Dear Friends, Welcome to North Suburban Synagogue Beth El! We hope you will enjoy this evening’s performance, featuring five of America’s Greatest Jewish Collegiate A Cappella Groups! Tonight we welcome over seventy college students, representing five major university campuses, who will not only amaze us with their talents, but show us the true vibrancy of Jewish life on college campuses across the country. This weekend we celebrate Shabbat Shira – the Sabbath of Song – on which we read the Song of the Sea from the Torah. As we read the biblical narrative we learn that the very first thing we did as a free people is sing, offering praise and thanksgiving to God! It is no coincidence, then, that tonight we celebrate the human voice – perhaps the most powerful instrument of all. Earlier this week we also observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Each year this day provides us an opportunity to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy that we so often take for granted. As Jews, we know that it is our sacred calling to fight for freedom and to work for peace – for us, for Israel, and for all of humanity. Throughout the concert we will hear songs on themes of peace and freedom to both honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as to remind ourselves of our call to action. We sincerely hope you will enjoy tonight’s performance, and we hope you will consider joining us on Saturday, March 5th, as we welcome Pharaoh’s Daughter – see the back of this program for more information. We offer thanks to the staff, leadership and volunteers who worked so hard to produce this concert, as well as those who contributed to its support. And, we thank each of you for being here with us. And now…on with the show ! The Clergy, Staff and Leadership of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El
Hooshir is Indiana University’s premiere coed Jewish a cappella group. They sing a variety of Israeli pop, Jewish sacred music, and American pop and standards. Hooshir travels around the country each year performing at synagogues, festivals, competitions, and events. In 2013 and 2014 they were named the Kol HaOlam Collegiate Jewish a cappella National Champions, and they returned to the competition as the featured performers in 2015. Hooshir recently released their brand new CD, “Hooshlove”, now available for purchase on Hooshir.com. Members: Kiehl Carlquest Isabel Carton Halle Fromson Rachel Goodman Sage Greenstein Jackson Gutherie Shayna Plotnik Jake Reardon Orin Reynolds Bryan Stowers Jon Wasserman Jake Williger
Jewop A Cappella is UW-Madison’s only Jewish a cappella group. Members come from a variety of backgrounds (Jewish and not), looking to share a fun, Jewish-inspired experienced focused on community service and sharing of Jewish culture. Jewop performs a wide spectrum of repertoire, from more traditional, religious Jewish songs to fun, secular Jewish songs that include parodies and songs by Jewish pop artists. Group Members: Matthew Allen, Morgan Armbruster, Kiera Arnson, Sarah Dicker, Kayla Johnson, Nick Kjorlie, Madison Knobloch, Ryan Liengswangwong, Chris Lueneberg, Ryan Malliet, Andrew Mueller, Tucker Penny, Fallon Schultz, Nicole Thoma
Founded in 2001, the Shabbatones are the studentrun Jewish a cappella group at the University of Pennsylvania. One of the premier Jewish a cappella groups in the country, we are known for our energetic arrangements and entertaining performances. Specializing in popular American, Israeli and Jewish music, all of our arrangements are composed, directed, and performed by students. Shabbatones members and alumni include undergraduate and graduate students, studying a wide variety of subjects like engineering, psychology, English, and economics. We come from a variety of Jewish backgrounds, unified by a love for Jewish music and a commitment to being the voice of one of the largest and most vibrant Hillels in the nation. Group Members: Sarah Beckoff, Sophie Beren, Rebecca Brown, Ari Clements, Yoni Cooper, Jack Gindi, Jenn Gold, Adina Goldstein, Nicole Granet, Michael Krone, Sophie Mintz, Mira Nathanson, Jacob Pardo, Doug Russ, Chana Shechter, Shoshana Segal, Aaron Zell
Over the past few years, ShireiNU has burst onto the Northwestern a cappella scene! Founded in 2009, ShireiNU a cappella continues to grow, entertaining audiences both on campus and around the country! When not touring and performing in cities like Boston and Chicago, ShireiNU can be found singing the National Anthem with the Chicago Bulls or competing at Kol Ha’Olam, a national a cappella competition in Washington, D.C. As a Fiedler Hillel student group, ShireiNU hosts multiple Shabbat dinners a year and can often be found rehearsing at the University’s Hillel. Through fun campus performances, ShireiNU enjoys opening up its entirely student-arranged repertoire to both the Jewish and greaterNorthwestern communities. At the end of the day, ShireiNU is a group of friends from various walks of life on campus who come together each week to share their love of music! Members: Samantha Bell, Adam Brody, Jessica Franks, Charlotte Grimm, Grady Jensen, Danny Kostelancik, Misha Kushnir, Caroline Levy, Samantha Max, Jake Miller, Marisa Pelowski, Erica Rottenborn, Clayton Shuttleworth, Sarah Venetianer, Mikaela Zetley
Tizmoret is in its 20th year as Queens College Hillel’s professional Jewish a cappella group. Tizmoret draws singers from colleges throughout the New York City area. Under the direction of Daniel Henkin, Tizmoret has taken Jewish collegiate a cappella to the next level, performing classic Jewish melodies, American pop music, and contemporary Israeli tunes. They have produced six CDs and recently released their first EP, Where We Begin. Tizmoret has performed at college campuses, countless b’nai mitzvot, synagogues, and various music festivals across the Eastern United States. They recently toured Canada, the East Coast, and Florida; won Kol HaOlam (the National Jewish Collegiate A Cappella Competition) in 2011, 2012, and 2015; and performed at the annual White House Hanukkah party in 2014. Group Members: Amanda Cinnamon, Leora Graber, Cory Hecht, Tamara Heller, Daniel Henkin, Tali Rainess, Gabrielle Reich, Nathaniel Ribner, Maddy Rosenbaum, Eitan Rubin, Simcha Schoenbrun, Thalia Sharon, Yael Spadaro, Brittney Warner, Nicole Zweiter, Azriel Zylberberg
Save the Date
Saturday Evening March 5, 2016
Welcome Spring with your friends at a Mediterranean Party at Beth El! For more information, call the Synagogue Office at 847-432-8900.