Passover Musings: Then and Now

The Passover seder, a collective commemoration of liberation and redemption, is probably the most observed Jewish ritual of our time. Here LABA fellow Amy Handelsman reflects on her family’s seders past and present. One of the foundational principles of Judaism is T’shuvah, the concept of circularity and return. We return to the same holidays every year, the

LABAlive (and in my dreams!)

LABAlive I: War & Peace on 3.22.18 featured works-in-progress by three of LABA’s current cohort. Fellow Jon Adam Ross returned from the show caffeinated, disquieted, elated and eventually superpowered. Here he reflects on his experience. I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Maybe it’s all the coffee, or maybe it’s the nightmares about pathological grandmothers escaping boxcars during the Holocaust

The Feast of Memory: An Exceptional LABA Tradition

The Feast of Memory is an ancient LABA tradition, where everybody is asked to share a food, either tasty or nasty, connected with a personal memory or story.  At the end of the evening, a collective memory emerges, evoking a collective history. Having overcome a mighty hangover, here LABA alum Gordon Haber recalls this year’s feast.  “This

Super Play

On Thursday, March 22nd, LABALive One will present an evening of subversive art and teachings on this year’s theme, WAR & PEACE. The evening will feature LABA teacher Liel Leibovitz and works-in-progress by LABA Fellows Brandon Woolf, Tal Beery and Jess Honovich. Here’s Jess on how she developed her upcoming theater piece. Rarely do I get the opportunity to bridge

Mud and Mashiach

On Thursday, March 22nd, LABALive One will present an evening of subversive art and teachings on this year’s theme, WAR & PEACE. The evening will feature LABA teacher Liel Leibovitz and works-in-progress by LABA Fellows Tal Beery, Jess Honovich and Brandon Woolf.  Woolf is a theater maker and a scholar of contemporary performance. Here he ruminates on the relationship

It’s Just Not True

On Thursday, March 22nd, LABALive One will present an evening of subversive art and teachings on this year’s theme, WAR & PEACE. The evening will feature LABA teacher Liel Leibovitz and works-in-progress by LABA Fellows Jess Honovich, Brandon Woolf and Tal Beery.  In his performance, visual artist Beery will respond to the only remaining item left of

Black History Month – An Epilogue

Marking the closing of Black History Month, LABA alumnus Kendell Pinkney condemns the habitual pigeonholing of him as Jew of color, and calls for a thoughtful conversation around how Jewishness intersects with various forms of otherness.   When the email landed in my inbox, I groaned aloud. “Would you be interested to write a short

Unscrolling Purim

Israeli-American playwright Zohar Tirosh-Polk is a current LABA fellow. For this year’s Purim celebration, she reminds us how the heroine of the Megillah can inspire us to heal a broken world. Carnival Lately I’ve been feeling kind of quiet and stuck. Whether it’s Israel preparing to send African refugees back to war zones, the Israeli prime

Are We Done With Murder?

LABA alum Gordon Haber considers Black History Month and the dangers of making America great again   In these days when we are exhorted to make America great again — in other words, to return to some vaguely articulated epoch of former glory — it’s probably a good idea to consider what a return to

Toppling Walls

Writer and story consultant Amy Handelsman is a current LABA fellow. Here are Amy’s thoughts on some timely ancient texts we’ve been studying on this year’s theme, WAR + PEACE. Twice a month as a LABA fellow, I am privileged to take part in a study session at the 14th Street Y, where Lead Teacher Liel Leibovitz