Boulder Jewish News Arts, Culture, Events, Lifestyles, Holidays, Synagogues, Education
ACE at the J: New Name, New Building, New Era for the Arts
While the builders were busy constructing our fabulous new home, many of us have been hard at work exploring all the programming opportunities the new JCC affords. The result of all our efforts is an expansion so extensive, we have changed Menorah’s name to ACE at the J.
Since its founding in 1980, Menorah has built an outstanding reputation for excellence in arts, culture, and education programming. As ACE: Arts, Culture and Education at the J, we are excited by the enhanced opportunities to fulfill our mission of engagement through cultural arts. Our new name reflects our renewed dedication to enriching community life by presenting the very best in arts, culture, and education.
We are excited to present our fall season, which includes our popular Lunch and Learn, held the second Thursday of the month, and the Scholars Series: CU at the J. We have added Now Showing at the J, a series of new films shown on the fourth Thursdays.
Our big news is the addition of a music festival – the only Jewish Music Festival in the Rocky Mountain region. With four big-name acts, “Music and More” includes headliner Andy Statman, a family concert with Rabbi Joe Black, a Sephardic dinner and Ladino concert with Ljuba Davis, and a lively multi-genre concert that pays tribute to the collision of cultures in New Orleans’ famed Congo Square. The “more” in Music and More is Penny Wolin, a California photographer and historian who will offer an illustrated presentation of her acclaimed new book about Jewish photographers. The next day, Wolin will discuss her work with celebrity musicians in LA.
Kathryn Bernheimer will lead a book club style monthly discussion group focusing on seminal films that audience members can watch at home, or prior to the discussions, on the fourth Wednesdays of the month. Spellbinders will be at the J every first Wednesday to present and discuss stories dealing with the Jewish experience.
Our area spiritual leaders and teachers will take part in our new Rabbis’ Roundtable, starting with Rabbis Marc Soloway leading a conversation about Jewish identity.
As always, there are special events, such as our PrideFest screening of a new film about three gay Palestinians living in Tel Aviv.
We look forward to seeing you at our new home – the JCC Boulder deserves.
“Oriented” – A New Film About Being Gay and Palestinian In Israel
Professor David Shneer conducts a Skype interview with director Jake Witzenfield following the screening
Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 pm
At the Boulder JCC, Levin Hall
$12 in advance at boulderjcc.org / $15 at the door
Free for students (college and high school)
They are gay, they are Palestinian, and neither their families in the villages they grew up in nor their hard-partying friends in the nightclubs of Tel Aviv can fully understand them. The three friends who live and work in Tel Aviv are politically active and assertive about their right to define their own complex identity — and they’re not at all interested in conforming to the expectations of others. “Oriented” is an important, insightful and moving film. This Boulder premiere is a special PrideFest collaborative screening, co-sponsored by CU’s Program in Jewish Studies and the Religious Studies Department, and ADL.
Grown-Ups Day at the J: Celebrating the 55+ Community
Part of the JCC’s week-long grand opening festivities
Thursday, September 15, Noon – 5:00 pm
FREE to the entire community. Reservations are strongly recommended.
A day of music, movement, media, massage and more! Come for all or part. Reserve your spot early! Tours of the new building, social hour, massage chairs, refreshments and more.
Chat with staff of JFS in their lounge. Sign up by September 10 to be eligible for a drawing at boulderjcc.org.
“Those Were the Days: Songs of Reminiscence” at 1 pm
Concert with Faye Nepon, accompanied by beloved piano man Sheldon Sands, who performs songs casting a fond eye on life’s journey. Features show tunes, pop songs and Jewish standards.
“A Photographic Legacy”
Movie maven Kathryn Bernheimer presents and discusses a new 12-minute film, “The Man Who Shot Hollywood,” which profiles an elderly amateur photographer who spent his life snapping photos of Hollywood’s Golden Age celebrities, amassing an astounding collection of close-up, candid images of the stars – although none were ever published.
“Magic Man Eddie Goldstein”
Who says magic is just for kids? Eddie loves performing for audiences of all ages – including his own. He will amaze, astound and amuse!
CHAI TEA at 4 pm
The open house concludes with high tea! Delectable finger sandwiches, scrumptious scones, petit fours and pastries will be served while you enjoy a brief history of the High Tea.
Lunch and Learn
All programs are the second Thursday of the the month at noon
$12 in advance / $15 at the door
Reservations are requested at boulderjcc.org or call 720-749-2530
Your reservation helps us plan lunch!
“Approaching the End of Life Without a Belief in God”
With Sheila Malcolm
Thursday, September 8, Noon
Humanistic Judaism appeals to the growing number of people who identify as culturally Jewish despite the fact that they may not believe in God. How does that affect end of life questions and issues? Join Sheila Malcolm, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Ami, for a frank conversation about Jewish wisdom and practices dealing with death and dying from a secular and humanistic perspective.
“Mad Magazine: The Popularization of Jewish Humor”
With Kathryn Bernheimer
Thursday, October 13, Noon
Is Alfred E Neuman Jewish? The fictitious mascot and cover boy of Mad for more than 60 years might be a member of the tribe, but there’s no debate about the Jewish identity of his creators. Publisher William Gaines (the son of famed comics publisher Max Gaines, born Maxwell Ginsberg), editor Harvey Kurtzman, and cartoonists Willie Elder and Al Jaffe, all contributed to the magazine’s distinctly Jewish take on modern life. Learn why generations of teens have grown older if not wiser reading Mad Magazine, a triumph of American chutzpah.
“The Photographer as Witness: Shooting Celebrity Musicians in LA”
With Penny Wolin
Thursday, November 10, Noon
Author, photographer and historian Penny Wolin continues her Boulder visit with a frank conversation – and images to go with it – about one especially fascinating aspect of her long career working in commercial, and documentary photography: Photographing musicians plying their colorful trade in LA. Wolin will share photographs and anecdotes about her celebrity encounters. Currently on tour, Wolin has garnered acclaim for her newest groundbreaking work.
“The New Cuba: Travel, Business, and Cultural Exchanges”
With Judy Kreith
Thursday, December 8, Noon
A few months ago, the first American cruise ship in 40 years arrived in Havana. Today, airlines are bidding for direct flights to the island, where WiFi parks have sprung up – all due to the opening up of relations between the US and Cuba. Judy Kreith recently spoke at an international conference on Jewish life and history in Cuba, and will present an overview of the presentations, along with her impressions and experiences of a changing Cuba due to the enormous increase of visitors.
Judy Kreith and has traveled extensively to Cuba to study music and dance. She and fellow filmmaker Robin Truesdale are currently completing a documentary about Jewish refugees who found a safe haven from the Holocaust in Cuba, titled “Forgotten Jewels, A Haven in Havana.”
NOW SHOWING AT THE J: Monthly Film and Conversation
All screenings are the fourth Thursday of every month at 1:30 pm
$10 in advance at boulderjcc.org / $12 at the door
“Carole King: A Natural Woman”
With Kathryn Bernheimer
Thursday, September 22, 1:30 pm
The subject of a new PBS documentary, Carole King is a nice Jewish girl born Carol Klein on February 9, 1942 in Brooklyn. She gave Aretha Franklin reason to croon “A Natural Woman,” inspired her babysitter Little Eva to tell a generation about the latest dance craze in “The Loco-Motion,” and let James Taylor warm our hearts with “You’ve Got a Friend.” The singer-songwriter and her then-husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than 100 hits before divorcing, leaving Carole King to a long solo career that continued to push boundaries, and leaving a canon of songs that continue to speak to our changing times with uncanny perception.
“Iris”
With Kathryn Bernheimer
Thursday, October 27, 1:30 pm
Iris Apfel, the eclectic New York style icon, proves a fascinating and hugely loveable subject in this new documentary by Albert Maysles. At 93, Apfel has become our leading ambassador for late-life fashion eccentricity and dare-to-be different panache. For Apfel, getting dressed is a creative act—like playing jazz, she says. It’s a sartorial safari seen through round, rose-colored glasses, and it looks, most of the time, like wild fun. Co-sponsored by Hadassah.
“A 20th Century Woman: Lucy Kramer Cohen”
With Dorothy Cohen
Thursday, December 22, 1:30 pm
Lucy Kramer Cohen died in 2007, a few months before her 100th birthday, having lived a quietly remarkable life. An anthropologist trained by Franz Boas, Cohen and her husband Felix spent their lives championing Native American rights. Both Felix and Lucy Cohen shared a belief in the moral duty of mitzvah, creating a commitment to the “true and the just” that was rooted in their Jewish intellectual and moral heritage, and their Social Democrat principles.
Scholars Series: CU at the J
All programs are at 7:00 pm
$12 in advance / $15 at the door
“Understanding Sharia Law”
With CU Professor Aun Hasan Ali, Islamic Studies
Thursday, September 29, 7:00 pm
Sharia or Islamic Law is widely misunderstood – yet hotly debated – as a medieval system of governance that does not belong in the modern world. The reality of what Sharia has historically been, however, belies widespread caricatures. CU Religious Studies Professor Ali will explain what Sharia is, how it is related to Islam, and how it has evolved in modern times.
Professor Ali’s research focuses on the intellectual history of Shi’ism, including both the pre-modern and modern periods, studying Shi’ism through the lens of the concept of tradition and social network theory. Ali is also interested in Shi’i law and legal theory, especially the interplay between shariah and legislation.
“The Judeo-Islamic Golden Age of Spain”
With CU Professor Brian Catlos
Wednesday, October 26, 7:00 pm
The first two chapters of Infidel Kings and Unholy Warriors looks at the careers of Samuel and Joseph ibn Naghrella, Jews who served as the prime ministers of a Muslim kingdom in Spain during the Golden Age of Judeo-Islamic culture (11th century). Join Professor Catlos as we turn back the clock 1,000 years to examine the shifting fortunes and precarious history of Jews in Muslim lands.
“The Age of Anxiety: Franz Kafka and Orson Welles”
With CU Professor Davide Stimile
Thursday, December 15, 7:00 pm
“Jewish Geography: Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s Geographic Imagination”
With CU Professor Adam Rovner
Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 pm
Many people are aware that right-wing Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky was a forceful speaker, statesman, and writer. Few know, however, that Jabotinsky was responsible for publishing the first modern atlas composed in Hebrew. This presentation focuses on Jabotinsky’s Atlas (1925) and his use of cartography in another little-known work, his screenplay A Galilean Romance (1926). Jabotinsky’s preoccupation with questions of geography not only help us grapple with his brand of Jewish nationalism, but also reveal his indebtedness to avant-garde cultural and philosophical currents present in his European era.
Daytime Programs – All New Activities!
Join Ace for storytelling, a movie club, and Rabbis’ Roundtable
“Storytelling”
With “Spellbinders” Paul Scott, Susan Scott Stevens and others
Every first Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:30 pm
October 5, November 2, December 7
At the Boulder JCC
Price $8 in advance / $10 at the door
Since ancient times, storytellers have told stories to pass on wisdom, engage the imagination, and foster community. Join us for a program that will stimulate your imagination and enrich your life. Spellbinders is dedicated to restoring the art of oral storytelling to connect elders to youth, weaving together the wisdom of diverse cultures throughout time.
“Movie Mavens Club”
A monthly book-club style discussion facilitated by Kathryn Bernheimer
Every fourth Wednesday, 1:30 pm
Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 23, Jan 25, Feb 22, March 22, April 26, May 24
At the Boulder JCC
$10 in advance/ $12 at the door/ $60 for the 8-film series
Each month, the group will meet to discuss a film selected by our resident movie maven, which can be viewed in advance at home or immediately prior to the class. The 8 must-see films selected represent significant milestones in Jewish history and the arts. The titles will be posted on our website in August.
RABBIS’ ROUNDTABLE
How Do You Jew? Exploring Jewish Identities
Every third Wednesday, 2:00 pm
October 19, November 16, December 21
In the Boulder JCC Library
$8 in advance / $10 at the door.
The Boulder JCC is a gathering place for Jews of all kinds; religious, secular, cultural, gastronomic. Jewish identity is extremely broad and diverse – and yet we feel so intimately connected. Reb Zalman suggested that “Jew” should be a verb rather than a noun since there are so many ways to “Jew!” Join Rabbi Marc Soloway for the first of a monthly series exploring what makes us Jewish, partially based on the book “I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl.” This series is part of ACE’s Rabbis’ Roundtable, a new forum for our rabbis and teachers to lead the community in meaningful and relevant conversations about Jewish life.
Klezmania – A New Culinary and Musical Christmas Eve Tradition
Saturday, December 24, 6:00 pm
At the Boulder JCC, Levin Hall
$25 adults / $18 children ages 4-10
Tickets available at boulderjcc.org
Music and More Festival
Featuring Four Concerts, Special Events, Nationally Acclaimed Guest Speakers, Dinners, and, well, More!
Dayenu! One concert would have been enough!
All concerts at the Boulder JCC, Levin Hall
Tickets available online at boulderjcc.org
FESTIVAL PASS: $100. Includes Ljuba Davis Ladino Trio with dinner plus three events of your choice.
JAMbalaya: New Orleans Grooves! Classical Elegance! Voodoo Magic!
The 2016 NeXtFest with Gregory T.S. Walker
Sunday, October 30, 7:00 pm
$18 in advance at boulderjcc.org / $20 at the door
Join master of ceremonies and resident voodoo violinist Gregory T.S. Walker and fall under the spell of New Orleans’ legendary Congo Square in this concert featuring a fusion of strings, drums and dancers. The brainchild of CU Denver music professor Gregory Walker, concertmaster of Boulder Phil for 25 years, this multi-media concert celebrates Congo Square in New Orleans, where slaves were sold and musical traditions collided. The interdisciplinary evening includes African drumming, hip hop dancers, classical music, funk and blues, zydeco, and special mashups.
Jewish Photography in Focus
With Penny Wolin
Wednesday, November 9, 7:00 pm
$15 in advance at boulderjcc.org / $18 at the door
Penny Wolin spent eight years traveling through America photographing and interviewing more than 70 of the most original American photographers in history including Annie Leibovitz , Arnold Newman, Robert Frank and sometimes relatives of those deceased. The Wyoming-born Wolin describes her practice as both a portrait photographer and a visual anthropologist, and feels strongly about combining words and images. Now based in California, photographer and historian Penny Wolin recently published “Descendants of Light: American Photographers of Jewish Ancestry,” and has been touring the country with her illustrated history of the seminal work and lives of Jewish photographers, fostering a renewed appreciation for these witnesses to our common history and culture.
“If you have wondered why the most notable photographers in 20th century America were Jewish, start looking at this book now. With passion and perseverance, photographer Penny Wolin shines a bright light upon the answers.” – Former picture editor, LIFE magazine
Read more at http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/books/search-jewish-angle-things#YypVwcXkIjxhLCkl.99
“I am a Jewish photographer photographing other photographers of Jewish ancestry. We all intently question and answer what we see before us. And one way or another, we continue to master our Jewish American identities as well as the continuing cultural and technological revolution of photography.”
Meet Rabbi Joe Black
A family concert with Rabbi Joe Black
Sunday, November 13, 1:30 pm
$18 adults / $5 children 2 and over / Toddlers free. $20 / $6 at the door
Meet Rabbi Joe Black, a vibrant force in today’s contemporary Jewish music scene! He is a dynamic performer, lyrical composer, and accomplished musician, and has produced several critically acclaimed albums of Jewish music in addition to a songbook and two videos. His books and music have been featured by the PJ library and he has been honored by Moment magazine as one of the top ten male performers in American Jewish music as well as one of the top ten children’s performers in American Jewish music.
Between Heaven and Earth Music Legend Andy Statman in Concert
With the Andy Statman Trio
Sunday, November 13, 7:00 pm
$36 in advance at boulderjcc.org / $40 at door
With more than 30 albums covering a wide world music spectrum, virtuoso Andy Statman spurred the Jewish music renaissance with 1995’s Songs of our Fathers (with Dave Grisman). A maestro of clarinet, mandolin, and guitar, Statman creates original compositions that reinvigorate the familiar musical forms of klezmer, jazz, bluegrass, Jewish folk, and spiritual devotional music. A revered veteran in several genres, he is perhaps most beloved by his people and has mesmerised generations of Jewish audiences around the world.
The Ljuba Davis Ladino Trio – A Sephardic Dinner and Concert
Thursday, November 17, 7:00 pm
Optional dinner at 5:30 pm
$45 for dinner and concert – in advance only at boulderjcc.org
$18 concert only in advance at boulderjcc.org / $20 at the door
The Grande Dame of Ladino brings the beauty and mystery of medieval Spain to Boulder for a rare look at a long-lost life. Ladino, a Romance language that has its roots in Jewish musical traditions prior to the 1492 expulsion, incorporates influences of Morocco, Argentina, Turkey, Greece, and the other places that Spanish Jews settled. Ladino has enjoyed a revival of interest due to its beautiful melodies and rich cultural context, and leading that revival is long-time New York singer Ljuba Davis.
Featuring an optional pre-concert dinner of Sephardic specialities!
