The Charles Street Shul, also known as Congregation Derech Amuno is located at 53 Charles St at West 4th in the Village, and they will again host the Andy Statman Trio -Andy on clarinet and mandolin, Jim Whitney on bass and Larry Eagle on drums and percussion. They will appear on Thursday May 22nd at 8:30. And thereafter, perhaps.

This historic, small synagogue has hosted the Andy Statman Trio for about 5 years.

If you haven’t been there before, you can expect absolutely transporting klezmer and blueglass by Brilliant Andy Statman, (my official title for him), and his trio in a warm, charming, real and unique setting, that is: a completely non-commercial setting.

This means that the time schedule isn’t so perfect, so if you arrive a bit early give a hand and help set up the chairs,  and check the performance dates as well on Andy’s website.

See my archive entry for a detailed discription and a photo of the outside of the little shul. Also, links.

If you attend, please let me know how it was since I will not be there tomorow. I will  be at a different concert of Sephardi and Mizrachi music, see my “upcoming events” for details. 

I will hear the Andy Statman Trio on a different evening.

WritopiaLab, the unique community of young writers, has completed it’s first year of existence, and what a spectacular year it has been. There are now FOUR, yes count them, FOUR branches of WritopiaLab, and if you visit their website, you will see a lovely large Golden Apple Teacher Award from Scholastic, awarded to the teacher with the largest number of Scholastic Writing Competition Winners in the nation. That’s correct, in the nation.

Yesterday, well over 125 people attended the third public reading of WritopiaLab’s young writers under a tent in Bryant Park, which is adjacent to the main branch of the New York Public Library. This included writers, friends, family and park passers-by.

I am sure that Patience and Fortitude appreciated the patience and fortitude of the readers and listeners who sat through the rain and wind. It felt like an August day in San Francisco, bone chilling, but it was an inspiring and completely satisfying afternoon. I would not have been any where else.

Rebecca Wallace-Segall, the award-winning founder/Director of WritopiaLab, introduced each young writer before they read. We heard from young poets, short story writers, memoirists and a journalist. Many were award winners, many will surely be in the future.

Rebecca introduced some of the new writer/teachers who will lead up-coming workshops who were present, including the author Deborah Siegel.

Visit www.WritopiaLab.org, buy an anthology, buy a tee shirt, come to the next public reading.

The young writers of WritopiaLab will inspire you.

On May 8, many Rabbis, perhaps 75 in all, gathered at  the Merchants Gate of Central Park, at Columbus Circle, to celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary with Rabbis For Human Rights.   This is a busy spot in New York, it is an entrance to Cental Park, with people going to and from work, pedi-cabs waiting for fares, tourists reading maps and sitting on the steps of the monument to the Maine, teens leaving school, lots of foot and vehicle traffic etc.

It was very moving to be there with singer-songwriter Debbie Friedman and Rabbi Simkha Weintraub of the National Center for Jewish Healing  as they lead a traditional Mincha (Afternoon) Service, right there in street with the blessed chaos of New York swirling near-by. Passers-by stopped to listen and watch. The rain came and went. Two trees for peace were symbolically planted.

Rabbi Gordon Tucker presented an excellent teaching based on a  a commentary on Israel’s Declaration of Independence developed by the RHR Human Rights Yeshiva in Jerusalem. His teaching and the RHR mission is clearly posted on their website.

It stregnthens hope to share this possitive and moving experience with friends, especially during these times which are so full of suffering and violence around the world.

Last night we saw a preview screening of Fugutive Pieces, the Canadian film by Jeremy Podeswa,  which is based on the award winning novel by Anne Michaels. It open tommorrow, May 2, 2008,  at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema (Broadway and 62ndst).

Even though novelized versions of Holocaust stories always give me pause, since the telling of true stories of actual survivors are so moving and shocking and much more important to remember, I still found that this film of survival, the blessed actions of decent people, the effect of memory and loss, and intimacy was extremely moving, poetic and very worthwhile. 

The cast is wonderful and much of the film is shot in beautiful locations Greece, and in claustophobic apartment interiors. Good metaphor for the main character’s exterior and interior life.

Go see the film.