gala chairs Michael Dorf, Sarah Connors, and Emanuel and Elizabeth Stern presented Founding Director Amichai Lau-Lavie with a Torah. The scroll, a 100-year old Torah from Poland that survived two World Wars, was lovingly restored by Rabbi Yitzchak Reisman of TorahScroll.com in the Lower East Side. “The giving of a Torah to the person and organization who gives us all the meaning in the Torah could not be more rewarding.” said Dorf.

Lau-Lavie, moved to tears at the ceremony, said “Just as this Torah scroll was reclaimed from the ashes and restored for use, so too will Storahtelling continue to reclaim and restore the words and stories of the Torah for a new generation.” Executive Director Isaac Shalev added that the Torah will be read by B’nai Mitzvah enrolled in ‘Raising the Bar’ at their coming-of-age ceremonies. The program, currently a finalist in the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ search for the Next Big Jewish Idea, re-imagines both the year-long process of preparing for a B Mitzvha, as well as the celebration itself, and trains B’nai Mitzvah teachers to serve as guides to families and teens through this quintessentially Jewish rite of passage.

The gala, Storahtelling’s first, was a wild success, with over 400 guests in attendance, and over $150,000 raised for the organization. Comedian Jackie Hoffman, who performed a powerful, funny, and thought-provoking re-telling of the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, at the event may have summed it up best when she said to the gathered audience “I hate most things, and I loved this. Hard.”

You can still make a gala gift!

Enjoy more pictures of our great event:
https://picasaweb.google.com/111260719122696360707/Gala51611?authkey=Gv1sRgCNXsuqGL-Ny-Lg&feat=directlink and

https://picasaweb.google.com/111260719122696360707/Gala51611?authkey=Gv1sRgCNXsuqGL-Ny-Lg&feat=directlink

Storah13 Gala: An Organization Comes of Age

By Eszter Margit

Storahtelling, recognized nationally as a leader in transforming the contemporary Jewish experience, is turning 13 this summer and reinventing the B Mitzvah Celebration in honor of this milestone. This evening, 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 Storah13 Gala features a demonstration of Storahtelling’s unique approach to the B Mitzvah experience, starring actress and comic Jackie Hoffman, direct from Broadway’s “Addams Family”. Jackie has been trained through Storahtelling’s Raising the Bar program and will share her personal and poignant retelling of her B Mitzvah portion, the tale of Dina. Raising the Bar, an innovative and transformational approach to reclaiming the B Mitzvah, is Storahtelling’s fastest growing program, and is a finalist in the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ search for the Next Big Jewish Idea. Like much of Storahtelling’s work, Raising the Bar is changing the conversation around this rite of passage for Jews worldwide.

The Storah13 Gala marks the coming of age of Storahtelling, the first organization to graduate the Bikkurim Incubator for New Jewish Ideas and the Joshua Venture Fellowship and to successfully mature as a key player in the Jewish educational and cultural arenas. “We are grateful to many communal leaders and pioneers for investing in us and helping us grow from a startup into the successful, impactful, and sustainable organization we are today,” said Amichai Lau-Lavie, founder of Storahtelling. “Being part of the innovation ecosystem has helped us stay on the cutting edge.” Since its establishment in 1999 Storahtelling has become an international network of educators and artists, invigorating Jewish identity through leadership training, dynamic educational programs and performances for multigenerational audiences worldwide. Now, Lau-Lavie is stepping down from the Executive Director position, and Isaac Shalev, who came on in February, will take over as the new Executive Director. Lau-Lavie will stay on as Founding Director, and will focus on Storahtellling’s educational work while pursuing rabbinical ordination at JTS.

Shalev is the former COO of Birthright Israel NEXT, the sister organization of Taglit- Birthright Israel. As Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for overseeing engagement, education and community-building activities for Jewish young adults ages 21-32 throughout the USA, with a focus on the 200,000+ alumni of the Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. Shalev is widely known as a thought-leader, a builder of organizations, an educator and technology specialist. “The Storah13 Gala represents our first major special-event fundraising effort. Taken together with the diversification of our earned revenue streams and an upgrade of our foundation and individual fundraising capacities, the Gala reflects the maturation of Storahtelling’s FRD strategy, as well as our programmatic vision,” Shalev says.

The transition in leadership accompanies a strategic shift from a performance-based model to that of a training institute. Shalev explains, “Storahtelling has spent over a decade perfecting the Maven Method (TM), the conceptual toolkit at the heart of all of Storahtelling’s initiatives. To maximize our impact, we are inviting educators and institutions to come backstage with us, and through intensive training, learn to access and interpret ancient Jewish texts and rituals and translate them into vital, contemporary conversations with their congregations and constituents.”

The Maven Method (TM), Storahtelling’s signature pedagogy, integrates Judaism’s oldest teaching tools with modern stagecraft and educational techniques. There are over 200 trained Storahtelling Mavens who operate all over the US as well as in Israel and the UK, and over 750,000 estimated participants in Storahtelling programs since the organization’s founding, Storahtelling’s impact continues to grow. “We’ve been building slow and steady,” says Lau-Lavie. “It’s humbling and thrilling to know that Storahtelling is becoming a significant international player.” In August, Storahtelling will train a cohort of twenty-five Maven candidates in synagogues and community institutions in the New York area, through Big Apple Mavens, a program made possible by funding from UJA-Federation of NY’s Synergy group and Gen-I Task Force.

The Storah13 Gala, which has already raised over $150,000, features several significant participants from the Jewish funding community, including Martin Kaminer (founder of Bikkurim), Jeffrey Solomon (President of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies), Felicia Herman (Executive Director of the Natan Fund), Robin Bernstein (CEO & Founder of the Educational Alliance) and all the organization’s board members, past and present. Marina Pinto Kaufman, Storahtelling’s founding Board Chair is also taking a step back from leadership and welcomes Ora Ramat, the organization’s co-chair as the new chair, and current board member Sarah Sokolic as the new vice chair. “We have come so far already, worked so hard, and impacted the lives of so many people through our work over the years” Sokolic said. “We are now poised for even greater successes and I’m honored and excited to be part of this new chapter in Storahtelling’s life.”

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

The Next Big Jewish Idea

We're happy to announce that Storah is in the finals for the Next Big Jewish Idea - VOTE for Raising the Bar LA!

Miriam's Drum

Alex Wolfson, Storahtelling Company Member

Passover StorahSteps Show

King's Bay Y, JCC Manhattan, 14th Street Y

What’s most important to you? What possession would you have the most trouble living without? What if you had to live without possessions? Who would be the people you’d want to surround yourself with to replace that important thing? These and some other juicy questions were part of the show “Miriam’s Drum” that I performed with new Storahtelling artist Michael Goldlist at the King’s Bay Y, the JCC Manhattan, and the 14th Street Y for our Storahtelling’s Passover StorahSteps show. 

We framed the show by having Michael play a child named Sam whose family was moving into a smaller home so he was going to have to put a lot of his possessions in storage. He had to figure out what things he wanted to bring with him to the new house as well as what needed to go into storage. And he had to do all of this packing while setting up the Seder plate for the Seder! We then introduced our puppet, Miriam, to walk Sam through setting up the Seder plate, tell him the Passover story, and help him realize that his situation wasn’t that unlike the Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites had to bring with them only their most important things as they rushed to freedom. 

Sam eventually realized that possessions weren’t important. He realized that the Israelites were happy to just be free and be with their families. He realized that HE just wanted to be with his family and deciding which toy was his favorite wasn’t as important as surrounding himself with the people he loved. The kids learned a valuable lesson about the importance of family as well as getting a refresher course on the important words, symbols, and Seder plate items that are used on Passover. 

The kids at all four performances loved the show, were very enthusiastic about the puppet (as always), and we had a great time doing it! 

Purim at the 14th Street Y

Click here to read more about the Purim program at the 14th Street Y, planned by 14th Street Y staff and Storahtelling, in conjunction with BBYO and the Educational Alliance.

Esther, The Expose

Deanna Neil, Storahtelling Maven and Company Member
Milgrom Family Bat Mitzvah Celebration
Raising the Bar Program

"And it struck me: it was up to me. Me. I'm not a politician, I'm not a diplomat, I have never had to do anything like this before in my life.  I had this pit in my stomach. I had no choice but to reveal who I really am, and maybe die for it. But what did I have to hide?"


I posed this question to the audience at the Milgrom Family Bat Mitzvah celebration in Irvine California in March, as the character of Esther from the beloved Purim story. In our premise, Esther was on a talk show with "Wolf Blitzes" describing her latest book, an expose of the Achashverosh administration. 

Showing the the different sides of ourselves can be difficult, whether a politician or a school girl. When looking at the Purim story, one has to wonder why Esther--aka Hadassah--didn't reveal her Jewish identity from the get-go. Fear? Blending in? A great prescient plot from her cousin Mordechai? Whatever the reason, mum was the word. 

We all have moments in our lives when we chose not to reveal parts of ourselves. Maybe as a Christian among a group of Jews, maybe as  Muslim in America, maybe a tech nerd hanging out with the football team. It can be a delicate moment to share what you really think, when people's reactions are uncertain. But finally, Esther was forced into a situation where she had to find the strength to show who she was and stand up for what she believed in. 

There is a lot in in the story of Purim that is hidden…and revealed. The name of God is hidden in the story. The word Megillah (literally "scroll") is related to the word "galuy," which means "revealed." The name, Esther, is related to the word "hester," which means "hidden." So the title---a true expose—is revealing of the hidden. 

Becoming at Bat Mitzvah is all about publicly declaring identity, just as Esther had to reveal her identity to the king. The Milgrom family had four, inter-generational bat-mitzvahs as a part of their celebration. It was an epic evening, but also one where each woman took to the bimah in front of her community and declared: I am a Jew. This is who I am. This was a bold declaration for the teenage girls, Elianna and Chyelle, and equally so for their mother, Alice, who was originally from China and found herself on a surprising religious journey. It was no less intimidating that the matriarchal bat-mitzvah was Jo Milgrom, a bible scholar and Jewish artist, who was married to the late Jacob Milgrom, a renowned Rabbi and biblical scholar! 

It was exciting to tell the purim story in such a detailed, descriptive way using translation and wacky characters (and a full size horse) for a mixed crowd, where many had never heard the purim story before. Indeed, the crowd embraced the honored Bat-Mitzvah ladies and their identities, as warmly as the king embraced Esther.  

I was fortunate to create the script and perform with Todd Shotz of Hebrew Helpers, who is also my co-worker with teaching B'nai Mitzvah kids in Los Angeles. As we continue to grow our Raising the Bar program in Southern California, this particular Maven--with a message about owning yourself during a coming-of-age moment--struck close to home. 

No Words

Jake Goodman, Storahtelling Company Member
Shira Kline, Storahtelling Company Member
Storahtelling Maven Torah Reading Ritual



A few weeks ago, Shira Kline and I went to the lovely, exquisitely hospitable, charming B'nai Abraham Synagogue in Easton, PA to do a Maven Torah Reading Ritual about the story of the death of Aaron's two sons, adapting a brilliant script by the one and only David Loewy.  Our premise was essentially that there is great risk in trying to achieve intimacy and, sometimes, when you get too close, you get burned.  

But since that gig, I have a new take on what the parsha means.  (To me.  Today.)

For almost everybody I know, March was a difficult month.  All of my friends seemed to be burned by life.  Some had deaths in the family; some ended relationships; some were insanely busy doing work they hated; some were facing health problems.  One of my friends said that she felt sunburned on the inside.  

In the Torah story, Nadav and Avihu (Aaron's two eldest sons and the next in line to become the high priest) offer up a sacrifice of strange/alien/unfamiliar fire on their own initiative and are literally eaten up by god.  Their father, Aaron, watches, presumably in horror, and is silent.

I've been thinking about what Aaron's silence implies.  There are many theories, but I have more of a thought than a theory.  It's simply that we all get burned sometimes by life and sometimes we watch people we love get burned, which can be equally painful.  It's been my experience that people want to understand why bad things happen, why life blows at the moment, what went wrong, what is wrong with us.  We tell ourselves stories to try to make sense of things.  We find some reason, something to blame, or something in which to find hope.

From Aaron, I learn that sometimes all of that work is foolish.  There may not be a good reason.  It may not be your fault.  It may just suck. Sometimes, there are no words.

Flash a Self-Portrait: Lady Gaga on Purim

Franny Silverman, Storahtelling Maven and Lady Gaga impersonator


"I want women -- and men -- to feel empowered by a deeper and more psychotic part of themselves. The part they're always trying desperately to hide. I want that to become something that they cherish." 
— Lady Gaga

I may not be Jewish, but I know what it means to flash a self-portrait, flip it to the negative and show it to the world.  Isn't that what Purim's all about?
That's what my dear friend and teacher Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross taught me.
When I met her she said, "You must me a Purim baby like me."  She taught me a niggun that followed me for days and I took it with me into the studio and that became the inspiration for the chanting in "Bad Romance": 

Rah Rah Ah Ah Ahh
Ramah Romemah
GaGa Oooh La La
Want your bad Romance

And then she invited me to her birthday and of course, when the Rebbetzin invites you to her birthday bash, you don't say no.  
You say, "Yes!"  You say, "I'd be honored!"  You say, "What shall I sing?"
And I did. 
And she told me the story of Purim and I felt for the hero, Esther.
This marriage was about survival, not about love and romance.
It's about how sometimes we want and need things that desperately serve one part of ourselves and leave another hurt or lacking.
And so, together, the Rebbetzin and I decide Bad Romance would be the song - complete with my version of her ancient niggun.
It was exciting to dive into a performance with a new band, on a complicated stage covered in holy contradiction and reminiscent of my own upbringing. 
My first performance on the altar since...the new pope. 
And as all performances are, this too was exhilerating and libertating.
Of course they told me not to climb on the altar vestments and of course I did and of course it was absolutely necessary.
The Rebbetzin also warned me of another high profile female guest that was joining us.  
And though normally I'm not a Tea Party kind of gal, I thought the best way to use my sway with Sarah Palin, was to simply and subtly seduce her with my performace.
She took the bait immediately and by the end of the night, I was helping her write her speech rescinding her former views on gay marriage and instead, coming out in favor of it. 
A very merry Purim indeed.
And now, I'm just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time.