JSC News, Views, and Shmooze

Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning

2011-12-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

We're so excited about the release of Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning which includes many of our original stories! This makes for a very meaningful Chanukah present for those adult through b'nei mitzvah age. All sales go to benefit the Peninnah Schram Scholarship Fund (for Jewish Educators to Be Trained in Mitzvah-Centered Storytelling). Here's what Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy says about Mitzvah Stories:
"The power of mitzvah as a primary lens for meaningful Jewish living is revealed in this most stimulating volume where every branch of Judaism is represented with creativity, integrity and moral imagination."
You can ship your gifts directly to the recipients if you wish. The list of contributing authors is amazing! Mazel Tov to Peninnah!!
http://www.reclaimingjudaism.org/books or Amazon.com

Jennifer Rudick Zunikoff announces new release! Mazel Tov!

2011-12-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Rudick Zunikoff released a CD last month. The Growing Season contains original stories adapted from ancient Jewish tales. Included are stories for Tu B'Shvat, Purim, and Passover, all originally commissioned by the Macks Center for Jewish Education in Baltimore, Maryland. Three of the stories are geared toward children ages 3-5. The remaining stories are geared toward children ages 5 and older. A perfect Chanukah gift, The Growing Season can be purchased on iTunes though this link...http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-growing-season/id477160730Please visit www.jenniferstories.com to hear a sample of each story.

Our own Cindy Rivka Marshall is crossing the pond for Limmud UK!!

2011-12-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Cindy Rivka Marshall has been invited to be an international presenter at the Limmud UK Conference. She will be teaching and performing at the 30th anniversary of this conference for Jewish learning, held at the University of Warwick, England Dec 23-29, 2011. Cheeri -o!

Cindy Rivka Marshall, Storyteller, Educator, Coach
www.cindymarshall.com

2011-12-06T13:38:00.001-08:00

Here's a terrific article about Peninnah. Please find coverage of the Nov. 6 storytelling festival in Professor Schram’s honor in the Ohio Jewish Chronicle, below:

http://images.burrellesluce.com/image/5807A/5807A_5334

YOU GO, GIRL!! WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU!

2011-11-30T13:03:00.001-08:00

Mark Binder's collection, "A Hanukkah Present!" was the finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature. Now it's available in softcover and ebook for Kindle, Nook, Android and iPad. It's $14.95 softcover on Amazon and $4.99 on Sale for kindle, nook, Android and iPad. If you'd like a free sample: http://lightpublications.com/offer/

READ ALL ABOUT IT! Peninnah Schram honored!

2011-11-16T15:07:00.001-08:00

Speaking from the Heart

Festival of Jewish Folktales Honors Peninnah Schram
On November 6, students, academics, professional storytellers and members of the public gathered at the Yeshiva University Museum to share tales rich with tradition, personal meaning and religious discovery during “Folktales of Israel: A Festival of Jewish Storytelling Honoring Professor Peninnah Schram,” an event organized by YU’s Center for Israel Studies.

Jess Olson, associate director of the Center for Israel Studies, offers greetings at the Nov. 6 event.

“So much of the story of the Jewish people is feeling and sharing the warmth of our tradition,” said Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel. “People like Peninnah Schram, who has been here with us at Stern College for 42 years, work to ensure that true communication does not become a lost art, but continues to involve words, heart and soul.”

Co-sponsored by Stern College for Women, the YU Museum and the American Zionist Movement, the conference featured storytelling legends such as Dr. Dan Ben-Amos, professor of folklore and Near Eastern studies at the University of Pennsylvania and editor of the major series Folktales of the Jews; Rabbi Saul Berman, professor of Jewish studies at Stern College and an inaugural fellow of the Tikvah Center for Law and Jewish Civilization at New York University Law School; and Ellen Frankel, former CEO and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society.
In addition to keynote lectures that considered the significance and role of storytelling in Jewish education and tradition, performances explored tales which ran the gamut from a legend about the staff of Elijah to a young woman’s emotional first journey to the Western Wall. Schram’s colleagues and former students also spoke about her influence in their own development as storytellers.
“Jewish tradition, being part of the oral world literature, contains the jewels and the core of oral traditions the world over,” said Ben-Amos. “In that sense, storytellers like Peninnah are drawing upon a tradition that is dynamic, classical and an influence on world literature. It’s a real pleasure to celebrate the contribution Peninnah has made in oral and written storytelling—she is a pioneer in the field.”
“Folktales are an essential part of Judaism because of the way we tell ourselves about our past determining our future,” said Dr. Steven Fine, director of the Center for Israel Studies. “Bringing this element of the mesorah [transmission of tradition] to life is what YU is all about.”

The festival honored Peninah Schram, professor of speech and drama at Stern College.

For Yaelle Frohlich, a former student of Schram’s at Stern College who is currently pursuing a master’s degree at YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, the festival was an opportunity to celebrate a mentor and to delve deeper into a field that has fascinated her since childhood. “I came as a fan of Professor Schram’s, but also because I have a special love of Jewish folklore,” said Frohlich. “The chance to hear about it from an academic perspective was too good to miss.”
The festival culminated with a heartfelt performance from Schram herself, as she shared the complex relationship of her grandparents, parents and children to Israel in a piece called, “Five Generations Rooted in Israel.” She was also presented with an honorary volume of collected folktales, Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning. Published by Reclaiming Judaism Press and dedicated to Schram, the book contains 60 original stories by professional storytellers, members of the rabbinate, and others.
“This is better than an Oscar,” said Schram, who is a recipient of the Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Education and the National Storytelling Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “An Oscar stays behind glass but this book is a living document with never-before-told stories centered around mitzvot—you can dive right in.”
She added: “It’s up to each of us to take these stories in our rich Jewish repertoire and transmit them the next generation. We must wear the mantle of responsibility to perpetuate the Jewish oral tradition.”

Welcome to the JSC News Blog

2011-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00