JEWISH
MUSIC & CULTURAL FESTIVAL
MEMORIES
Pictured
above are Mimi Weiner and Sid Lipton. They are the co-founders of "KlezFest"
- an event celebrating klezmer music from eastern Europe. Back in 2001, Mimi
& Sid approached me about getting involved with the event to help with getting
underwriters, publicity & coordinating the logistics. After the initial two
years in 2000 & 2001, they felt in order to grow the event someone was
needed to be the Festival Organizer. I want to thank Mimi & Sid for putting
the trust in me to be that person! For over the past 12 years we were able to
create a special wondrous event...The Jewish Music & Cultural Festival!
Both
Mimi & Sid along with our committee were open to many of the ideas I brought
to the festival, which are now mainstays - changing the name from "KlezFest"
to "Jewish Music & Cultural Festival of Central New York"...Jewish
Community Synagogues & Organizations Tents...Children's Activities
Tent...Jewish arts & crafts village...Shofar blowing... largest CNY Hora
dance...Rabbi's Corner...expanding the Kosher food menu...more variety for
Jewish music besides Klezmer.
To
help the festival, my relationships with the business community and media along
with Jewish synagogues, organizations and community made the "Jewish
Music & Cultural Festival" into a well-established community event.
There are many people, companies, synagogues and organizations that I want to thank. The
list will be below...
There
are also many highlights over the years...in 2002, moving the festival to Clinton
Square...in 2003, Jewish Community tent & Children Activities tent
added...over 4,000 people attending in 2004 to see Simply
Tsfat from Israel...in 2005, featuring Jewish rock with
Rick Recht and a display celebrating 350 years of Jewish-Americans...in
2006, Jewish Jazz with Theresa
Tova & 100 degree temperature in Clinton
Square...in 2007, Parparim Ensemble
from New York City presented a Celebration of Israel in dance and song...in
2008, special "Israel@60" service along with celebrating Bar & Bat
Mitzvahs also with Dads, plus the return of SIMPLY TSFAT...in 2009, moving the
festival to the Jewish Community Center with headliner Susan
Watts, Elaine Hoffman Watts & the Fabulous Shpielkehs...in
2010, CNY largest Hora Dance added with shofar blowers along with SIORA
& Jewish Jazz...in 2011, the Rabbi's Corner is a new addition and ATZILUT is
the headliner...in 2012, THE AFRO-SEMITIC EXPERIENCE
with
Syracuse
Chapter of the Gospel Workshop of
America; the Klezmer
Kabaret Puppet Theater
and Kosher Beer sampling...in 2013, the theme for the festival was
"Tradition" with honoring synagogues and organizations that are
pillars in the Jewish community along with the international group The
Guy Mendilow Ensemble.
Through
the years we have had good people on our committee and others volunteering in
turn doing a Mitzvah for the Jewish Community. This truly became an event that
brought the Jewish community together and an outreach to the community at large
to share Jewish music and cultural!
Early in 2014, I decided to step back from the festival. Even though I'm not involved now, I do wish the best to Mimi, Sid & the festival.
The
greatest memory I will have of the Jewish Music & Cultural Festival are the
thousands of people that came - schmoozing, dancing, listening, kids playing,
eating and all the smiles on the faces of the people that attended!
TODA
RABA! (Thank you very much!)
Steve
Becker
Festival
Organizer
Jewish
Music & Cultural Festival of Central New York
September
2001-Feburary 2014
To
find out about
the current festival
Click
Here
THANK
YOUS!
This
is a list of rabbis, synagogues, organizations, companies and people that I want to thank. I
will keep adding to this list over the next few weeks...
Rabbi
Shore - Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, Rabbi Sherman - Temple
Adath Yeshurun, Rabbi Pepperstone & Rabbi Ain
- Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, Rabbi Fellman
& Rabbi Ezring - Temple Concert, Rabbi Rapoport - Chabad-Lubavitch of
Central New York, Congregation Ner-Tamid and Temple Beth-El.
State
Senator John DeFrancisco, Jewish Federation of Central New York, Sam Pomeranz
Jewish Community Center, City of Syracuse, CNY Arts (Cultural Resource Council),
Pomeranz Trust, Neulander Family, Paul
B. &
Georgina
H. Roth Charitable Foundation, Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau,
Downtown Committee.
Price
Chopper, Raymour & Flanigan, Birnbaum Funeral Service, Time Warner Cable,
Natur-Tyme, Sisskind Funeral Service, Menorah Park, East Syracuse Chevrolet,
Manlius Art Cinema, Engel Law Office, Carnegie Catering, Carvel, Wellcare,
Bathfitter, Adecco, Coors Light, Onondaga Beverage, Integrated Marketing, TJ
Sheehan, Seaboard Graphics.
Jewish
Observer, Sunny 102 (Galaxy Communications), Syracuse New Times, WAER, Eagle
Newspapers, The Post-Standard, syracuse.com, 570 WSYR, Table Hopping.
Mimi
Weiner, Sid & Donna Lipton, Dan Ward, Shirley Rifkin, Francine Berg, Vicki
Feldman, Rich Friedman, Linda Alexander, Marci
Erlebacher, Judith Stander, Bette Siegel, Sis Zucker, Mark
& Cheryl Wolfe, Steffi
Bergman, Steven Sisskind, Ed Levine, "Big Mike" Fiss, Eric
Cohen, Marty & Elaine Birnbaum, Joel Friedman, Wendy Meyerson, Al Lipsy, Leo Eisner, Art Zimmer,
Bill Brod, David Tyler, Mark Fitzgerald, Mary
Beth Roach, Bob Davidson, Steve Herwood, Jonathan
& Aveeya Dinkin, Robert Lieberman, Ben Levy, Sam Young,
Ora Jezer, Lori Newcomb, Faith
VanVoolen, Bill
LeFluer, Barbara Simon, Joan Bordett, Nancy Kasow, Mark Frank, Todd Engel, Bill Newman, Ilene Rein, Rosanne David, Pat Driscoll, Peter Frantzis, Debra & David Becker, Elihu Cohen, Marty Morganstein, Walter
Kuncio, Sam Fuller.
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