My Roots
I have always loved margins and borders—the spaces where people come together. Growing up on the border of Hartford and West Hartford, Connecticut in a diverse and ever-changing neighborhood, I learned early in life that one of the best ways to connect with people across difference was through sharing stories and music. In high school it was through madrigals and jazz. At college in Vermont it was through gospel singing and Mchakamchaka, Tanzanian work music. Post-college as my travels brought me to thirty-five countries it was through porch singing in Langa, chant in India, drumming in South Korea, oud in Israel/Palestine, and Euro-pop in Spain. Everywhere I traveled, no matter the barriers between us, music provided entrée to conversation and friendship.
Five Years Ago I Embarked On a Project That Changed My Life
While living in Israel-Palestine I was moved by the seeming oxymoron of Judeo-Arabic music and the cultural collisions this music implicated. Inspired, I embarked on a multi-year exploration of interfaith dialogue, music, and peacebuilding. Through interviews, research, music-making, and performance I discovered music to be a powerful tool for creating connection and increasing empathy across divisions.
Today
I continue to be a lover of life and people. I passionately support the performing arts, peace building initiatives, and community work. I am a teacher and musician, a rabbi, cantor and spiritual leader of a community in Northern California working to build a more compassionate, interconnected world. I work with people of all ages—a musician and storyteller for little kids, a social justice and outdoor educator, pastoral caregiver, and community organizer. I perform with a group called Avay-i-Janaan, an international group of boundary-crossing poets, visual artists and musicians.
Our Stories Through Music
Not only does music bring us into closer relationship with others, it also speaks to our strongest memories and tells our deepest stories. What are the songs of your life? The songs you loved as a child? The songs that accompanied you through heartbreak? The songs that played at your wedding? The song that you hear when you remember a friend who passed away? The song that motivates you to action when you feel you can’t go on? My hope is that this site will be a forum to tell our stories through music.