Build Your Own Jewish Musical
“When Jesse Came Across the Sea”
will be live-streamed here at 6:45pm on Monday, May 22!
Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the performance will not be streamed this evening as planned. However, there will be a recording which will be be posted here. Stay tuned!
Each year since 2020, a group of Kane Street’s Hebrew School students have participated in the “Build Your Own Jewish Musical” Program, which was conceived by composer and playwright (and the Hebrew School’s Music Director) Landon Braverman. The children select a story to interpret in their own way, collaborating to adapt it to the stage. They write the script, music, and lyrics, helped by Landon, and Hebrew School Director Rabbi Valerie Lieber. In the first two years of the program, the final productions were recorded at home, and screened over Zoom due to the pandemic; but in May 2022, the cast was finally able to perform live. Please check out the recordings of each of the past musicals below: Osnat and Her Dove, Pearl Moscowitz’s Last Stand, and Brave Girl.
“Osnat and Her Dove”
2022
An original musical written and performed by Kane Street Synagogue Hebrew School students in 3rd through 6th grade, under the leadership of Landon Braverman, musical theater composer.
The story of Osnat and Her Dove is based on history. Set in the late 1500’s in what is now Mosul, Iraq, Osnat, a Kurdish Jew, was the daughter of a well-known rabbi with no sons. Osnat’s father taught her rabbinic studies, and after both her father and her scholar-husband died, she led the Yeshiva in her town of Mosul. Her story includes magic, nature, learning and defying the expectations of everyone in the town. The songs range from funny to touching to inspiring. The book on which the musical is based was written by Sigal Samuel and illustrated by Vali Mintzi (levinequerido.com/osnat-and-her-dove).
Written and performed by:
Tovi Allam, Gideon Fox, Lilah Haskel, Alex Korn, Maya Margolis, Sophie O’Toole, Alice Poliner, Nitzan Pollock, Madeleine Pollock, Yaniv Robinson, Clark Scheihagen, Penelope Tamman, Raffaella Tamman, Tallulah Tamman, and Lily Westrom
“Pearl Moscowitz’ Last Stand”
2021
An original musical written and performed by Hebrew School students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade from Kane Street Synagogue, under the leadership of Landon Braverman, musical theater composer.
Set on the Lower East Side in the early 1960s, it is the very timely story of over-development of the city at the expense of everyday residents. This story about community, residential diversity, displacement and love of NYC will make you laugh and feel proud to be a New Yorker.
Story writing, lyric and musical composition, rehearsals, and recording all took place from January through June 2021, which premiered online on June 21, 2021. Enjoy!
Written and performed by:
Gideon Fox, Lilah Haskel, Maya Margolis, Alice Poliner, Madeleine Pollock, Yaniv Robinson, Tallulah Tamman, and Lily Westrom,
& Landon Braverman and Rabbi Val Lieber.
“Brave Girl”
2020
An intrepid group of 4th and 5th Graders embarked on a creative musical journey with their Hebrew School music teacher/impresario, Landon Braverman to create “Brave Girl”, a new original musical (based on the book by Michelle Markel).
This is the story of Clara Lemlich, who came to America’s Golden Door, to find liberty and a better life. Clara immigrated with her family to the United States from Ukraine in 1902 at age 16. Poor and desperate, she worked in the sweatshops. But she did not stay quiet under the deplorable conditions. The musical brings a message of idealism, big dreams dashed, resilience, and triumph against huge odds and tremendous courage. It is a message for 2020. It is a message to savor.
After an interruption in their creative process, due to the 2020 global pandemic, the group reassembled on Zoom, to continue writing, rehearsing, and recording the production, which was premiered at an online “Hosted Havdalah” on November 23, 2020. Enjoy!
Written and performed by: