Lisa Doob and Emily Teck: Engaging Young Families Through Musical Play Want to have fun with music, and engage in joyful Jewish learning? In this session, participants will delve into teaching children and the young at heart through musical play. The hands-on strategies we will explore will touch on stages of child development, inclusion and learning styles, movement, props, improvisation. Songs will include kid favorites of all types, and will include the themes of Torah, prayer, holidays, and values. No…

Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Elie Kaunfer We will analyze the first blessing of the Amidah as a way of approaching the question: are traditional prayer formulas able to express my own values/ideas of prayer? What do you do when you "disagree" with the prayer's content? We will analyze the original Biblical context to help us connect to the prayer. Material for this workshop: How Can I Pray - ACC-GTM Convention Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is co-founder and executive director of Mechon Hadar. A graduate of…

Where there is song there is prayer.  (Brachot 6a)  במקום רנה שם תהא תפלה Musician and teacher Joey Weisenberg - the Creative Director of Mechon Hadar's Center for Communal Jewish Music - explores the spiritual teachings of music through studying a selection  of Jewish musical-spiritual texts and stories.  We’ll sing, too! Material for this session: The Torah of Music-Materials for Joey Weisenberg   Joey Weisenberg is the creative director of Mechon Hadar’s Center for Jewish Communal Music. He is a mandolinist,…

How Did We Get Here?  The History of the Contemporary Jewish Sound We are all too familiar with PowerPoint for lectures, presentations and flow charts, but it is also a dynamic medium for storytelling! We asked Jeff to demonstrate how a defining chapter in the history of synagogue music might be turned into an entertaining ethnomusicology lesson using photos, audio, video, and archival source material. Jeff will peel back the curtain to explain how he combined these materials to create…

Mistakes NOT to Make in Your Next Contract Once a contract is signed you will live with its terms for years. Please come hear attorney Michael Gan, an expert in clergy contract negotiations, as he will present some of the major pitfalls to avoid in your contract and in your negotiations. He will also address the impending challenges to the parsonage declaration and the tax-exempt status of religious institutions. Gail Hirschenfang, our ACC Director of Member Support, will also be…

Led by Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash and Cantor Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz David Strickland, Piano and Joe Eglash, Guitar Freedom is the foundation of who we are as American Jews - it informs every moment of our lives. When our freedom is impinged upon, we feel it keenly. When freedom of others is impinged upon, we feel it just as keenly, for we know what it is like to be the stranger. We have endeavored to craft a service celebrating freedom…

Dinner together with special guest speaker: David Devan, General Director of Opera Philadelphia David B. Devan joined Opera Philadelphia in January 2006 and was appointed General Director of the company in 2011. Since his arrival, David has worked closely with board and administration on strategic planning initiatives and building partnerships within the community and the opera world. Key achievements include the establishment of the Aurora Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman Theater, an extremely popular and highly-subscribed opera series…