Shedding New Light on Jewish Traditions

Scholar-In- Residence Klezmer Duo

We are delighted to welcome this year's Dickstein Scholar-in-Residence pair, Cantor Jeff Warschauer and Deborah Strauss, the Klezmer Duo.  Cantor Jeff and Deborah will bring their music, their joy, and their knowledge of Klezmer music and Yiddish culture to Or Hadash for the weekend of February 24-25 for a series of appearances you won't want to miss.

Our weekend begins on Friday evening, February 24 at 6:30 with a Yiddish-style dairy/vegetarian dinner at no charge, but please send in RSVPs by February 17th to the office.  At 7:30 we celebrate Shabbat, enhanced by soulful melodies for beloved prayers by the Klezmer Duo.  Immediately after services, Deborah Strauss and Cantor Jeff Warschauer will give a presentation in words and music on Klezmer Music: From Old World to New.

On Saturday morning, February 25 at 9:00, Deborah and Cantor Jeff will lead a special extended Torah study on Yiddish and Hebrew Songs of Spring - texts and musical selections that anticipate and reflect the coming month of Adar and holiday of Purim.  Torah study will be followed by services at 10:30.

 That evening at 7:00, we will close out our Scholar-in-Residence weekend with a Klezmer Celebration with the Klezmer Duo and our own New Klezmaniax.  Dessert and dancing will help make this an evening to remember! 

All events are free and open to the wider community. Please click on the attachment below for an event flyer.

More about the topics and the Klezmer Duo's background follows.

Klezmer Music: From Old World to New: A Lecture and Live Musical Demonstration with The Strauss/Warschauer Duo Deborah Strauss and Cantor Jeff Warschauer will explore the trajectory of klezmer music from its roots in late 19th and early 20th century Eastern Europe to its unique musical and cultural context in today’s world.
Yiddish and Hebrew Songs of Spring: This Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim, one of the special Shabbatot leading up to Passover and the arrival of spring. This Shabbat we also announce the new month – Adar – the month of Purim! Deborah Strauss and Cantor Jeff Warschauer will present Yiddish and Hebrew music, folklore and liturgy related to this special time of year.

The Strauss/Warschauer Duo Biography
For over 25 years, Deborah Strauss (violin, accordion, vocals, dance) and Cantor Jeff Warschauer (guitar, mandolin, vocals) have been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene. They were both long-time members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, one of the premiere groups of the klezmer revival, and have performed with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman and the late actor and singer Theodore Bikel. As the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, they have performed to overwhelming acclaim in such diverse venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Jewish Culture Festival in Cracow, Poland. Cantor Jeff Warschauer is internationally renowned as a one of the foremost exponents of the klezmer mandolin, as an innovator in the development of a klezmer guitar style, as an expressive Yiddish singer and as a skillful and inspirational educator. A graduate of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Jeff is Cantor at synagogues in Massapequa, NY and Manchester, Vermont. He is on the faculty of Columbia University, and is a Founding Artistic Director and Senior Artistic Advisor of the KlezKanada Institute for Yiddish/Jewish Culture.
Deborah Strauss is one of the leading klezmer fiddlers of her generation. She is also an award-winning children’s educator and a highly regarded Yiddish dancer and dance leader. She is a member of the inter-continental group Voices of Ashkenaz with Michael Alpert, Sveta Kundish and Andreas Schmitges, and the groundbreaking Yiddish/North German fiddle trio, Figelin. She has performed with the Grammy-winning Klezmatics and appears in the film, Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem.

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