11/9: Todah Rabah

Many thanks to the Members of the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Emeth of Flatbush for their warm welcome on 11/9/13. This was my “debut performance” in my new home of Brooklyn, so a very exciting day for me!

Here is the write-up in the December issue of the TBE Newsletter:

Sisterhood Lecture Series

Although most of those in attendance at the Temple’s November 8th Sisterhood luncheon were familiar with the Broadway musical and film Fiddler on the Roof, the lecture presented by our fellow Congregant Jan Lisa Huttner expanded our appreciation of the rich background from which this show had been spawned.

The audience learned about the Yiddish author Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich, better known by his pen name Sholem Aleichem, who created the series of stories of Teyve the Dairyman. We heard of the significance of why Teyve was depicted as being a father initially of seven daughters and how it related to Sholem Aleichem’s life where he found himself responsible for five young women. Jan traced Teyve’s family responsibilities to the biblical story of Zelophehad, descendent of Manasseh, son of Joseph. The five daughters of Zelophehad pleaded with Moses successfully to receive their rightful inheritance following their father’s death.

We look forward to future lectures by Jan as we gain a greater understanding of the roots of Yiddish culture and Jewish religion in contemporary life.

Follow link for slide show –> 13Nov09BethEmeth

(Note that I made one slight change. The original article says “eventually of seven daughters,” but I corrected this to “initially of seven daughters.”)

Click HERE for more about Temple Beth Emeth.

Top Photo Credit: Temple Beth Emeth President Gerard Soffian.

What am I holding? Left Hand: A recording of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish! Right Hand: A copy of My Father Sholom Aleichem by Marie Waife-Goldberg!

Bottom Photo Credit: Richard Bayard Miller.

What am I holding? Left Hand: Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on The Roof by Alisa Solomon. Right Hand: The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem: The Remarkable Life and Afterlife of the Man Who Created Tevye by Jeremy Dauber. Click HERE to read my review of Wonder of Wonders for the JUF News.