On November 7, 2021 the JCC East Bay opened its doors to the public for the first time since Covid came into our lives. The reason was to welcome everyone to our first-ever LABAlive, during which we showcased the work of our CHOSEN fellows. Here’s a rundown of the work: Naomie Kremer TREE OF LIFE
“Yiddish culture has something to say about finding joy and ingenuity and creativity and resourcefulness in a time of crisis,” explains Ben Kaplan, LABA fellow and director of education at YIVO. Listen here: For some secular Jews, their pandemic hobby has been learning Yiddish : NPR
When I was CHOSEN to lead LABA NY for the 2019-2020 cycle, it was thrilling to have the opportunity with a fellowship that had been so deeply impactful to me for four years. From the first study session I came to in 2015 when “A Serious Man” was being discussed in the year of BEAUTY,
As LABA Berlin’s inaugural year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our program together, especially the last few weeks of exhibitions and shows organized by our fellows and creative team. We came together in the spring digitally on Zoom, transitioned to in-person learning sessions with our resident scholar Tal over
I did a thing… With the incredible support of the LABA Fellowship, every step of the way, I am proud to announce the release of my newest album, “Bachurs Can’t Be Choosers”. In this project I pull apart the boiler plate narratives I was fed in my upbringing and challenge the notion of Chosenness from
“The Capitalist System…it’s good enough for Norman Thomas, It’s good enough for the Jewish Shammes [servant], But it’s not good enough for me.” When I came across this anonymous quote last winter in a book called The Downtown Jews I had no idea how much it would inform the creation of my LABA piece, Rachel Joravsky is Thriving
By Laura Beatrix Newmark, Director LABA New York “…like the strength of a blessing, as we go Quietly on with what we shall be doing, and sing Thanks for being enabled, again, to begin this instant.” -from At the New Year by John Hollander, And so it goes, after 15 months of pivoting our LABA
By, 2021 LABA Fellow Annie Berman Our current Zeitgeist is filled with dreams of renewal, reawakening, return – a return to a better world. Is that even possible? Are human beings capable of creating a world anew, or can we only work towards reforming, healing. Are there limits to human imagination? I write this as
by Ronit Muszkatblit In The Absence of a Proper Mourning is an outdoor audio visual installation that will be shown at The Jewish Museum of Maryland by LABA artist Tal Beery. This piece is a part of Dwelling in The Time of Plagues, a Jewish creative response to real-world plagues of our time, generously supported
by 2021 LABA Fellow Doron Perk When I started to work on a dance piece to honor the memory of my grandfather, Prof. Kalman Perk, I knew I would use Mendelssohn. He loved classical music, mostly opera. He knew all the names of composers and singers. Mezzo, a channel for mainly operas and ballet, would