AUGUST 15, 2013 ■
THE REPORTER
3
community news Intergenerational Sukkot supper and services at the JFHF The Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms will host a “Pizza in the Hut” dinner to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot on Friday, September 20, at 6:30 pm. The meal will be followed by an Intergenerational Sukkot and Shabbat
service, which will consist of prayers and Hebrew and English songs and stories appropriate for adults and children of all ages. The event will be open to everyone and there will be
no charge, but reservations will be required. To make reservations or for any questions, call the Fellowship office at 775 7497 or e-mail Ellen Raffman at eraffman@ verizon.com.
Congregation B’nai Harim holds concert, plans events By Lee Emerson The Hester Street Troupe played a return engagement at Congregation B’nai Harim on July 21. As part of the annual concert series, Congregation B’nai Harim holds a concert every summer. This summer, the Hester Street Troupe returned after performing several years ago. The group plays klezmer music, with the clarinet, drums and other instruments blending to make music called “both upbeat and soul searching.” Other upcoming B’nai Harim activities include Lox Academy, an adult education program, on Sunday, August 18. Led by historian Bruce Tucker, the story of “Aliyah Bet and the Jewish Secret Fleet” will be presented. “Using
former Canadian warships for a makeshift rescue from the European Holocaust, the volunteers braved the storms of the Atlantic Ocean to sneak past the British Navy during the British Mandate and bring refugees to what became Israel,” said program organizers. The congregation is planning a High Holiday season, with a free family service for Rosh Hashanah on Friday, September 6. The program will be an opportunity for participants to learn about the meaning of the prayers and customs. To register, call 646-0100. Those interested will be called with times and directions. For more information, visit site www.bnaiharimpoconos. org.
The Hester Street Troupe played a return engagement at Congregation B’nai Harim on July 21.
Mail Pouch Express at the Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms By Judy Hamer Bluegrass music was performed by the Mail Pouch Express Band to a crowd on July 21 at the Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms. The group harmonized together and told stories throughout the concert. The band members included founding member Dave Stever, on fiddle and mandolin; Larry Peters, on guitar; Jim Schaffer, on bass; and Dan Marcus, on banjo, who is also the president of the JFHF Men’s Club. Many community members were not aware of Marcus’ abilities as a banjo player. Peters presented a brief history of bluegrass music, which was inspired by the music of Appalachia. It has mixed roots in Scottish,
Dan Marcus gave an instrumental interpretation of “Santa Claus” on the banjo.
Welsh, Irish and English traditional music. In bluegrass, one or more instruments each take turns playing the melody and improvising around it, while the other instruments perform accompaniment. The Mail Pouch Express began in the early 1980s in a pub in Schnecksville, a little town eight miles north of Allentown. The band reached what they consider “the height of their success” when they performed at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors for a summer concert series. The current band consists of some original members as well as some newcomers. The band received a standing ovation at the end of the concert. After the performance, the audience enjoyed an ice cream social.
L-r: Dave Stever, Jim Schaffer, Larry Peters and Dan Marcus sang “Cumberland River.”
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The Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms enjoyed an ice cream social after the performance of the Mail Pouch Express Band. L-r: Ice cream servers Ellen Raffman, Barbara Sirotkin, Phil Lipsky and Heather Greenfield.
The Mail Pouch Express Band played “Same Old Day” as the crowd clapped and stomped their feet. L-r: Dave Stever, on mandolin; Larry Peters, on guitar; Jim Schaffer, on bass; and Dan Marcus, on banjo.
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