BlintzKrieg

10 June, 2008 Bowery Poetry Club Get ready to study Torah all night and be prepared for the BlintzKrieg that is this year’s Shavuot at the Bowery Poetry Club. The line up includes 3 Expert Blintz Chefs, 2 Awesome Bands – Avi Fox-Rosen, and Jake Shulment’s Klezmer Kream Pie, and 1 Battle of the Blintz. It will be an evening of suprises and unparalleled gastrophonic stimulation

Jewish Identity and Ensemble Theatre-Making

June 16 – 22, 2008 Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center $500 for the week

This Jewish Arts Institute retreat focuses on Jewish identity as it is lived within story. Using found and generated texts, participants will explore the theatrical vocabulary of ensemble storytelling. Movement and vocal improvisation will support the work. Sense of play, poetry of the body and spontaneity all are important elements in ensemble theater-making. Text will be a point of departure, and then we’ll move beyond intellectual interpretation to discover what meaning may lie beneath it and how the dynamics of the group can bring forward the unexpected. Great theater is meaningful and is made up of surprises! The workshop will be a working environment where meaning and surprises can flourish. The exploration will be challenging, fun and rooted in the community that we will build throughout the week. The institute is designed for all Jewish artists — teaching professionals and novice practitioners alike. The institute will include Music, Theater, Visual Arts and Creative writing. It will offer a methodology, a coherent integrative philosophy by which to approach the arts as a key to unlock Jewish learning in a relevant, passionate, intellectually stimulating and emotionally fulfilling way.

Past Events:

reJEWvination Retreat

9 – 11 May Club Getaway, Kent, CT $120

Spend 3 days in an Exclusive Tusovka at Club Getaway with 100 Jews in their 20s and 30s. Expereicne the richness of Jewish and Israeli culture. Explore the outdoors: hiking, mountain biking, climbing wall and a zip line. Enjoy the sounds of a hot New York band in a cool atmosphere. Email alina [at] jchb.org or call 718 943 6334 for an application.

The Amazing Frozen String Quartet CD Release

Wednesday, 30 April, 2008 Bowery Poetry Club, cnr. Bowery and 1st Street, NY 8pm, $8

Zeek is co-sponsoring the release party of The Amazing Frozen String Quartet’s debut CD release. The band will be performing alongside Winnipeg’s The Ukuladies, and Jake Shulman-Ment’s Klezmer Kakophony. This event is co-sponsored by Zeek, who will be providing poets and some spoken word performances to the festivities.

“Soviet Jewry” in 2008

Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture has devoted a special print issue to the persevering Russian Jewish Diaspora. The Spring ’08 issue presents work engaged with identity, history, language, and culture, and features contributors from around the world. It is a journal of record on contemporary Russian Jewish artistic production. To celebrate this new issue, we are proud to present a series of events, presented with the support of UJA-Federation of Greater New York and the Young Adults Task Force of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston:

1. Salon & Performance

Sunday, March 23, 2008 The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave at 92nd St, 3.30 – 5 pm,Free with general admission

Join Zeek for a performance by the bard and poet Vadim Pevzner and a presentation by visual artists Alina and Jeff Bliumis as part of Off the Wall: Artists at Work. Free with museum admission. Museum admission also includes entry to Levi Okunov’s fashion show on March 27.

2. Zeek: Russified Downtown Release Party

Sunday April 6, 2008 KGB Bar, 85 E 4th St an 2nd Ave

An evening of celebration and readings, featuring Zeek contributors Val Vinokur, Matvei Yankelevich, Margarita Shalina, David Stromberg, and more. Co-presented by the 14th Street Y. Free admission and free Zeeks available. Supported by the UJA-Federation of Greater New York. First 30 guests also receive a free shot of vodka.Na zdorovye!

3. Zeek: Russified Boston Release Event and Reading

Thursday, April 10, 7pm Barnes & Noble, Kenmore Square, Boston,

Join us for an evening of readings and performances by the next generation of Russian-Jewish writers, including Val Vinokur, Matvei Yankelevitch, Margarita Shalina, David Stromberg, and more. Cosponsored by Center Makor. $5 suggested donation, $10 includes magazine

4. Russian Writers Found in Translation

Friday, 11 April, 2008 Melville House Publishing, 145 Plymouth St, Dumbo, 7 – 9 pm, Free

Zeek hosts bilingual writers in the US presenting their original works translated from the Russian into English, including readings by Polina Barskova, Irina Mashinski, and Pavel Lembersky.

And coming this April to Boston:

Boston Jewish Voices: An Evening of New Words and Music

Sunday, April 6, 730pm-11pm Middle East, 472 Mass Ave. Cambridge, MA (T: Central Square)

Join Zeek for a full night of performances, readings, and music by some of Boston’s leading young writers and musicians. Our lineup is a who’s who of the young literary scene in Jewish Boston: Jon Papernick, (Who By Fire, Who By Blood), Jay Michaelson (God in Your Body, Another Word for Sky), Peter Bebergal (The Faith Between Us), writers from the anthology Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice, plus musicians Floxy Blu, Rakia, and the Mark Lipman Band. Slam poetry, confessional prose, freestyling, edgy fiction, folk and funk — this is the New Jewish Culture at its independent best. Presented with the support of the Young Adult Task Force of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

Book Launch Party for Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice

Save the Date! – – Wednesday, January 9th, 7pm, at the home of Ruth Messinger, President of AJWS, 91 Central Park West corner of 69th St., Apt 7a. Hear from leading Jewish intellectuals, activists, and religious leaders! Connect with Jewish activists from around the city and beyond! Find out how you can help make environmental and social justice issues religious priorities in the 2008 election! The event will include wine and cheese, shmoozing, and an interactive program about the Righteous Indignation Project, including information about how to get involved in this exciting justice initiative. Cosponsored by American Jewish World Service, AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life, Encounter, Jewish for Racial and Economic Justice, Jewish Labor Committee, Jewish Funds for Justice.

Zeek’s fall issue is being released this month! Dedicated to music and featuring artists including Philip Glass, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sagol 59, Laurie Anderson, Basya Schechter, Kobi Oz, and including a FREE CD of the best new Jewish music with every magazine, the fall issue is Zeek’s most ambitious ever. To celebrate, we’re having a series of events in October, coinciding with the Oy!hoo Jewish music festival in New York.

The Oy!hoo Shmooze October 22, 2007 UJA Federation of New York, 130 East 59th Street

Imagine a South By Southwest or Sundance Film Festival or APAP for the Jewish Cultural & Entertainment Industry. Well, here it is. New perspectives emerge as professionals and students from the Jewish culture, art and media worlds engage in dialogue about current musical and artistic developments within and outside the Jewish community. At 3pm on Monday, join Zeek’s Associate Editor, Dan Friedman and the author of “Funny Antisemitism: Is it Good for the Jews?” in a conversation about parodic antisemitism as part of Oy!hoo’s Shmooze conference.

http://oyhoo.com/events/schmooze-07 Registration is $150 at oyhoo.com. Space is limited to 250 participants. For more information, contact david [at]oyhoo.com

Chana Rothman’s We Can Rise Launch Party Wednesday, October 24, 7pm Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston Street

Zeek featured artist, Canadian-raised Brooklynite Chana Rothman, takes you on a roots-driven lyrical journey of spoken word, acoustic reggae, and freestyle rhymes. Incorporating both ancient and modern Hebrew into her message of empowerment and unity. Magazines will be given away and Zeek’s Dan Friedman will be part of the action. Contact chanarothman.com or myspace.com/chanarothman for advance tickets and more info. $10.

The Party Continues… Wednesday, October 24, 8pm Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery

After Chana’s set, head over to the Bowery Poetry club for a night of poetry and music hosted by Zeek contributor and Mimaamakim impresario Jake Marmer. Featuring Jake’s own Frantic Turtle and a night full of howlers, screamers, shouters, and freaks. Zeeks for sale and drinks are flowing.

Shemspeed Launch Party Thursday, October 25, 8pm Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street

Join Zeek and our frequent co-conspirator dj handler, for an all-star night launching Shemspeed, the largest and most diverse Jewish music site on the web, and Zeek’s Fall 2007 Music Issue. With performances by: Y-Love*, Pharaoh’s Daughter* Unplugged, King Django, Sway Machinery w/Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Smadar, Blue Fringe, Rav Shmuel, Rachael Sage, dj handler, Shem’s Disciples, Kosha Dillz, Yuri Lane, DJ Balagan, Michelle Citrin, Chana Rothman*, Juez*, Jon Madof, Noir, D. Wolf from Felonious, Luminescent Orchestrii, Jay Michaelson*, Matthue Roth, Hebrew Mamita, Adam Shechter, Jake Marmer* and many more special guests. Two floors, $15. * indicates Zeek featured artist

 

Ravayah Saturday, October 27, 8pm Centerpoint Yoga Studios, 324 Lafayette St.

Ready for the biggest bash of them all? Join Zeek at Romemu’s Ravayah, a full night of music, celebration, poetry, performance, and more. Celebrating both the release of Zeek’s fall issue and the publication of Zeek chief editor Jay Michaelson’s new book, Another Word for Sky: Poems. Featuring Jay’s ecstatic poetry performance with drums and music, performances by Avi Fox Rosen and more, and a dance party into the wee hours. $10 with books, magazines, organic food, and CDs available for purchase.

Publishing Prophecy: Activist Journalists Then and Now

Wednesday, March 7th at 8pm Bronfman Center for Jewish Life, 7 East 10th Street, New York, NY Sponsored by PresenTense Magazine Jonathan Mark of the Jewish Week, William Rapfogel formerly of Jewish People, Susan Weidman Schneider of Lilith Magazine, Daniel Treiman of New Voices and the Forward, and Leah Koenig of Zeek will discuss their activist journalism experiences and their penchant for publishing insightful prophetic voices. The event will be hosted by PresenTense Magazine and co-sponsored by the American Jewish Press Association, American Jewish Historical Society and NYU’s Department of Journalism.

Jewish Seekers and Finders

Wednesday, February 7, 2007, 7pm Makor, 35 West 67th Street, NYC.

This is an age of spiritual exploration, with people discovering, rediscovering, straying from and connecting to their Jewish roots in new and fascinating ways. Join some of the today’s most interesting modern seekers, as they describe their journeys: Robin Chotzinoff (Holy Unexpected: My New Life as a Jew), Jay Michaelson (chief editor of Zeek), Rabbi David Ingber (Kehillat Romemu) and Gabriel Sanders (assistant editor of the Forward).

Is the Torah really a Basis for Liberal Values?

Tuesday, February 20, 8pm Skirball Center, 10 East 66th Street, New York, New York

Today, it’s common in some circles to hear claims that the Bible aligns with modern liberal ideas such as taking care of the less fortunate, pursuing peace and justice, and ending baseless hatred. So does that mean that far-right Jewish ideologues, and Jewish neo-conservatives, are just plain wrong? Join Jay Michaelson, chief editor of Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture, for a hard-nosed look at the many voices of Biblical text.

Babel to Bamba: New Words From, About, and Wrestling with Israel.

Sunday, February 25, 5:00-6:30pm JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave @ 76th St

Zeek presents poets, writers, performers, and artists shouting, jamming, and reciting their work about the Promised Land. Featuring both American and Israeli voices (and Israeli-American ones), we’ll move beyond the cliches to engage with the social, political, and religious realities of Israel and diaspora, as reflected in the literary mind. Co-presented with Corner Prophets as part of Israel Non-Stop at the JCC.

Jews on a Shrinking Planet: Time to Rethink the “Jews and Food” Thing? November 14, 2006, 8pm The Skirball Center, 10 East 66th Street, NYC. Jews on a Shrinking Planet: Time to Rethink the “Jews and Food” Thing? Jewish identity has been bound up with food for 3,000 years – from the laying down of biblical dietary laws to 21 st century jokes about minimalist, “gastronomic” Judaism. Hosted by Sarah Chandler. Co-presented by Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture and Hazon.
The Oy!hoo festival is a gathering in downtown New York from September 10-17, featuring concerts by John Zorn, the Klezmatics, Hadag Nachash, David Broza, Pharoah’s Daughter, and many others, as well as panels and workshops with leading figures in the new Jewish culture. Zeek is a proud cosponsor of this event.