Amichai Lau-Lavie at the Elul Festival!

Storahtelling Founding Director Amichai Lau-Lavie will be teaching a Meet the Maven workshop at the Elul Festival in Jerusalem on July 7th. There is no fee to attend this workshop.

Storah After Hours

Dear Storah Family,

I'm excited to share with you a few (virtual) cheese cake crumbs from the Storah After Hours Shavuot celebration held two nights ago at the 14Y.
Also, a photo, and a big THANK YOU.

About 50 people joined us for a night of study, singing and reading from our new Torah Scroll on the roof of the Y. Old and new friends, many of you.

The big thanks go to Isaac Shalev, Naomi Less, David Wolkin, Brian Gelfand, Sara Beth Berman, David Loewy - and esp. Emily Warshaw - for teaching, leading and organizing the event so beautifully.

Marina Kaufman and Michael Dorf represented our Board of Directors. I took a few photos of Michael holding our new Torah as we went upstairs to the roof for the beautiful ritual. One of those is attached. Stay tuned for more - and the short video.

SO - What was revealed on Shavuot night?
For me, it was the simple, sweet sense of trusting in our human ability to be fully present, attentive and open to new ways of making sense of old truths. As we stood on the roof, under the hot summer sky, distant stars and crescent moon, Isaac chanted each of the 10 commandments and Storah styles translations popped up - from all of us present. That old list of laws became live and raw and real. I was very moved. I'd be curious to hear from your present - what was your Shavuot Revelation?

And - our new Torah was revealed! We clustered around her as she sailed on her virgin Storah voyage. We sang the Shecheyanu. There were tears.

And a final crumb, one poem, from Yehuda Amichai, with my translation, for the night of revelation, and for many many more.

Shabbat Shalom

Amichai

My father was god, but he didn’t know it.

He gave me the Ten Commandments, not with thunder or fury, fire or clouds,

but softly, with love, caresses, kind words.

He added ‘please, please’ and sang the words ‘keep and remember the Sabbath day’ and cried quietly: ‘don’t bear false witness, don’t lie’. He’d cry, and hug me. ‘Don’t steal, don’t lust, don’t kill’.

He’d put his hands on my head like the Yom Kippur blessing. “respect’ he’s say ‘love and live long upon this earth’.

His voice was as white as the hair on his head.

The he turned his face to me, like that last day, when died in my arms, and said: “I want to add two more commandments to the ten. The eleventh: never change. The twelfth: change, change.”

So spoke my father and walked away into his strange distances.



Yehuda Amichai /translated by Amichai Lau-Lavie

Leaders

OCCSP Family Program - Los Angeles
By Yaki Margulies


Do we earn our roles in life, or are we born into them? And if we’re born into certain roles that we don’t want, how do we cope with the burden of responsibility? These were the questions at the heart of the show, “I Count You,” performed at the Newport Beach Hyatt in Southern California on May 28th, 2011, by Deanna Neil and myself.

The Torah portion was Bamidbar, a sometimes dry account about the creation of the census and the designation of camping and marching formations for the Twelve Tribes of Israel as they continued on their forty-year journey through the desert. Not incredibly exciting, especially for a young audience. But our Shabbat service instead focused on the Levites replacing the Hebrew firstborn as curators of the Mishkan, a special honor bestowed upon them by God for staying faithful during the Golden Calf incident at Mount Sinai.

We structured the show as a playful repartee between two characters, a firstborn Hebrew (played by Deanna) losing the esteemed job of handling holy objects, and a Levite (me), gaining this new privilege and responsibility – illustrating the shifting of power and the journey our flawed characters had to take in order to grow into their new roles. We bantered, led the kids in discussions, and jammed on a few songs (modified versions of the Beatles’ “All Together Now” and an old gospel tune, “Workin’ on the Building”).

By the end, the firstborn realized that there were consequences for every action and that, sometimes, accepting the role you’ve been given isn’t so bad. The Levite learned that everyone is important, regardless of official job title, and that leaders must lead with righteousness and compassion. And hopefully, the audience learned something, too.

We had a lot of fun working on the show and performing it. The children (maybe that’s not the correct term; many were budding adults) also seemed to engage in the message, sharing their experiences as students, siblings, friends, and other roles they have earned or been given in life. But everyone in the room, adult or child alike, could relate to the theme of accepting responsibility and working hard in the positions we inhabit. Like our ancestors in the Torah, we must strive to do our best and be our best. And in that way, we can find favor and grace – signs of a true leader.

My First Storah Experience

My First Storah Experience

Danielle Pedraza
StorahSteps Stage Manager

Waking up at 6 AM is not easy for a college student, but on this morning I, Danielle Pedraza, rolled out of bed ready and excited to start my Storahtelling adventure! I took the subway, grabbed a coffee and finally reached the 14th Street Y, the home base of StorahSteps.

Sam, the Program Coordinator, who was training me to stage-manage, then greeted me and we started the first job of the day, which was helping Sam transport the props. I couldn’t help but notice the GINORMOUS “Storah” popping out of the roller suitcase and the bright orange puppet we had to carry. I thought, “This looks Awesome!” I was so curious to see how the actors were going to utilize these props in the performance.

We grabbed a cab and headed uptown to the JCC in Manhattan Preschool. Once inside we started coloring the “Storah” with the kids. I loved it! As we colored together I felt the exhilaration of a six year old child. It was really fun pumping the kids up for the show and letting them know that they helped create something that will be used on stage!

Once everyone was done coloring we went to the theater space where the actors were rehearsing. We set up the props: a Rock headpiece, a guitar, a puppet, the “Storah”, a mustache, a beard, a cane, and a black blanket. The house music started playing, and the kids started entering the auditorium.

They were so excited, everyone was smiling and so happy to be there. Sam introduced Moses’ Book and had me step on to the stage to help her show the “Storah”. Watching the Jess and Mike, the Storahtellers, share the story of Moses with a puppet and a guitar was so much fun. They had the kids shouting responses, doing yoga poses, as well as singing “We Will Rock You” among many familiar songs. Once it was over I helped pass out take home materials, and watched as the kids exited the auditorium humming and singing the songs.

Overall it was a very refreshing experience. I left feeling beyond happy to be a part of StorahSteps and get to be a part of an atmosphere that is so joyous and loving. I can’t wait to embark on more Storahtelling adventures and meet everyone involved with this incredible production.

Storahtelling and Friends Team Up For Shavuot

Media contact: Isaac Shalev / Executive Director/ Storahtelling, Inc. / 646-395-4353 / isaac@storahtelling.org

Storahtelling and Friends Team Up For Shavuot


New York, NY, May 31, 2011 - On June 7, 2011, Shavuot night, Storahtelling, in partnership with Limmud NY, and the 14th Street Y, will present the second annual Shavuot After Hours at the 14th Street Y in downtown Manhattan. The event will feature scholars, teachers and artists riffing on the theme of Revelation/Revolution. Highlighting the event will be the debut of Storahtelling’s new Torah scroll, which was gifted to the organization by friends and patrons at the recent Storah 13 Gala celebration. The scroll, a hundred-year old Polish survivor of two World Wars will be unveiled at a mystical moonlight ritual at the 14th Street Y.

“Revelation is not meant to be hidden away, it’s meant to inspire revolution! We want to explore Judaism’s ancient Ten Commandments so we can recover a Top Ten list of universal values that speak to our lives today.” said Amichai Lau-Lavie, Storahtelling’s founding director.

In addition to text and havruta studies led by Isaac Shalev, Storahtelling’s executive director, there will be musical workshops featuring Naomi Less, Storahtelling’s director of education and a session on comics and Torah led by David Wolkin, who is both the newly installed executive director of Limmud NY, and a Storahtelling company member.

Schedule
* 8:00-8:45pm -Welcome and refreshments
The Bride and the Bread: Zohar for the night of revelation
* 9:00-9:50 pm -Choose from Tikkun sessions with
Amichai Lau-Lavie
Top ten, new and improved
-The god-less guide for the 10 commandments as universal principles for the perfect life.
Isaac Shalev
The Tablet Code
-Why were the Ten Commandments given on two tablets? Explore the hidden messages encoded into the tablets, and learn how they can guide you to living a richer life.

*10:00-10:50 pm-Choose from Tikkun sessions with
Naomi Less
Shout 'em out- and live 'em out loud
-Using elements of Storahtelling's Maven Methodology, explore the Decalogue - aka. the 10 Commandments as you may never have explored them before (starting with the word "Commandment!") Naomi Less, Storahtelling's Director of Education and Training, takes you through a musical journey with her new song "Shout 'em out - 1 to 10" just launched on G-dcast.com to create your own meaning of the most famous 10 in history.
David Wolkin
Scanning Between the Lines
-Can we use the way that our minds process today's media as a way to find new avenues into understanding out of sacred texts?

*11:00-11:30 pm -Storahtelling Torah Debut and Moonlit Ritual

Storahtelling teaches diverse audiences to voice their own translations of ancient Jewish texts and rituals and restore their relevance for modern life. Storahtelling offers public programs, training for educators, and individual tutoring informed by a radical fusion of storytelling, Torah, contemporary stagecraft, and traditional ritual theater. http://www.storahtelling.org

Limmud NY is a festival, a gathering of hundreds of Jews from all walks of life, all Jewish backgrounds, all lifestyles, and all ages from across the New York metropolitan area. Limmud is four days of lectures, workshops, text-study sessions, discussions, exhibits, performances and much more—all planned by a community of volunteers. http://www.limmudny.org

The 14th Street Y, a Jewish community center, is a vital neighborhood resource that welcomes people of all backgrounds. We provide a variety of programs with a distinctive downtown point of view, emphasizing excellence, innovation, creativity, and a questioning spirit. We are inspired by Tikkun Olam, or repair of the world, in all that we do: a value that represents and renews the vitality of our Jewish heritage and its place in our diverse and vibrant community. The 14th Street Y is part of a network of 44 programs at 27 sites provided by The Educational Alliance for all residents of Downtown Manhattan. http://www.14streety.org

The sessions, music and learning begin at the 14th Street Y at 8:00 pm and conclude just before midnight. Dairy snacks and nonstop coffee will be provided through the night. The event is offered free of charge, but please BYO Cheese!


For more information, please contact:

Emily Warshaw
emily@storahtelling.org
344 East 14th Street
New York, NY
Ph: 646-395-4321

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!