2014 Neustadt JAAMM Fest Brochure by Staenberg–Loup Jewish Community Center

VOL, 7 ISSSUE 1

OCTOBER 22–NOVEMBER 9, 2014

A Celebration of Jewish life featuring dynamic art, authors, books, movies, music, dance, and theatre events.

Why I Hate Dreams By Michael Chabon Published in The New York Review of Books and NYRblog “Roving thoughts and provocations from our writers” I hate dreams. Dreams are the Sea Monkeys of consciousness: in the back pages of sleep they promise us teeming submarine palaces but leave us, on waking, with a hermetic residue of freeze-dried dust. The wisdom of dreams is a fortune on paper that you can’t cash out, an oasis of shimmering water that turns, when you wake up, to a mouthful of sand. I hate them for their absurdities and deferrals, their endlessly broken promise to amount to something, by and by.I hate them for the way they ransack memory, jumbling treasure and trash. I hate them for their tedium, how they drag on, peter out, wander off.

Pretty much the only thing I hate more than my own dreams are yours. “I was flying over Lake Michigan in a pink Cessna,” you begin,“only it wasn’t really Lake Michigan…,” and I sink, cobwebbed, beneath a drifting dust of boredom. Dreams are effluvia, bodily information, to be shared only with intimates and doctors. At the breakfast table, in my house, an inflexible law compels all recountings of dreams to be compressed into a sentence or, better still, half a sentence, like the paraphrasings of epic films listed in TV Guide: “Rogue Samurai saves peasant village.” The recounting of a dream is—ought to be—a source of embarrassment to the dreamer, sitting there naked in fading tatters of Jungian cou-

ture. Whatever stuff dreams are made on, it isn’t words. As soon as you begin to tell a dream, as Freud reminds us, you interpolate, falsify, distort; you lie. That roseate airplane, that wide blue arc of cold water: no, it wasn’t like that, not at all. Better just to skip it, and pass the maple syrup. Worse still than real dreams, mine or yours—sandier mouthfuls, ranker lies—are the dreams of characters in books and movies. Nobody, not even Aunt Em, wants to hear about Dorothy’s dream when she wakes up at the end of The Wizard of Oz. As outright fantasy the journey to Oz is peerless,joyous,muscular with truth; to call it a dream Why I Hate Dreams continues on page 4

2014 Neustadt JAAMM Fest Six years ago, based on a generous grant from the Rose Community Foundation, the MACC decided to expand the popular Festival of Jewish Books and Authors by offering several performing and educational events to augment the terrific line up of nationally known author lectures. Little did we know that our expansion would lead to the colossal success that is our JAAMM Fest (Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies & Music).As we enter the seventh year of the festival, we are humbled by the growth, power and appeal of JAAMM.We have doubled our audience from just over 2,000 patrons in our inaugural year to over 4,000 last year. We believe JAAMM Fest offers Colorado the most comprehensive festival focused solely on the celebration of Jewish arts and culture. In fact, JAAMM Fest appears to be relatively unprecedented nationally as it relates to the scope and variety offered throughout our three week extravaganza. We are overjoyed to announce that this success has led one of our donors, Kathy Neustadt, to permanently seed an endowment for the festival ensuring many more years of enriching programs. Henceforth, we will be known as the Neustadt JAAMM Festival in honor of Kathy and her family’s exceptional generosity. This year’s festival truly offers something for everyone with premium author lectures, internationally acclaimed music concerts, an edifying scholar-inresidence program, an enlightening theatre production, several exciting collaborative events and much more. Please come, enjoy and spread the word about this extraordinary celebration of Jewish arts, culture and literature!

2014 Neustadt JAAMM Fest Unites Community Through Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies And Music JAAMM Fest Named in Honor of Neustadt Family Our community arts festival“illuminates the human experience” through powerful and influential literature, music, art and performances. This fall, the MizelArts and Culture Center (MACC) will host the seventh annual all-encompassing and compelling 2014 Neustadt JAAMM Fest - Jewish Arts,Authors, Movies and Music Festival at the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center (JCC) from Oct. 22 through Nov. 9 and also including a special author lecture withAri Shavit onWednesday,November 19. This year, Stuart Raynor, CEO of the JCC, has announced that the festival will be named in honor of Kathy Neustadt and the Neustadt Family. Kathy is a former president of the JCC and member of the renowned Neustadt family, founders of The Neustadt International Prize for Literature. “It is very exciting for JAAMM Fest to have the support of Kathy and her family,” Raynor says. “Our goal is to continue to establish JAAMM Fest as one of the premiere Jewish arts festivals in the country, and the Neustadt family support will assist us in reaching our goal.”

The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature.It is considered one of the prestigious international literary prizes, often compared with the Nobel Prize in Literature and referred to as the“American Nobel” because of its record of 30 laureates,candidates or jurors, who in 42 years have been awarded Nobel Prizes following their involvement with the Neustadt Prize. Like the Nobel, it is awarded not for any one work, but for an entire body of work. “Our family has long supported the literary world, and endowing JAAMM Fest is a wonderful way to pass this tradition along,” Neustadt says.“It is so important to honor our cultural heritage, and we hope the community joins in supporting this world class festival.” The three-week Neustadt JAAMM Festival will consist of several series including literature, music, movies, collaborations with other local organizations, and an art exhibit.New York Times best-selling and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon will host a community discussion of his latest novel,“Telegraph Avenue” while local authors Nancy Sharp and Adam Rovner will present their latest books, “Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss and Bold Living” and

“In the Shadow of Zion,” respectively. An impressive array of artists will make up the music series including internationally-renowned clarinetist in his latest project, “The Big Picture Featuring David Krakauer,” Zalmen Mlotek, one of the world’s leading authorities on Yiddish music, will perform “The Magical World of Yiddish Song” with special guest Avram Mlotek, “The Trio of Trios - Music of Three Generations,” an inspiring classical concert compiled by Ofer Ben-Amots, Texas legend Kinky Friedman, and 9-time Grammy Award winning band, Asleep At the Wheel featuring Ray Benson. At the core of strengthening the community are partnerships with other organizations and the 2014 Neustadt JAAMM Fest boasts just that. As a festival highlight, author Nigel Simeone and an ensemble from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the legacy of Leonard Bernstein through a lecture and concert. Fiddler at 50 in Concert!, a music revue celebrating 50 years of tradition, will be presented by Boulder’s Dinner Theatre. Denver favorite Wonderbound will perform “Messages and Letters” to the music of the Confluence String Quartet, featuring Joseph Lukasik.

MACC’s 7th Annual

2014 Neustadt JAAMM Fest Bookstore October 22–November 9, 2014 You’ll find an outstanding collection of new books for all ages and interests, hand selected by our expert committee. Don’t know what to read next? Come get ideas from our 2014 Literary Committee Top Picks list or have a committee member help you!

Steve Wilson Executive Artistic Director, MACC

Ely Hemnes Festivals Coordinator, MACC

Just in time for Hanukkah shopping! Bookstore Hours: Mon.–Thurs. 5:30–7 p.m.; Fri. 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; Sat. 7 p.m.–11 p.m.; Sun. 9 a.m.–8 p.m. (except on 10/26 closes at 6 p.m., closed 11/5)

Phillips Social Hall, MACC, 350 S. Dahlia St., Denver, CO 80246

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TABLE OF CONTENTS JAAMM Fest Tickets Information To Purchase Tickets:

ART 4 “Chosen: Jewish Artists from the Collection of Dr. Wayne F. Yakes”

MUSIC 14 The Big Picture Featuring David Krakauer

JAAMM FEST SAMPLER PACKAGE:

14 A Trio of Trios: Music of Three Generations

AUTHORS 5 Nancy Sharp

15 Asleep At the Wheel 15 Zalmen Mlotek’s Yiddish

“Both Sides Now”

5 Gabrielle Selz “Unstill Life”

6 Andrea Jacobs & Paula Burger

MOVIE 16 Broadway Musicals: A

“The Magiker”

7 Debra Fine

ART EXHIBIT: MIXED GENRE 16 A Celebration of Leonard Bernstein

“Beyond Texting”

7 Ayelet Waldman Signature American Author

8 Scott Cowen “The Inevitable City”

17 Kinky Friedman

9 Heidi S. Hyde “Elan, Son of Two Peoples”

10 David Kertzer “The Pope and Mussolini”

11 Michael Chabon Community Read

12 Ari Goldman “The Late Starters Orchestra”

12 Hesh Kestin “The Lie”

13 Ari Shavit “My Promised Land”

$18 Adult, $15 Student/Senior

18 Wonderbound’s Messages

SIGNATURE ISRAELI AUTHOR ARI SHAVIT

and Letters

$25 Orchestra, $20 Balcony

SIGNATURE AMERICAN AUTHOR AYELET WALDMAN $18 Adult, $15 Student/Senior

LECTURES 19 12th Annual Fred Marcus Me-

AUTHOR SERIES $10 Adult, $8 Student/Senior

morial Holocaust Lecture

SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE YEHUDA KURTZER

Meet “Miep Gies: A Beacon of Hope,” a one-act play

$18 Adult each event or $36 for all three, Students free with current ID

19 Chai Life XIII:

MOVIE SERIES: $10 Adults, $8 Student/Seniors

The Startup Life

MUSIC SERIES: All Seats reserved through the MACC Box Office

SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE

SHOWCASE CONCERTS:

20 Yehuda Kertzer

SALON CONCERTS:

“The Future of the Jewish Past” “The Past, Present, and Future of Jewish Memory: Reconsidering Holocaust Memory” “Jewish Identity in a Boundaryless Age”

13 Adam Rovner Book Release “In The Shadow of Zion”

COMMUNITY READ MICHAEL CHABON

$5 Child, Accompanying Adult FREE

10 Don Burris “Following in the Footsteps of the Monuments Men”with documentary film “The Man Who Saved the Louvre”

AUTHORS:

CHILDREN’S AUTHOR

“Daring: My Passages” “The Hilltop”

Chosen: Jewish Artists from the Collection of Dr. Wayne F. Yakes FREE

18 Fiddler at 50 in Concert!

8 Gail Sheehy 9 Assaf Gavron

• ONE Signature Author or Community Read • ONE Author from Author Series • ONE Showcase Concert • ONE Salon Concert • ONE Film TOTAL $75 (value $92) ATTENTION: JAAMM Fest Sampler Package must be redeemed and specific seats chosen through the MACC Box Office. Purchase of package does not guarantee a seat until individual events are chosen with the box office staff.

Jewish Legacy

“Paula Window ”

6 Charles Dennis

For tickets and more information call the MACC Box Office at (303) 316-6360,or visit the box office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. or one hour before all events at 350 S. Dahlia St. Denver, CO 80246.

$36 Adults, $30 Student/Senior $18 Adults, $15 Student/Senior

THEATRE KINDERTRANSPORT SPECIAL OCT. 22 PERFORMANCE Dessert Reception and Post-Performance $35 per ticket

KINDERTRANSPORT SHOW $25-$28

THEATER 21 “Kindertransport”

12TH ANNUAL FRED MARCUS MEMORIAL HOLOCAUST LECTURE $18 Adults; Free to Holocaust survivors, students and event sponsors

by Diane Samuels

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ART EXHIBIT Why I Hate Dreams Continued from Cover

CHOSEN: Jewish Artists from the Collection of Dr.Wayne F.Yakes

(a low trick L. Frank Baum, who wrote the original story, never stooped to) is to demean it, to deny it, to lie; because nobody has dreams like that. Nobody has dreams like the dreams in “Spellbound,” either; or like those in Little Nemo in Slumberland, Alice in Wonderland, Inception, or even, quite, in “Meshes of the Afternoon,” the 1943 film by Maya Deren which, in the flickering of its pseudonarrative,the ostinato of its imagery, the strange urgency of its tedium, comes closest, and yet still rings false, camera-bound, hokumhaunted.

Opening Reception, Thursday, October 23, 5—7:30 p.m. Exhibit open October 23—December 21, 2014

If art is a mirror,dreams are the back of the head. A work of art derives its effects from light,sound, and movement, but dreams unfurl in darkness, silence, paralysis. Like a recipe attempted in an ill-provisioned kitchen,“dreamlike” art relies on substitutions: Dutch angles, forced perspective, absurdist juxtapositions, arbitrary transformations, and, as Peter Dinklage’s character points out in the film “Living in Oblivion,” a lamentable superabundance of dwarfs. Dreams in art either make sense,or they make no sense at all,but they never manage to do both at the same time, the way dreams do while we’re dreaming them. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. If art were more like dreams, I might ban it from my breakfast table, too.

Michael Chabon, June, 2012. Read more about Michael Chabon on page 11 Cover art by Lance Rockwell

Sponsored by Dr. Wayne F. Yakes With Support From Carol and Larry Levin

A Message from Simon Zalkind, Curator, Singer Gallery The Singer Gallery is honored and delighted to present this exhibition of works by Jewish artists selected from the collection of Dr. Wayne F.Yakes. Dr. Yakes has been a generous and enthusiastic patron and supporter of the Singer Gallery and its exhibitions program since 2002. In a sense, this exhibition reprises highlights from the many museum-quality exhibitions that we have curated from the works in his remarkable collection. Dr. Yakes began his collecting journey in the mid1980s focusing primarily on modern and contemporary Russian and Soviet artists.Not surprisingly, many of them were Jews. The status of the Jews within soviet society was fraught with ambivalence. From the vantage point of their marginal status, Jewish artists played a catalytic role in the formation and flowering of the 2nd Russian avant-garde beginning in the 1960s and continuing into the present. Artists such as Komar and Melamid, Eric Bulativ, Ilya Kabakov, Oscar Rabine, Oleg Tselkov, and Ernst Neizvestny were raised and trained within the Soviet system, but came to represent resistance to the totalitarian context in which they attempted to create art. Many of these artists were originally exhibited at the Singer Gallery in 2002, in an exhibition called “Russian Revolutions: Generations of Russian Jewish Avant-Garde Artists.” It was an extremely ambitious undertaking and would have been impossible to realize without Dr. Yakes’ encouragement and resources. In 2006, the Singer Gallery was proud to present “A Thousand Casualties”, the first major exhibition of Eugene Yelchin – another Russian émigré artist and a painter of searing emotional ferocity and painterly bravura. Although I organized that exhibition independent of Dr.Yakes’ assistance, he ended up acquiring a significant portion of the works for his own collection.Yelchin’s work is not easy. Many of them are visceral, abstract and tragic responses to masterworks of canonical status such as Goya, Ribera and Rembrandt. However,Yelchin has achieved his greatest recognition as a masterful illustrator of children’s books.Yelchin’s“Breaking Stalin’s Nose”garnered numerous awards among them Best Children’s Book of the Year by the Washington Post, the New-

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bery Medal, Horn Book Best Children’s Book of the Year, and Children’s Choice Book of the Year in Russia! In 2007 the Singer Gallery organized Komar and Melamid’s “American Dreams”– an exhibition of those two remarkable and audacious tricksters. Fundamentally rooted in a playful sense of irony – rich in meaning and serious intention, they produce Yigal Ozeri, Untitled (Territory), 2012, oil on canvas paintings, installations, performances and events There are a number of new discoveries in this exthat examine the central role of images in creating hibition as well as the modern masters described and promoting systems of ideology and power. All above. Dr. Yakes continues to be an active and the works in this world-class exhibition were lent to driven collector and, while his vast collection us by Dr.Yakes. encompasses many artists of diverse origins, he does appear to have what I refer to as a ’karmic Also in 2007, the Singer Gallery organized, with link‘ with Jewish artists. This exhibition is the the generous assistance of Dr.Yakes,the first instifruition of the Singer Gallery’s long and fruitful tutional exhibition outside of Israel and Europe of relationship with Wayne Yakes – one that I trust works by an Israeli artist – Ygal Ozeri – whose will continue for many years to come. eccentric aesthetic sensibilities have made him a significant force and his diverse body of work a staggering achievement. The exhibition was entitled “Anima: The Persistence of the Feminine.” Dr. Yakes provided the works that formed the core of the exhibition. He continues to acquire many works by Ozeri and to champion him as one of the most important artists of his generation. Without a doubt Marc Chagall is the paradigmatic Jewish artist of the 20th century – infusing images of the ghetto with the surrealism, fauvism and cubism that Chagall encountered and absorbed in Paris.He also turned to more exalted subjects such as the Bible and his biblical pictures provided Jews with a visual link to their sacred texts that were comfortably familiar but suffused with the challenges of modernity. In 2012, the Singer Gallery organized “Marc Chagall and the Bible: Etching and Lithographs from the Wayne F. Yakes Collection.” Once again,Dr.Yakes made it possible for the Singer Gallery to present an exhibition of a scope and stature that would otherwise be impossible for us to secure.

SINGER GALLERY, MACC 350 S. Dahlia Street | Denver, CO 80246 www.maccjcc.org | (303) 316-6360

GALLERY HOURS Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday 1–4 p.m. (Closed Saturday)

AUTHOR TALKS Nancy Sharp

Gabrielle Selz

“Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living”

“Unstill Life: A Daughter’s Memoir of Art and Love in the Age of Abstraction” Friday, October 24, 11 a.m.

Thursday, October 23, 7 p.m. $10 Adult, $8 Student/Senior Sponsored by Harold and Sue Miller Cohen in memory of Leah Cohen

Colorado’s own Nancy Sharp speaks about love, loss and bold living in her new book,“Both Sides Now.” Winner of a National Indie Excellence Book Award and the 2014 International Book Award. Followed by a conversation with Denver Post’s Suzanne Brown. About “Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living” A brave and vividly rendered memoir: when life and death collide,one young woman discovers how to hold both past and present at once--ultimately lifting herself by bold living and a second chance at love.“Both Sides Now” hinges on the day when Nancy Sharp delivered premature twins and learned that her husband's cancer had returned after eighteen months in remission.Set in New York City,where the couple lived happily until Brett’s diagnosis in 1998, the story moves back in time through Nancy and her husband's courtship and marriage—and forward through Brett’s death, when the twins were two and a half, he was not quite forty, and Nancy was thirty-seven. When life hands you the unthinkable, you must find new ways to see. Such is the ground on which Nancy rebuilt her world. In the words of the Psalm,“I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come?” Nancy had long been drawn to the sturdiness of the Rocky Mountains and the bounty of their view.And so she came with her five-year-old twins, never expecting to find love again in the pages of a magazine. This is a story of real courage and unexpected joy. It is also a story about Steve, Nancy's second husband, a widower with two children, and the surprising turns life takes when blending two families torn by loss. “Both Sides Now”promises hard-won wisdom,a gift for those looking to rise again.The past is simply part of our story, just not the whole story. More about Nancy Sharp Nancy Sharp is an author, speechwriter, and keynote speaker who frequently presents to large groups about loss and gain, second acts, leaps of faith, the power of telling your story, and renewal and movement no matter the obstacles.“I consider it my life’s purpose to use my written and speaking voice to lift others,” says Nancy.“In no way does this redeem my first husband’s death, or anyone’s loss, but it certainly makes their lives worth something.” “Your story is my story,” a woman in her seventies, a bookseller, told Nancy after reading “Both Sides Now.” And from a 26-year-old financial planner, a young man with his whole future ahead of him, “I’ve never experienced anything like you did, but your story made me think about how I live my life today.” Nancy will kick off this year’s author series at the 7th Annual Neustadt JAAMM Fest, the first local author to do so in the history of the JAAMM Fest.Nancy is a warm and engaging speaker and storyteller who will make you think about joy and sorrow,the power of resilience,and loss and gain in profoundly moving ways. Learn more at www.NancySharp.net.

$10 Adult, $8 Student/Senior Sponsored by Irwin and Carol Wagner Moderated by Timothy J. Standring, Gates Foundation Curator, Painting and Sculpture, Denver Art Museum

About “Unstill Life” In 1958, soon after Gabrielle Selz was born, she moved, with her parents and sister to New York, where her father, Peter Selz, would begin his job as the chief curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art.What followed was a whirlwind childhood spent among art and artists in the heyday of Abstract Expressionism. Gabrielle grew up in a home full of the most celebrated artists of the day: Rothko, de Kooning, Tinguely, Giacometti and Christo, among others. Poignant and candid,“Unstill Life” is a daughter’s memoir of the art world and a larger-than-life father known as Mr.Modern Art.Selz offers a unique window into the glamour and destruction of the times: the gallery openings, wild parties and affairs that defined one of the most celebrated periods in American art history. Like the art he loved, Selz’s father was vibrant and freewheeling, but his enthusiasm for both women and art took its toll on family life.When her father left MOMA and his family to direct his own museum in California, marrying four more times, Selz’s mother, the writer Thalia Selz, moved with her children into the utopian artist’s community Westbeth.Her parents continued a tumultuous affair that would last forty years. Set against the turbulent, unrestrained bohemians of New York and Berkeley, Selz traces her journey to come to terms with the ramifications of growing up in a world where the boundary between art and list often blurred.Weaving her family narrative into the larger story of twentieth-century art and culture, Selz paints an unforgettable portrait of a charismatic man, the generation of modern artists he championed and the daughter whose life he shaped. About Gabrielle Selz Gabrielle Selz is a writer and a live storyteller. Combining her dual passions for words and images, she holds a Bachelors of Arts in art history from the University of California,Santa Cruz and a Masters of Fine Arts in writing from City College of New York. She has worked in commercial television and on the political campaigns of two Greek democratic presidential candidates: Michael Dukakis and Paul Tsongas. She is the recipient of a fellowship in Nonfiction Literature from the New York Foundation for the Arts and a Moth Story Slam winner.She has published in magazines and newspapers including,The New Yorker,The New York Times, More magazine, Fiction, Newsday, and Art Papers. She now writes art review for The Huffington Post. Learn more at gabrielleselz.com

“We are right there with you on the journey and cheer as you show up, participate, and grab at life as though it’s your last day. Once I was your Rabbi. In this wonderful book you are mine.” —Rabbi Robert Levine, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, New York

Neustadt JAAMM Fest 5

Andrea Jacobs and Paula Burger

Charles Dennis

“Paula’s Window: Papa, the Bielski Partisans and A Life Unexpected”

Sunday, October 26, 12:15 p.m. $10 Adult, $8 Student/Senior

“The Magiker”

Sunday, October 26, 10:30 a.m. $10 Adult, $8 Student/Senior Sponsored by David Zapiler

“Paula’s Window: Papa, the Bielski Partisans and A Life Unexpected,” co-authored by Intermountain Jewish News Senior Writer Andrea Jacobs,tells the story of Paula Burger’s survival during the Holocaust in the forests of Belarus under the leadership of Tuvia Bielski, made famous by the movie,“Defiance.” About Paula’s Window “Paula’s Window: Papa,the Bielski Partisans and A Life Unexpected”chronicles Burger’s waking nightmare in the Holocaust. Just seven when the Nazis occupied her hometown of Novogrudek, Poland, Burger and her family were imprisoned in the ghetto, a holding pen for slaughter and death. Burger credits her father Wolf Koladicki for saving her life.A respected businessman in Novogrudek,Wolf heard about the Bielski Partisans, founded by brothers Tuvia, Zus,Asael and Aron Bielski, and joined the group in 1942. Wolf intended to smuggle his wife Sarah, Paula and Isaac out of the ghetto to the Naliboki Forest in Belarus, the partisans’ nomadic home. Wolf left the ghetto, went to the Naliboki and started planning his family’s escape. Then a Polish neighbor who coveted the Koladickis’ property informed on Wolf to the Nazis. The Nazis confronted Sarah about her husband’s whereabouts. She feigned ignorance. She also denied having any children. The Nazis murdered Sarah. Once Wolf learned of his wife’s fate, he knew his children were next.With the help of some kind peasants, he quickly managed to get his children to the forest. In the forest, Burger waited daily for death, either at the hands of the Nazis or members of the Bielski Brigade who regarded children as a threat to the unit’s survival.

About Charles Dennis Whether directing the outrageous comedy“Hard Four”in Las Vegas; treading the boards in New York,Los Angeles and Edinburgh performing his play“Going On”; sitting in makeup for“Star Trek”; voicing the villain for Disney's “Home on the Range” and video games like “Doom 3” and “Star Wars”; or writing about film history for the Los Angeles Times,the Hollywood Reporter and the Criterion Collection,Charles Dennis leads a hectic and creative life as an actor/author/director/producer. His production company, Foo Dog Productions, produced the feature film“Hard Four”and “Chicanery.” It also recorded audio versions of Dennis’s plays “The Alchemist of Cecil Street” featuring Bryan Cranston, Ron Orbach, Edward Asner, Willie Garson and“Tolstoy Was Never There”with Kevin Dunn, John O’Hurley and Ed Begley Jr. His latest novel, “The Magiker” was published in 2013. Visit our website, www.maccjcc.org/jaamm to hear Bryan Cranston reading from “The Magiker.” Learn more at www.charlesdennis.com Books • “The Magiker” • “This War is Closed Until Spring” • “Bonfire” • “Stoned Cold Soldier” • “Given the Crime” • “The Deal Makers” • “Given the Evidence” • “Somebody Just Grabbed Annie!” • “Shar-Li” • “The Next to Last Train Ride”

Every Sunday morning, Jacobs explored Burger’s agonizing memories at the Burgers’ kitchen table.At the conclusion of these sessions, Jacobs would break down in the elevator. Then it was time to write. Jacobs “became” Burger to fully convey her suffering. A seasoned journalist, she says this was the hardest assignment of her career. The public is invited to hear Burger and Jacobs discuss the arduous process that resulted in“Paula’s Window” on Sunday, Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m., at JAAMM Fest.

Thank you so much to Suzanne Swift, Joyce Lit and Carolyn Hessel at the Jewish Book Council for all their hard work in securing the top notch authors for the 7th Annual Neustadt JAAMM Fest!

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Debra Fine “Beyond Texting: The Fine Art of Face-to-Face Communication for Teenagers”

Signature American Author

Ayelet Waldman “Love and Treasure”

Sunday, October 26, 1 p.m. $10 Adult, $8 Student/Senior

Sunday, October 26, 2 p.m. $18 Adult, $15 Student/Senior

JCC South Location: 9625 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, Colorado, 80112

Sponsored by Alison and Paul Gillis

Texas Country singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist and politician marks his 70th birthday with a performance that is guaranteed to offend! About Kinky Friedman In addition to publishing 34 books and 11 record albums to date, Kinky Friedman has been performing/singing for decades, including touring with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson (to name a few) and headlining numerous world-wide tours playing for tens of thousands of fans. His other entrepreneurial ventures range from Man in Black Tequila to Kinky Friedman Cigars.With an avid passion for animal welfare, Kinky is one of the co-founders of the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. Band of Brothers by Kinky Friedman In the seventies my country music group, the Texas Jewboys, set out to prove the world wasn't square.What happened to us when we left the spotlight?” A happy childhood, I’ve always believed, is the worst possible preparation for life. Be that as it may, my dream as a child was to grow up to be a country music star. But if you dream of becoming a country music star as a kid, you'll invariably wind up a best-selling novelist. It’s just a little trick God plays on us, like the channel swimmer drowning in the bathtub. But for me, becoming a writer has been a rather fortuitous turn of events. For one thing, I’ve always wanted a lifestyle that didn’t require my presence. For another, I’ve always been somewhat ambivalent about performing, and lately I’ve come to realize that anyone who uses the word“ambivalent”should never have been a country singer in the first place.As Joseph Heller once observed,“Nothing succeeds as planned.” With country music still in my head after I graduated from the University of Texas, I joined the Peace Corps and worked for 11 cents an hour in the jungles of Borneo.As an agricultural extension worker, my job was to help people who’d been farming successfully for more than two thousand years to improve their agricultural methods.I was supposed to distribute seeds downriver,but the Peace Corps never sent me any. Eventually I was forced to distribute my own seed downriver, which had some rather unpleasant repercussions. Still, it was in Borneo that I wrote some of my first country songs and dreamed up the great notion of putting together a band called Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys.

In 1972 we got our first big break, when Chet Flippo wrote a story about us in Rolling Stone. The title of the piece was“Band of Unknowns Fails to Emerge.” The following year we did emerge, traveling about the country, irritating many of our fellow Americans.With songs like“They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Proud to Be an A—hole From El Paso,” we were not destined to be embraced by Mr. and Mrs. Back Porch. In fact, in 1973 the Texas Jewboys received death threats in Nacogdoches, got bomb threats in New York, and required a police escort to escape radical feminists at the University of Buffalo. We also had an audience with Bob Dylan after a show in L.A.(he was barefoot and dressed in white robes), walked on our knuckles after hanging out with Ken Kesey in San Francisco,played a farewell gig for Abbie Hoffman in New York before he went underground (we were co-billed with a video of Abbie’s recent vasectomy), and were unceremoniously tossed off the stage by the management of a Dallas nightclub and resurrected the same night at Willie Nelson’s house.On June 2 of that year,I had the rare distinction of being introduced by Hank Snow’s son, the Reverend Jimmy Snow, as “the first full-blooded Jew ever to appear on the Grand Ole Opry.” Through it all the Jewboys believed that the purpose of art is not merely to reflect a culture, but to subvert it.We also believed, just as passionately, that some things are too important to be taken seriously. What happened to the Texas Jewboys? We live in the fine dust of the far horizon, beyond time and geography, where music and dreams play in perfect harmony. Little Jewford and I still occasionally travel the world (he plays keyboards and the most irritating instrument in the musical kingdom, the kazoo). Snakebite Jacobs blows his horn with the New Orleans Nightcrawlers (you can catch him in the Big Easy any Sunday morning). The last time I saw Wichita, who played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, he was living in his car with his dog, Dwight. Like Mr. Bojangles’ dog, Dwight died—from a rattlesnake bite in a trailer park. I would like to find Wichita. Billy Swan wrote“Lover, Please”and“I Can Help”and still lives and makes music in L.A. Skycap and has a band in St.Louis.My brother,Roger,who originally managed the band, is now a psychologist with three kids and lives in Maryland. Dylan Ferrero, our tour manager who always wore dark shades and a python-skin jacket,now teaches special ed in comfort and is married to a woman named Sage who has 25 tattoos, signs for the deaf, and runs my web site.

The only one who has left us is Jack Slaughter, our road manager. Jack, an expert on forest preservation and endangered animals, was a gentle spirit who always reminded me a bit of Johnny Appleseed.Last year, while jogging on the walkway of the Lamar Street Bridge in Austin, he was killed by an Kinky Friedman with President Bill Clinton and Will Smith. SUV with big tires driven by a teenager. Of all of Jack’s accomplishments and after all these years,the obituary in the paper began with“Road manager for the Texas Jewboys.” That’s not a bad thing, I remember thinking at the time, to have done in your life.

Several years later the Texas Jewboys became a reality,a country band with a social conscience,a demented love child of Lenny Bruce and Bob Wills. The group included four Texans: Jeff “Little Jewford” Shelby, Kenny “Snakebite” Jacobs, Thomas William “Wichita” Culpepper, and myself, Richard Kinky “Big Dick” Friedman.All of us except for Wichita were Jewish. The other original members—Billy Swan,Willie Fong Young,and Rainbow Colors--were all Texans and Jews by inspiration.There were other Texas Jewboys over the years,of course: my brother,Roger Friedman; Dylan“Clitorious”Ferrero; Cowboy Jack Slaughter; Bryan “Skycap”Adams; Panama Red; Major Bowles; and Arnold “Big Jewford” Shelby, to name just a few.

Neustadt JAAMM Fest 17

MACC and Boulder’s Dinner Theatre present

MACC and Wonderbound present

Fiddler at 50 in Concert!

Messages and Letters

SALON CONCERT Monday, November 3, 7 p.m. Elaine Wolf Theatre $18 Adult, $15 Student/Senior

Thursday, November 6, 7 p.m. Elaine Wolf Theatre $36 Adult, $30 Student/Senior

Steve Wilson, MACC Executive Artistic Director, muses on 50 years of “Fiddler on the Roof” We are overjoyed this year to celebrate the 50th Birthday of one of the greatest musicals of all time –“Fiddler on the Roof.” We welcome the incredible Boulder’s Dinner Theatre company to trod the boards of the Elaine Wolf Theatre and preview their upcoming professional production of Fiddler with an evening of highlights from the show. Most recognize Fiddler for its stirring and melancholy music, exuberant and heartfelt characters and the “sad/dark” ending. While time has tempered our view of an appropriate ending for a musical,it’s not hard to see why the creators of the original production were nervous about the then“risky”end of the show. Credit their genius with a conclusion that truly honors the brilliant source material - the moving, bittersweet, original stories of “Tevye the Dairyman,” by Sholem Aleichem.While unconventional for the time, I believe the Fiddler finale (or lack thereof) offers an upbeat affirmation of resilience, strength, love, community and - dare I say - tradition.

As the father of a daughter myself, I can’t help but be personally struck by one of the plays central themes that focuses on a father’s struggle as his daughters leave the nest (three of Tevye’s five daughters will leave during the play).While Tevye’s specific problem is connected to the changing Jewish traditions of arranged marriage at the dawn of the twentieth century, everyone can relate to this familiar and tumultuous rite of passage that shapes us all.Beyond this,I believe the play touches an even deeper truth,making it the quintessential statement about the strength of the human spirit.While the story has a special tie to the rich heritage of the Jewish Diaspora and the dark struggle with Anti-Semitism, it also touches on the collective truth that everyone will ultimately leave the comfort of “home” and venture off into the sometimes forbidding and unpredictable world. It is a dual struggle, both for those who leave and those left behind - an eternal cycle lived anew by each generation.And the trauma of these transitions is only heightened when people are forced to leave against their will for reasons completely outside their control. The play also has much to say about how humans define home.We are certainly disheartened when the villagers are forced to leave Anatevka, but the story clearly tells us that it is not the place that has defined the people, but the people who have defined the place. Home will travel with them wherever they choose to go – and their resolve to live a productive, vibrant life will be ever present. I believe great theatre provides an opportunity to connect us with signature moments that clarify how our small journeys can connect to our bigger journey. I hope our JAAMM celebration of Fiddler, as realized and energized by the brilliant artists of Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, will encourage everyone to reconnect with their own experiences of these pivotal life cycle transitions - when children leave, families relocate, relatives move or pass on, natural disasters destroy or a significant health event irrevocably alters life’s course. These are times of stress, loss and tragedy, but can also be times of revelation, potency and renewal. We also hope our celebration will encourage your family to raise a collective glass to the beauty behind the play’s simple, celebratory affirmation — L’Chaim. To Life.

Mizel Arts and Culture Center

macc at the jcc

18 Neustadt JAAMM Fest

A Message from Wonderbound Wonderbound is delighted to be performing at the Neustadt JAAMM Festival for a second year.Wonderbound and MACC first worked together in 2013 when Israeli dance troupe, Liat Dror Nir Ben Gal Dance came to Colorado to create a fully collaborative work.“Messages and Letters” will be a collaboration with Confluence String Quartet and Clarinetist, Joseph Lukasik. The evening will consist of “Intimate Letters” choreographed by company Artist Sarah Tallman to the Leos Jancek score of the same name, as well as a world premiere work by Artistic Director Garrett Ammon entitled “Messages.” “Intimate Letters”is inspired by the more than 700 love letters written by Janacek and kept in Theresienstadt concentration camp. This haunting work delves into the complexities of relationships and brings audiences on a viscerally emotional journey. The second half of the evening will feature a world premiere creation by Garrett Ammon. Wonderbound is thrilled to bring Confluence String Quartet and Joseph Lukasik together to create a work that will consist of klezmer-style compositions researched by Lukasik and arranged by Confluence Cellist Richard VonFoerster. The result will produce an all new musical arrangement created specifically for“Messages”that will be an exploration of Jewish legends and customs conveyed through Ammon’s signature athletic style. Featured dancers include the full Wonderbound Company: Candice Bergeron,Amanda Copple,Marian Faustino,Julie King,Meredith Strathmeyer, Sarah Tallman, Colby Foss, Brandon Freeman, Dylan G-Bowley, Corbin Kalinowski,Damien Patterson and Danny Ryan.Choreographed by Wonderbound Artistic Director Garrett Ammon and Wonderbound Company Artist Sarah Tallman. Featured Musicians include Joseph Lukasik (Clarinet), René Knetsch (Violin), Lynne Glaeske (Violin), Don Schumacher (Viola) and Richard VonFoerster (Cello). Wonderbound’s Mission Wonderbound uses dance to deepen humankind's common bond through uncommon endeavors of discovery and creation. Confluence String Quartet Now in their eighteenth year together, the Confluence Quartet presents high-energy performances of a wide variety of works from the string quartet repertoire.Active performers in the Front Range area,they have given recitals inVail,Crestone,Nederland,Sterling and Denver.They also serve as the core string quartet for vocal and instrumental performances at Holy Ghost Catholic and St Augustine Orthodox Churches in Denver. Joseph Lukasik Born in New York City, performer and composer Joe Lukasik was infused with European folk music from an early age accompanying his father, a professional musician, from gig to gig drinking up Jewish, Russian, Polish and Greek wedding and dance music. His love of music set him on his own path to graduate from the Eastman School of Music and later the University of Michigan School of Music.In 1989, he came to Colorado as faculty of the University of Colorado College of Music and continues now as an independent performer, teacher, composer and‘musical chaplain’. Joe has performed and recorded widely as a jazz and ethnic music instrumentalist. His compositions have been performed internationally. He is the winner of the 1993 International Barlow Prize in Composition.

LECTURE 12th Annual Fred Marcus Memorial Holocaust Lecture

Chai Life XIII: The Startup Life

“Miep Gies: A Beacon of Hope”

Sunday, November 4, 2014 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. $10 Admission

Sunday, October 26, 4 p.m. Elaine Wolf Theatre $18 Adult, Free to Holocaust Survivors and Students

Located at Galvanize I: 1062 Delaware St, Denver, CO 80204 Sponsored by the Holocaust Awareness Institute of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver

Please join us for an affecting one-person,one-act play,“Miep Gies: A Beacon of Hope,” performed by wellknown local actress Judy Winnick. Students age 12 and up are welcome at this premier performance for the Jewish community. Miep Gies, a petite, humble, Catholic woman who—along with her husband and three other non-Jews— helped hide Anne Frank and her family in Amsterdam during WWII.Together,they provided food and other basic necessities to the attic residents, as well as a link to the outside world. Miep’s preservation of Anne’s diary after the family was arrested enabled this literary masterpiece to become known throughout the world. After her retirement from Littleton Public Schools, Judy Winnick began portraying extraordinary women from WWII history, including Irena Sendler and Miep Gies. She has given hundreds of performances throughout Colorado and other western states, as well as in Europe, at middle and high schools, libraries, universities,historical societies,synagogues,churches,as well as nonprofit organizations,and book groups. A member of the Colorado Humanities/Chatauqua Speakers Bureau, Judy also received one of Colorado’s Distinguished Teaching Awards. Judy says of her work,“These women inspire me with their courage, humility, compassion, and the message that one person can make a difference.” A careful and tireless researcher, Judy recently spent two weeks in the Netherlands visiting important WWII sites with a Jewish history guide.At the Anne Frank House,she met with a long-time friend of Miep and also attended the Remembrance Day Memorial Service in Amsterdam.

All of the perks, none of the work. Join E-3 Events at MACC and special guest Eliot Peper, author of the startup thriller “Uncommon Stock,” for a party that gives everyone a taste of Denver’s thriving startup culture while celebrating local entrepreneurs and their latest projects. Eliot will play MC while local startups with a Jewish connection get 45 seconds to share their stories.Startups will also host themed games at the Galvanize building, which is Denver’s premier innovation ecosystem. Drink local brews, have some snacks, and try your hand at the startup lifestyle. Peper’s book,“Uncommon Stock: Version 1.0” is the first in a new genre Boulder’s Foundry Group Press is calling “start-up fiction.” The novel will available for purchase and signing by the author. About E-3 Events at MACC Started by Ean Seeb, Eric Elkins and Ezra Shanken, E-3 Events at MACC is dedicated to bridging the gap between popular culture and traditional Jewish values while providing connections and exploring Jewish identity. E-3 is a strategic partner with the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, its fiscal sponsor. For more information, visit www.e-3events.com or the E-3 Events Facebook page facebook.com/e3events

Audrey Friedman Marcus and her family in memory of Fred Marcus,a survivor of the Shanghai ghetto and a well-known teacher of the Holocaust established the Fred Marcus Memorial Holocaust Lecture, which is under the auspices of the Holocaust Awareness Institute of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver, in 2003. Reservations online at www.maccjcc.org/jaamm or call the MACC Box Office at 303-316-6360. Seats are $15 a person. There is no charge for Holocaust survivors, educators, students, or event co-sponsors.

Photo by Eris Stephenson

Bellerglass.com

Neustadt JAAMM Fest 19

SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE Yehuda Kurtzer $18 Adult per event or $36 for all three event, Students free with current ID Sponsored by the Denver Jewish Learning Collaborative, a project of the Department of Jewish Life and Learning, Robert E. Loup JCC, the University of Denver’s Center for Judaic Studies, and Kabbalah Experience.

Tuesday, November 4, 7 p.m. Book Talk: “The Future of the Jewish Past” (Philips Social Hall, JCC) Wednesday, November 5, 10:15 a.m. Text Seminar: “The Past, Present, and Future of Jewish Memory: Reconsidering Holocaust Memory” (Located at the University of Denver) Thursday, November 6, 10:30 a.m. Text Seminar: “Jewish Identity in a Boundary-less Age” (MACC Board Room, JCC)

About Yehuda Kurtzer Yehuda Kurtzer is President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He has a doctorate in Jewish Studies from Harvard University and a Masters of Arts in Religion from Brown University, and is an alumnus of both the Wexner Graduate and Bronfman Youth Fellowship programs. Yehuda is the author of “Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past,” a work of constructive theology that offers new thinking on how contemporary Jews can and should relate to our past while living profoundly in the present. As a fellow in the Institute’s iEngage Project,Yehuda writes and teaches widely on the central challenges facing Jewish life in both America and Israel,and how new Jewish thinking can help us stand up to these challenges. Thoughts from Yehudah Kurtzer The real threats to being Jewish are and always have been an unwillingness to be part of the Jewish people or to contribute meaningfully to Jewish life,neither of which requires the theological category of‘belief.’ I think that being Jewish means belonging to an extremely powerful story,which brings with it the implications both of the story itself – commitments born out of the accident of birth,the consequence of a marriage or as part of deciding to join – as well as towards both the past legacy of the story and its future success.

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I don’t think I can answer why we are Jewish in the metaphysical sense,but I think there are ideas and ideals that Jewishness can still bring to the world, and I think that the Jewish people have an extraordinary past and destiny that still needs to be carried and fulfilled, independent of any theological passports to entry.

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Will a lack of piety in the present make us worse in the long term? Will it give up the tool of Jewish survival that has gotten us here?

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To this I have two answers: No, because I’m not at all convinced that the creativity, commitment and continuity that defines the successful Jewish past was really ever rooted in and driven by faith in the Christian sense as we know tend to talk about; and No, because in so many ways the present, for Jews, is much, much better than the past – however pious! – Ever was. But let me also give a more positive answer: For those fortunate to believe in God, Torah, etc. as a feature of their Judaism – what a blessing! I certainly think these folks have the potential to use their belief as a means of improving Jewish life and contributing to the betterment of Judaism. But it doesn’t come easy to everyone… and frankly, faith does not exonerate its possessors from studying Torah, feeding the hungry, keeping Shabbat… all the activities that ostensibly everyone can do. Without maligning the believers, I think our community is stronger when we create and support broader contexts for meaningful participation, rather than focusing on the fortunate few.We do the Jewish past a disservice when we make it holier than the present. –An Interview by Shmuel Rosner, Jewish Journal

JEWISH Life and Learning Denver

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Get your tickets at the JCC or purchase online at www.jccraffle.com *When all 2,500 tickets are sold.

Jewish Community Centers of Denver 350 South Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80246 (303) 316-6324 • www.jccdenver.org

THEATRE Kindertransport by Diane Samuels Produced by Theatre Or* and MACC Directed by Richard H. Pegg October 30 – December 7, 2014, PLUSS Theatre, Tickets $25-28; Preview October 29, Pluss Theatre, Tickets $14 Two Performances Honoring Denver Local Kindertransport Participants on the 75th Anniversary of the Kindertransport: Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. Special performance with a tribute to long-time Denver theatre producer Henry Lowenstein and Kindertransport participant.Dessert reception to follow. Tickets $35. Sunday, November 9, 2 p.m. Kindertransport performance and post-performance talkback with artists and Kindertransport participants Harry Karplus, Henry Lowenstein, Peter Ney, and Doris Small. Additionally commemorating the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Tickets $25-28. *Or is the Hebrew word for light.

Notes from Diane Gilboa, Producing Artistic Director, Theatre Or “Kindertransport” by Diane Samuels is one of the most beautiful, moving, and personally meaningful plays I have ever read. I have wanted to produce it for many years, but for personal reasons, I resisted. This year the stars aligned. After Kristallnacht, the Kindertransport rescue mission transported about 10,000 children, most of whom were Jewish, from Europe to safety in England. Most of these children never saw their parents again. “Kindertransport,” the play, is the poignant story of a “kind” (participant) who wants to bury her past, and her relationship with her daughter who needs to understand her mother's story in order to forge her own identity. It’s an incredible artistic challenge, and I needed to feel I could do it more than mere justice. Our gifted British director, Richard H.Pegg, not only has uncanny insight into our characters’ traits, which is essential because the children rescued by the Kindertransport went to England where the play is set; but he has himself dreamed of directing this play for years.We were able to cast early – over six months in advance of the play - and we have assembled what I predict will be one of the most stunning ensembles of actresses to grace the Denver stage in many a year.Our costume,lighting and set designers - Ann Piano, Karalyn “Star” Pytel, and Michael R. Duran - are among Denver’s most creative talents. My co-producer, MACC Executive Artistic Director Steve Wilson, is as excited and proud as I am to bring Ms. Samuel’s indelible drama to life. Moreover,this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport rescue mission. And the Denver community is home to four Kindertransport participants.As I spoke to each of them and heard their stories, I felt it was time to honor them - their courage and fortitude and drive to survive - with this production.Their remarkable stories are reminders to all of us how fortunate we Americans are and why it’s important to cherish, protect, and be ever grateful for our freedoms. In these times of searing turmoil throughout the world, the inspiring ways they’ve personally met life’s most daunting challenges give us hope and motivation to find the best in ourselves,to continue to champion the rights of all people to live in freedom and dignity, and to hug our children tight every chance we get– even as we nurture their wings to independence.This play also describes how two mothers send their

daughters out into the harrowing world. But it is about so very much more, and I won’t give away the intricate plot here. “Kindertransport” is not only an ambitious artistic project, it is also ambitious educationally. We will have two special performances to honor Denver’s local Kindertransport participants. On October 22 at 6:30 p.m. we will kick off the JAAMM Festival with a special preview performance, honoring Henry Lowenstein, a Kindertransport participant whose immense contributions to Denver theatre were recognized by naming the Henry Awards after him – Colorado’s equivalent of the Tony Awards. In addition to the performance, we will host a dessert reception, and DU Associate Professor Adam Rovner will facilitate a talkback after the performance with the artists and Henry. We will have another special performance on November 9 at 2 pm, where we will also commemorate Kristallnacht, the historical event precipitating the rescue mission. During this special performance we will also acknowledge local Kindertransport participants Harry Karplus, Peter Ney, Doris Small and Henry Lowenstein,who have volunteered to participate with us in a post-show talkback. Peter Ney’s book,“Getting Here: From a Seat on a Train to a Seat on the Bench” is on sale at the JAAMM book fair. In addition, we will also hold many other post-show talkbacks during our run October 30-December 7, and take our luminous cast into the community, accompanied by Kindertransport participants,to share these stories.Thus far our talkbacks are scheduled for Oct. 22, 29, 30; Nov. 1, 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, and 22; but we will add them for group bookings of 10 or more upon request. Theatre Or strives to bring plays to life that you won’t see on other Denver stages: thought-provoking stories that move, entertain, educate, uplift, and perhaps even transform us in ways that only art can. Please join us for an unforgettable theatrical experience. Mizel Arts and Culture Center

macc at the jcc

MACC & Denver Children’s Theatre Present

Androcles and the Lion By Aurand Harris Directed by Billie McBride March 4 – May 1, 2015

RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES K—6, ENJOYED BY ALL! Tickets & Info:

(303) 316-6360 or www.maccjcc.org/DCT Winner of the Henry Award (Colorado’s Tony Award) for “Outstanding Children’s Theatre!” MACC at the JCC • 350 South Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80246 • (303) 316-6360 • www.maccjcc.org

Neustadt JAAMM Fest 21

JAAMM LITERARY COMMITTEE: MACC STAFF: Executive Artistic Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Festivals Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Manager/Wolf Theatre Academy Asst. Director . . . Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Administrative Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Administrative Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ceramics Studio Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gallery Curator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Marketing & Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marketing Project Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creative Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Web Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volunteer Coordinator & House Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve Wilson Ely Hemnes Emily MacIntyre Mr. Erock Brynn Starr Coplan Sater Kellie Lambert Vicki Smith Simon Zalkind Talia Haykin Rob Franc Jeff Bee Jeff Hoffman Kim Hottenstein Jackie Rutman

Mizel Arts and Culture Center

macc

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

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THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! Sponsored by

Presented by Mizel Arts and Culture Center

macc at the jcc

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Deanie Anderson Hedva Banks Ellen Beller, Chair, JAAMM Fest Sandie Brown Berdine Clumpus Fran Cohen Harold Cohen Dolly Corlin Gay Curtiss-Lusher Clare Curwen Carol Denker Susan Dinn Gail & David Dym Jan Edwards Jeri Elsberg Janet & Sheldon Fisher Jan Fisher Jessica Fishman Alice Forshner Robyn Friedman Sue Parker Gerson Diane Gilboa Judy Goldberg Sue Goldberg Susan Gordon Dorothy Gottlieb Helen Green Jackie Greenberg Jean Guthery Shoshana Hamilton Suzanne Handler Marsha Harris Eve Heimbach Terry Heller, Chair, Children’s Literary Committee Rachel Fisher Ingraham Kathy Judd Barbara Kadin Jaye Kephart Joanne Kleinstein Rachel Kodanaz Cynthia Land Shirley Leff Diane Levine Evi Makovsky Hedy Mantel Robbie Marks Helene Martin Joanne Matzenbacher Barbara Mellman-Davis Joyce Meltzer Bonnie Merenstein Eileen Naiman Kathy Neustadt Bonnee Shafner Oderberg Andrea Pearlman Sue Povolotsky Naomi Primack Beth Radetsky

Dottie Resnick, Chair, Literary Committee Dorothy Resnick Bonnie Rice Andi Rosenthal Debbie Rosenthal Judy Rothman Susie Schick Marty Schlenker Evelyn (Patsy) Shafner Muri Sigman Deanna Simon Ilana Simon Adena Sladek Selma & Osi Sladek Joyce Spiegler Sue Stock Ben Streltzer Diane Summers Bernice Tarlie Michelle Teitelbaum Elaine Tinter Irwin Wagner Beth Ann Wagy Hedy Weinberg Susan Weinstock Linda Weiss Jennifer Weiner Vivian Workman Susan Zalkind

MACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS: • Elaine Tinter, Chair • Joanne Singer, Treasurer • Kathy Judd, Secretary • Rabbi Eliot Baskin • Ellen Beller • Sharon Haber • Terry Heller • Marcia Karshmer • Kathy Neustadt • Jeffrey Reiss • Dottie Resnick • Julie Schwarz • Erica Singer • Lisa Taussig • Carol Wagner

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! Gold Sponsors Kathy Neustadt Ellen Beller

Silver Sponsors TriCuzz Productions JEWISHcolorado Dr. Wayne F. Yakes

Bronze Sponsors Libby Bortz and Michael Altenberg Udi, Etai and the Baron Family Boomers Leading Change in Health Claudia and Marc Braunstein Sue Miller and Harold Cohen Gay and Barry Curtiss-Lusher Barbara Mellman Davis and Lee Davis Alison and Paul Gillis Gabriella and Peter Gottlieb Terry and Arthur Heller Carol and Larry Levin Kathy and Arthur Judd Dottie and Steve Resnick Elaine and Arnie Tinter Carol and Irwin Wagner Terri and Gary Yourtz Recht Kornfeld, PC, Attorneys at Law

A Q&A with CEO, Stuart Raynor What is JAAMM? JAAMM stands for Jewish Authors, Artists, Movies and Music. JAAMM is our annual arts festival held each fall at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center. It is a celebration of Jewish arts and culture through the presentation of a variety of programs including; authors speaking about their new book releases that are about a Jewish topic or of interest to the Jewish community,Jewish music or music with Jewish connection or themes by world class performers from many genres, an art exhibition in our Singer Gallery of works focused on Jewish content or by Jewish authors and movies with similar interest. We bring some of today’s most interesting authors, artists, musical acts, movies, theatre performances and other mixed genres to Denver’s Jewish community, and in some cases, to Colorado for the first time. The common tie is the variety of Jewish content, theme, culture or interest but the presentations are eclectic and cut across so many cultures and disciplines.Where else can you hear a performance and conversation by leading authorities on

the Jewish influence in Shostakovich’s music and an edgy event by Texas humorist, politician, satirist and musician Kinky Friedman in one festival?

How did JAAMM get started? JAAMM started as the Leah Cohen Festival of Books, which took place for many years. Yearround,the MACC presents a variety of programing genres so we decided to expand from presenting only authors to many other areas of the arts that our audience will enjoy. We hoped that expanded programming would open the doors to new ideas, bigger audiences and give the festival more energy.We have seen continued growth in each of the 7 years JAAMM has been in existence and we feel this year’s programming is better then ever. Last year, the performances were amazing and when I was in the lobby during intermission the energy was incredible.Several people walked up to me and said “JAAMM Fest has arrived!” However, the a key to the success has been that funders like Rose Community Foundation,Ellen Beller,Kathy Neustadt

and many others loved the idea and were willing to take a risk that this new festival would be successful.

How many events were there in the first year? In the last year of the Leah Cohen Festival of Books and Authors, in 2007, we had 11 authors presenting at eight events. This year, we have more than 35 events with 16 authors, including renowned authors Michael Chabon and Ari Shavit. Expanding the festival has allowed us to reach a broader audience and engage fascinating, internationally known authors and artists.

Enjoy the Festival!

Stuart Raynor

Friends of JAAMM Fest

In-Kind Sponsor Suzanne Brown Timothy J. Standring University of Denver Department of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences The Holocaust Awareness Institute at The University of Denver’s Center for Judaic Studies JCC Family Programs and JCC Youth Programs

JAAMM Partners BBYO Denver JDS HEA JFS Mazel Tot.org Mizel Museum Rodef Shalom Shalom Cares Temple Micah Temple Sinai The Jewish Experience

macc

2015

Mizel Arts and Culture Center

SAV E T H E DAT E S !

at the jcc

estival F m l i F h s i w Denver Je er Wealth Management agn sponsored by W

FEBRUARY 4–15

Kathi and Steve Cramer Rosie and Harold Grueskin Leland Huttner Friends of Sheldon Fisher Henny and Donald Kaufmann Vicki Trachten-Schwartz David Zapiler Selma and Osi Sladek Ruth and Warren Toltz

www.maccjcc.org/film Neustadt JAAMM Fest 23

discover

a great community Ph o

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Becoming a member has never been more rewarding: • JCC Sports & Fitness Center • Early Childhood Education • Jewish Education Programs • Family Programs • Youth Programs

• Child Care • Swim Lessons • Day Camp • Ranch Camp • MACC Wolf Theatre Academy

• MACC Art Academy • Senior Activities • Indoor and outdoor year-round SaltPure® Swimming Pool • Much, much, more

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