Yom Kippur: Join Rabbi Jen Krause, Cantorial Soloist and Musical Director Josh Nelson, and Ba’al Tefillah (prayer leader) Richard Claman for a warm, dynamic, multi-generational celebration of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Well, after having some difficulties here with the blog, we are back. Just in time to leave for the weekend and Rosh Hashanah Services. And around the corner is Yom Kippur.
92Y Podcast: From the Poetry Center Archive: Adrienne Rich: What Kind of Times Are These?
Next Monday, the Unterberg Poetry Center will open its 71st-anniversary season with a reading by Adrienne Rich. Now 80, Ms. Rich first appeared at the 92nd Street Y in 1958. Starting today, in an effort to share with our readers some of the great literary moments which the Poetry Center has presented across the decades, this blog will begin to feature regular postings of archival recordings by some of the best writers of our time—many of whom, like Ms. Rich, will be returning to the Center in the months ahead. To purchase tickets to Ms. Rich's upcoming reading, please click here. And for more information about the rest of the upcoming season, please click here.
"I cannot give you a poetry of passions resolved, or of pure observation, or of self-enclosed self-exploration," Ms. Rich said, by way of introducing her reading at the Poetry Center in October of 1991, in the audio excerpt above. She went on to say: "I believe that poetry is one of our great human resources, and often a strangely wasted resource, like so many others in the United States. At a time when extremely sophisticated tactics are being employed to disinform and demoralize us as a people, I believe that poetry speaks not from a separate sphere but in a different voice."
Here, then, is an excerpt from that 1991 reading. This section includes Ms. Rich reading What Kind of Times Are These, which was inspired by a line of Brecht.
Unterberg Poetry Center webcasts and access to our archive are made possible in part by the generous support of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.
You can also download the MP3. [2 MB]
[Right-click and select "Save Target As:" or equivalent to download.]
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If you recall, PBS’ Emmy Award nominated and Peabody Award Winning Craft In America was at the 92nd Street Y this Spring filming a segment for Episode: Process in their second season. We can’t tell you much more then that, but we can tell you that when we watched a segment, our hearts filled with pride!
PBS doesn’t produce Emmy Award winning shows for nothing, y’all!
Two episodes, Process and Origins, will air in high definition, nationwide on PBS, Wed, Oc 7, from 8-10pm. If you missed the first season, you can always catch up on DVD.
In the meantime, whet your appetite for all things crafty at 92Y with some of our own videos produced right here by our aspiring Emmy Award winning in-house video team. Check out an inside look at our ceramics class, and jewelry studios. And tell us what you think of the videos in the comments here!
...While he was recovering, he, like many other intensive-care patients, briefly hallucinated, and he vividly remembers his reverie.
”I thought I was captured by Japanese terrorists,” he said in the interview.
In the hallucination, he said, the terrorists threatened to kill another prisoner, but then turned to him and, apparently in a Yiddish inflection, said, “Him we’re only going to cut off his thumbs.”
“When they cut off my thumbs, I knew it wasn’t real because there was no blood and no pain,” Mr. Koch said. “I was daydreaming. I apologize to the Japanese. I know they’re great allies. I’m only telling you what I experienced.”
In addition to the 20 doctors, 72 nurses and technicians also treated him, and he sent each a thank-you letter and a copy of one of the 16 books he has written. The cost for the operations and entire hospitalization was roughly $1 million, and it was paid for by a policy with the Health Insurance Plan of New York that he has through his law firm, Bryan Cave.
Given the current national debate over a new health care bill, Mr. Koch said his experience taught him how important it was to sustain great teaching hospitals. “They cost a lot to maintain, but they’re worth maintaining,” he said. “Some people will say I got special attention, and maybe I did, but I know the same doctors treating me were also treating other people in the I.C.U., and none of those people were former mayors. They were ordinary citizens.”
Upcoming Events at 92Y:
Muhammad Yunus in Conversation with The Economist’s Matthew Bishop: Sep 23
Alan Dershowitz vs. Dennis Prager: The Left, the Right and Judaism in America: Oct 8
92YTribeca Video: The Swell Season Perform “Low Rising”
Swell Season Performing “Low Rising” at 92YTribeca, September 14, 2009
The Swell Season stopped by 92YTribeca last Monday, maybe you heard? They played an intimate pre-release showcase of new material from their eagerly awaited release of Strict Joy, the follow up to their soundtrack to the film Once.
The New York Post has written a glowing article on David Alvarez, who played the Tony Award winning role of Billy Elliot. “A bunch of people [from American Ballet Theater] have said that I can be the next Baryshnikov and when they say that,” Alvarez told the Post, “I know that there’s much work ahead of me. To be that good, you have to work very hard.”
And work very hard is something Alvarez is already doing. He studies at the American Ballet Theater when he is not performing, as well as studying classical piano on full merit scholarship at the 92 Street Y. “The piano helps me tremendously with the musicality of ballet,” he says.
92Y piano teacher Sachiko Kato has been working with David in regular lessons at 92Y. She said of her first class with David: “...this was not a normal kid. I could tell immediately this is someone who is very special.”
While they are on stage we will be tweeting the event from the audience, bringing you the best quips, quotes, and news, live as it happens direct from WLB92Y Twitter.
What’s more, we are accepting questions for Jeffrey and Eddy from our Twitter audience, to use on stage. As an example, JeefKeyz wants to ask Jeffrey Ross: “Who living or dead would you most like to roast or have roasted while they were alive?”
To participate, head over to Twitter and @reply us with your own questions, and we might use it on stage. Tweet Tweet!
Food: SoHo Chocolate Tour with Francine Segan. Visit SoHo’s most innovative chocolate shops, taste samples and learn about the fascinating world of chocolate.
Yesterday’s New York Times Magazine piece on J Street, a new lobbying group with progressive views on Israel founded by Jeremy Ben-Ami (pictured), was a fascinating look at a topic not often given so much prominence. The article clocks in at 4773 words. Describing J Street’s progressive leanings, the Times wrote:
The most controversial and significant of J Street’s campaigns was the one most directly tied to Israel’s security. When Israeli fighter planes first hit Gaza on Dec. 27, J Street issued a press release stating that “there is no military solution to what is fundamentally a political conflict” and calling for “immediate, strong diplomatic intervention” to negotiate a resumption of the cease-fire. The next day, in a message to supporters, J Street’s campaigns director, Isaac Luria, wrote that “while there is nothing ‘right’ in raining rockets on Israeli families or dispatching suicide bombers, there is nothing ‘right’ in punishing a million and a half already-suffering Gazans for the actions of the extremists among them.”
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism wrote an op-ed in The Forward describing Luria as “morally deficient, profoundly out of touch with Jewish sentiment and also appallingly naïve.”
Befitting their new kid on the block status, J Street makes adept use of the internet and other online tools to help spread their message. When several Jewish leaders attacked Donna Edwards, an African-American freshman legislator from suburban Maryland whom J Street supports, for only voting “present” on a resolution supporting Israel’s assault on Gaza, J Street sent out a fund-raising letter for her and raised $30,000 if three or four days.
The New Israel Lobby? Say what you will, but they have Obama’s ear, and that’s got to count for a lot.
On Oct 1, you can continue these topics and ideas at Judaism 5770.0: Digital Community and Connection Building. Join Isaac Luria, the campaigns director for J Street, Daniel Sieradski, founder of the popular blog Jewschool.com, and Motti Seligson of Chabad.org.
Controversy and Conversion with Rabbi David Kalb: Conversion is one of the most controversial issues in the Jewish community today. Delve into the different movements of Judaism to explore each movement’s separate approach.
Rosh Hashanah Services: Join Rabbi Jen Krause, Cantorial Soloist and Musical Director Josh Nelson, and Ba’al Tefillah (prayer leader) Richard Claman.
Sat, Sep 19
Rosh Hashanah Services: Join Rabbi Jen Krause, Cantorial Soloist and Musical Director Josh Nelson, and Ba’al Tefillah (prayer leader) Richard Claman.
Rosh Hashanah Family Service (Sat): Celebrate the Jewish New Year with your family and others at this intergenerational Rosh Hashanah experience.
Sun, Sep 20 Rosh Hashanah Services: Join Rabbi Jen Krause, Cantorial Soloist and Musical Director Josh Nelson, and Ba’al Tefillah (prayer leader) Richard Claman.
Rosh Hashanah Family Service (Sat): Celebrate the Jewish New Year with your family and others at this intergenerational Rosh Hashanah experience.
92Y Podcast: Michelle Goldberg and Deborah Lauter on The Rise of Christian Nationalism in America
In October 2006, journalist/author Michelle Goldberg (New York Times bestseller Kingdom Coming and The Means of Reproduction) and Deborah Lauter of the Anti-Defamation League discussed "The Rise of Christian Nationalism in America." You can listen to the full program above.
NYC Shorts celebrates the short form by showcasing provocative and entertaining short films from around the world. Created by filmmakers David Barba, James Pellerito and Jennifer Pellerito, NYC Shorts has a history of artistic and commercial successes.
“...few New Yorkers realized they already had a great short film festival in the city — much less one that is organized each year not by festival bigwigs but by like-minded filmmakers.
...The star-studded juries and celebrity endorsements that accompanied “Tropfest” may be missing from the equation, but the third annual edition of NYC Shorts (nycshorts.com) offers a proven track record of launching films to prominent destinations. One after another, the festival’s trio of founders — film students David Barba, James Pellerito, and Jennifer Pellerito — has watched official entries receive warm welcomes at the Sundance Film Festival and the Academy Awards.
The festival’s run at 92YTribeca is now underway. And with this bit of rain we’re having now which is scheduled to continue through the weekend, catching a film festival indoors seems like a no-brainer.
So if you want to see the next Academy Award winner before everyone else, as happened in 2007 when The Danish Poet played at NYC Shorts, now is your chance.
Josh Nelson, 92Y Musical Director and Cantor Rockstar With a Rider
Josh Nelson performaning L’Dor Vador (From Generation to Generation) at the 2007 URJ Biennial in San Diego, CA.
Josh Nelson, Cantorial Soloist and Musical Director for the 92nd Street Y’s High Holiday Services sat down with Jewcy’s Rina Raphael “to discuss whether cantors get more women than cantorial soloists and what Jews can learn from Christian rock:”
Jewcy: What kind of groupies do rock-n-roll cantors have?
Josh: Well, my bubbe is 90 years old… I think she might qualify as my favorite groupie. Seriously, it’s a well-known fact that the ordained cantors get all the groupies. I am a cantorial soloist (i.e., not an ordained cantor). I propose that that’s the reason why my groupie roster is somewhat limited.
Jewcy: Jewish Rock vs. Christian Rock. Thoughts?
Josh: Christian rock is, to be frank, pretty amazing. We have a lot to learn from the Christian community… For some reason, this statement tends to make many Jews uncomfortable. However, I find it to be undeniably true.
While our theologies may differ, we share many of the same challenges. In particular, we struggle to connect our respective cultural and spiritual heritages with an aesthetic that is contemporary and relevant. Christian rock successfully bridges that gap, bringing a modern spiritual approach to legions of young people. It’s made Christianity cool and relevant to the next generation.
We are beginning to see a similar transition in the Jewish community, and it’s both welcome and necessary. There certainly is pushback from the old guard, but it’s shortsighted to not see that this process is cyclical. These same cultural shifts have occurred over and over again in the past. It’s critical to see that this current transition is enabling our young community to find a deeper connection to spirituality and Jewish life.
My great-grandparents prayed in a shul with a mechitza. My parents prayed in a shul with a choir and an organ. I pray in a shul with an electric guitar and a band.
So, Christian rock or Jewish rock? Yes.
Read more, and find out what is on Nelson’s Yom Kippur rider, here.
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...While he was recovering, he, like many other intensive-care patients, briefly hallucinated, and he vividly remembers his reverie.
And work very hard is something Alvarez is already doing. He studies at the American Ballet Theater when he is not performing, as well as studying classical piano on full merit scholarship at the 92 Street Y. “The piano helps me tremendously with the musicality of ballet,” he says.
While they are on stage we will be 
Yesterday’s 
