Interviewing Strom

Back to Bialystock, here's an interview with Yale Strom about klezmer music, and bringing the old country back to the old country:





We look forward to meeting him on Friday at our Simchat Torah celebration!

Klezmer Bist Du Schoen

Here's some more Yale Strom, in anticipation of his Simchat Torah performance at Adas Emuno this coming Friday evening, this video courtesy of JLTV's YouTube channel.











That's Yale Strom on violin, Elizabeth Schwartz singing and Lou Fanucchi on accordian performing "Ben Avrameni".

Yale Strom Warning!

As we prepare to greet Yale Strom and his Hot Pstromi band when they perform during our special Friday night Simchat Torah celebration at Congregation Adas Emuno, beginning at 6 PM this coming Friday, October 1st (see our previous post: Hot Pstromi Coming Up!), here's a little taste of what's to come:









The video features Yale Strom on violin, with friends, playing klezmer music at Festival Zachor in Białystok, Poland.   You might say he played Bialystock to the max--unless he brooks no puns...

Gimme Shelter a la Sukkot

This video features great production values and an inspirational message about Sukkot from Rabbi Dan Roth of TorahLive, a Chassidic organization:





As Reform Jews, we do not shut out the views and practices of other branches of Judaism, but rather seek to learn from them as we encourage everyone to find the spiritual connections and forms of Jewish practice that are most meaningful to them.

A Music Video for Sukkot

Here's a marvelous music video for Sukkot, courtesy of kishmirveystvi on youtube:







Now that is one fast bit of Sukkah building!  Happy Sukkot to you all!

Hot Pstromi Coming Up!

News flash! World renowned klezmer musician Yale Strom and his band, Hot Pstromi, will be the special musical guests for Simchat Torah Services at Congregation Adas Emuno, 254 Broad Avenue, Leonia, on Friday evening, October 1 beginning at 6:30 PM (please note the special starting time.



The service is open to the community.

The Simchat Torah Service will also include a Consecration Ceremony with Religious School Director Jennifer Katz-Goldstein welcoming our newest students for the 2010-2011 school year.





For more information, contact the Temple office at 201-592-1712 or visit our website, www.adasemuno.org.

What more can we say but, be there or be square, bubeleh!

Reed Harvesting at Teaneck Creek for Sukkot and Science

On Sunday, September 12, Congregation Adas Emuno was one of several Jewish synagogues and schools that came to the Teaneck Creek Conservancy in Teaneck, NJ to harvest reeds, which are used to build the ceremonial Succah for the Sukkot holiday.  While cutting their holiday reeds, harvesters learned from Dr. Beth Ravit, a wetland scientist who also is a member of Congregation Adas Emuno, how their reed harvesting is helping to restore the urban wetlands of Teaneck Creek. 

The reed harvesters cut and removed Phragmites australis – the Common Reed. Phragmites was native to the New Jersey region and the species is known to have existed at least 1,000 years ago in the upland portion of northern New Jersey marshes and swamps. However, the genotype found here today probably came over from Europe or Asia in the 19th century, and some of its genes are different from those of the native species. The newcomer exhibits very aggressive growth patterns - growing to heights of more than 10 feet and shading out desirable native wetland vegetation. It also responds very positively to nutrients (especially nitrogen), and so when rain washes fertilizer off lawns and carries it down into the Meadowlands portion of the Hackensack River estuary we see Phragmites taking over the marshes that remain here today.   

However, Phragmites also is an amazingly helpful plant.  Found worldwide, including on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel, the plant removes excess nutrient pollution from water. It thrives year-round, sustained by an underground air and food supply system built of tough rhizomes that may be buried as much as two feet deep. In the Teaneck Creek Conservancy, where six stormwater pipes drain runoff from the streets of Teaneck, the Phragmites are helping to clean this water before it flows into Overpeck Creek on its way to the Hackensack River. For this reason Teaneck Creek Conservancy wants to retain some Phragmites, but needs to keep it from spreading and taking over the entire park. 

  

The non-profit Teaneck Creek Conservancy is dedicated to the reclamation and revitalization of the lands and waters of a 46-acre property within Overpeck County Park for public use and enjoyment as a passive park and outdoor environmental and cultural education center.  By cutting the Phragmites growing adjacent to the park’s walking trails, the harvesters help to contain the plant in its present location. This act of stewardship in our own County Park is a wonderful celebration of the Sukkot harvest and thanksgiving for the earth’s bounty.