| I was thrilled to launch Kolot Mayim’s Speaker Series on the theme of Building Bridges: language, song and story on Sunday, November 1, 2020 from 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM PST by Zoom. Click on this link to view Building Jewish Culture Through Stories and Songs. My goal was to explore how traditional and contemporary stories and songs continue to influence humanity as well as Jewish culture. I began with the story of how I became Canada’s first ordained Maggidah (Jewish storyteller) before telling a powerful story of the first professional storyteller sent out by the Hasidic sage, the Baal Shem Tov ((zichrono l’bracha, may his memory be for a blessing = z”l), in 1760. I adapted this story from my teacher, Maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum’s (z”l) informative book, “Storytelling and Spirituality in Judaism.” My personal narrative, “Jerusalem Walk,” rounds out the experience with Talmudic tales, original melodies and sacred texts in both English and Hebrew. Due to a recording glitch, you won’t see my face the whole time but you will always hear the stories and songs. The audience reactions can be fun to watch, too, especially when I mention my wise, enthusiastic friend, Nomi Kaston, who lights up when she becomes part of the story! |