To plan a public program or another event, please contact us at judischekulturbund@gmail.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

HAIR STORIES

A showcase of digital stories about hair produced by participants in Kenya, South Sudan, Sweden, and the Unitied States.

In person at OCO MOCHA and on Zoom

Seats are limited and must be reserved on Eventbrite.

About this event
The Hair Stories showcase presents the final projects by participants who attended in January and February 2024 a hybrid, digital storytelling workshop program that explores personal, cultural social, and legal issues about hair.

PAST EVENTS

3 FRAMES / BY ME

Online performance, hosted by the Alliance for New Music Theater

November 19-20, 2021

To attend this online performance and select a date and time, please register on Eventbrite.

About this event

In London, gay, black playwright, KEN JOHNSON, finds himself being provoked to remember things of his childhood by his friend GREER, another black playwright and a confirmed American ex-pat. He instead finds incredible gaps exposed as his early life, and tumbles into ‘untethered memory’ and journey back to NY. With the emotional support of his partner, ALLAN, KEN enters challenges of his father’s encroaching dementia, and life in his stepmother’s attitudes of class and coding. It is through the generational guidance of his theatre godmother, JERRI, that KEN comes to understand the ‘undiscussed of bougie’, as its own complex weight of legacy, which allows him to uncover the challenges his father.

BULLETS TO BOOKS, an online discussion about peace education, hosted by American University’s ITEP Global Education Forum

Please join us for this virtual forum on Thursday, October 28th, 6pm to 7pm ET

Learn more and register here!

KULTUR STORIES: Digital Stories Created by Girls in South Sudan, Sweden, and America

A Virtual Presentation, hosted by the US Embassy in Juba

Wednesday, October 6, 2021 a5 10:00 am – 11 am EDT/ 4 pm – 5 pm Juba time

Moderator: Moulik Berkana, Cultural Affairs Officer,

Presenters: Gail Prensky, Johan Fait, Jok Abraham Thon, and Wyatt Oroke

A discussion/talk back follows the presentation.

Please watch the recorded presentation here.

On the 1st of July 2021 the B2B music video will be shown in a global online stream.

Friends and Fans, you can view this event here: https://fb.me/e/2dVvdRpSu

Let’s celebrate! The Bullets to Books Music Video is part of the official selection of the LMVF 2021! (London Music Video Festival)

Bullets to Books Music Video streaming at the London Music Video Festival on July 1, 2021

Congratulations to I AM PEACE musicians and film director/cinematographer Achuoth Deng!

CHANGING MINDS FROM BULLETS TO BOOKS
A look at Juba, South Sudan and Baltimore, MD

UMBC Virtual Event
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
12 noon to 1pm

Program will Include:
Video presentation about the Bullets to Books initiative

Panel Featuring:
Ambassador Tom Hushek, former ambassador to South Sudan
Jok Abraham Thon, founder of Promised Land Secondary School and
inspiration for Bullets to Books
Gail Prensky, creator, executive producer, and director of
The Jüdische Kulturbund Project/Bullets to Books
Stephanie Mercedes, community artist
Erin Walton, program manager, Violence Prevention Program,
University of Maryland Medical Center

Sponsored by the UMBC CAHSS Dean’s Office and The Shriver Center and
the Center for Social Science Scholarship (CS3)

Join us on March 17 for a virtual event about BULLETS TO BOOKS, a project dedicated to promoting peace through education.

About this Event

You are invited to join a presentation about BULLETS TO BOOKS, presented by The Jüdische Kulturbund Project, featuring former U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Tom Hushek; Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Jok Abraham Thon and Lupai Samuel Stephen; three Reciprocal Exchange Participants, Andy Truschinski, Cindy Oxberry, and Gail Prensky; and others. 

The event will take place on March 17, 2021, at 12 PM ET/17:00 GMT on YouTube Live

The recorded program is available here.

Bullets to Books Virtual Event on Stars in the House

Please join us to raise awareness and support for Promised Land Secondary School in Juba, South Sudan. The school and its founder, Jok Abraham Thon, are the inspiration for and centerpiece of the Bullets to Books initiative, helping to bring peace and unity through education and cultural exchange.

Thursday 2/18 at 8pm Eastern
Live Stream available here.

BULLETS TO BOOKS is an official selection at the Chataugua Film Festival: August 15-24, 2020.

Tickets available at http://www.ciff.us/

BULLETS TO BOOKS short documentary, an Official Selection 2020 at the Global Impact Film Festival

Virtual Screening at 1 PM on August 9, 2020. 

Mosaic on the Move – Nathan the Wise

Hosted by DC Public Library and Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Monday, January 13, 2020
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM at Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20011

The Petworth Library is excited to host Mosaic Theater for a FREE staged reading of the play “Nathan the Wise” on January 13th at 6:30pm. Join Mosaic actors and staff for a reading and discussion of this re-imagining of a 18th century play by Michael Bloom.

First published in 1779, and forbidden by the Church during Lessing’s lifetime, Nathan The Wise transports audiences to the time of the Third Crusade, into a story about how the wise Jewish merchant Nathan, the enlightened sultan Saladin, and the (previously anonymous) Templar bridge the gap between their respective faiths in this profound tale of religious tolerance.

ADAPTED & DIRECTED By Michael Bloom

Featuring:
AL-HAFI— Ahmad Kamal
NATHAN— Mitchell Hébert
DAYA— Tonya Beckmaneckman
RACHEL— Suzi Alden
TEMPLAR— Michael Kevin Darnall
FRIAR— Matthew Pauli
SALADIN— Jason B. McIntosh Mcintosh
SITTAH— Renee Elizabeth Wilson
PATRIARCH— Steve Lebens
Stage manager— Ro Harris

The Greek Chamber Music Project (GCMP) presents “REMEMBERING THE JEWS OF GREECE: A MUSICAL JOURNEY”

A powerful program in memory of the Holocaust, honoring the Sephardic Jews of Greece and the broader Mediterranean.

Friday, November 8, 2019
12 PM – 1 PM at Library of Congress
Mumbord Room (6th floor, Room 649), James Madison Memorial Building
101 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20540

Saturday, November 9, 2019
7 PM at The United Church +
Die Vereinigte Kirche
1920 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

The Sephardim have a deep history in Greece, with musical traditions that have had lasting influences on the region. GCMP is pleased to feature singer Sarah Aroeste who sings in Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language of the Sephardim. She keeps the language alive with unique interpretations of traditional Sephardic songs and her original compositions sung in Ladino.

She is joined by her longtime pianist and producer Shai Bachar, as well as special guest Ellie Falaris Ganelin on flute. Together, they will present a concert of songs old and new in a multimedia performance using sound clips, videos, and live music. Remembering the Jews of Greece is the ensemble’s Mid-Atlantic Tour, remembering this dark moment in history in an effort to speak out against hate and to promote healing and acceptance in our communities.

Workshop: Exploring Issues of Oppression through Music, Art, and Literature

Hosted by Embassy of the Czech Republic, Washington, DC

Please join us
October 5, 2019, 11 am – 2:30 pm  

Embassy of the Czech Republic 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW Washington, DC 20008

RSVP required: https://exploringoppression.eventbrite.com 

The workshop is intended for ages 15 and up. Limited space is available.

If you are a musician, you are welcome to bring your instrument to the workshop.  A light lunch will be served at the event.

For more information, click here.

US-Africa Relations: Insights from Mandela Washington Fellows

Hosted by The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

You are invited to join a conversation about U.S. policy in Sub-Saharan Africa featuring three Mandela Washington Fellows and an American Reciprocal Exchange Awardee, including Gail Prensky of The Jüdische Kulturbund Project who traveled to Juba, South Sudan in June 2019.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019
4:30-6:30pm

Russell Senate Office Building
Kennedy Caucus Room (SR-325)

The session will be a facilitated question-and-answer “talk show” style conversation with the audience, with the panelists discussing their experiences on the Fellowship in the United States, the importance of U.S.-Africa relations, and their important work on the continent. Refreshments and a networking reception will follow the panel discussion.

Please see recording of the FaceBook live stream here.

Andy’s Summer Playhouse
“HANNAH’S DANCE, THE LAST DANCE OF THE KULTURBUND”
June 29, 2019

Hannah’s Dance is working in collaboration with Andy’s Summer Playhouse’s initiative, The Greenhouse, a metaphoric extension of The Playhouse, where an invited artists/group of artists hold residency to create a new script.  In The Greenhouse, experimentation, scene readings, workshops of movement ideas, and open work session with kids to expose them to the process of brainstorming for the stage.  Our summer performance will show the results of working in The Greenhouse.

Please see the highlights of The Greenhouse initiative here.

The Association of Jewish Libraries,/Capital Area Chapter (AJL/CAC) presents The Jüdische Kulturbund Project, a lecture and audio-visual presentation by Gail Prensky   

Sunday, March 10, 2019
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the home of Gail Shirazi, 11033 Snowshoe Lane, Rockville, MD  20852

Theater J’s
THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE
At the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Family Theater, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

Based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen, adapted and directed by Hershey Felder

A Jüdische Kulturbund Project event with a post-show discussion
September 15 at 8:00 PM

Set in Vienna in 1938 and London during the Blitzkrieg, The Pianist of Willesden Lane tells the true and inspiring story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish pianist whose dream of making her concert debut at the storied Musikverein concert hall is dashed by the onset of World War II. Despite devastating personal loss, music enables Jura to endure and pursue her dreams. Performed by Jura’s daughter, Grammy-nominated pianist Mona Golabek, The Pianist of Willesden Lane combines enthralling story telling with breath-taking live performances of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and more.

“This elegant, heartfelt solo show…is an arresting, deeply affecting triumph.” — The Los Angeles Times

Call (202) 467-4600 or visit TheaterJ.org to purchase tickets.

Premiering at Settlement Music School
June 9, 2018, 7:00 PM-9 PM
Mary Louise Curtis Branch

Two Pianos: Playing for Life. A classical music performance with readings, narration, and archival-image projections that tells the story of three female pianists from the Leipzig Kulturbund, performed by internationally-acclaimed “Four Hands” performers Diana Shapiro (born in Moscow) and Stanislava Varshavski (born in Kharkov). For more information, please read more about Two Pianos here.

Kehila Chadasha Sunday School/Adult Program
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
May 6, 2018 at 10:30 AM

Gail Prensky, creator, executive producer, and project director of  The Jüdische Kulturbund Project, tells the stories of artists living under oppression and their response through their music and art.

Sandy Spring Museum History Happy HourNovember 30, 2017, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM
Sandy Spring, MD

Hear Gail Prensky tell the extraordinary story of the Jüdische Kulturbund and discuss her project’s initiatives:  multimedia play, dramatic feature film, and education programs based on the Kulturbund’s history. Gail connects the work of those performers to current-day artists creating art under oppression.

History Happy Hours are brought to you by Therrien Waddell Construction Group.  Happy Hours include complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. RESERVE YOUR SPOT.

Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
November 13, 2017 

“The Art and Resiliency of the Human Spirit”, a multimedia program presented by Gail Prensky, creator and executive producer with music performed by Sarah Baumgarten, soprano, and Edward Tarzia, piano.  Hosted by Classrooms Without Borders.
A program by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

“A Musical Evening”

Judiciary Committee Room
Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC
November 2, 2017 at 6PM

Hosted by Congressman Jamie Raskin and The Judische Kulturbund Project Multimedia presentation by Project creator and executive producer Gail Prensky.  Performance by Sarah Baumgarten, vocals and Patrick O’Donnell, piano.

“A Cabaret Evening”
Jewish Museum of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
March 22, 2017  at 7:00 PM

Hosted by The Judische Kulturbund Project. Performance by Sarah Baumgarten, vocals and Patrick O’Donnell, piano.

The Motion Picture and Recorded Sound Division and the Hebrew Language Table at the Library of Congress, Pickford Theater of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC
November 10, 2016 at 12:00 PM

“The Jüdische Kulturbund-The Art and Resiliency of the Human Spirit” multimedia presentation by Gail Prensky of The Judische Kulturbund Project Musical presentation by Sarah Baumgarten.

Freedom of Expression and Culture Conference
Karlstad, Sweden
September 7-8. 2016

All regional and local consultants / developers / promoters in the performing arts, art and design, crafts, film and library and museum activities attend this conference where we will discuss current issues and exchanged experiences. The main speaker is Gail Prensky, creator and executive producer, The Jüdische Kulturbund Project.

Read Gail’s presentation introduction here.

“Friendraiser” hosted by Jeffrey Slavin and Wendy Frosh
Chevy Chase, MD
June 23, 2016

Thanks to the generosity and support of Jeffrey Slavin, the Mayor of Somerset, and Wendy Frosh, The Jüdische Kulturbund introduced our initiatives, receiving appreciation and support from more than 50 guests.

Tikvat Israel Congregation, Rockville, MD
May 2, 2016, 7:30 PM-9:00 PM

“The Judische Kulturbund Project: Art and Resiliency of the Human Spirit,” presented by Gail Prensky, creator and executive producer.  A multimedia presentation about Jewish artists and musicians responding to oppression in Nazi Germany by performing their art, demonstrating their will to survive and the power of the human spirit.

The Westchester Cooperative Library
Washington, DC
April 20, 2016, 7:30 PM

“The Jüdische Kulturbund”.  Speaker Gail Prensky, Executive Producer The Jüdische Kulturbud Project.

Jewish Museum of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
February 21, 2016, 1:00 PM-2:30 PM

“Playing for Life” Art Under Tyranny”.   Speaker Gail Prensky,Executive Producer, The Jüdische Kulturbund Project. Sadie B. Feldman Family Lecture.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City, NY
February 17, 2016, 7:00 PM

Eugene Drucker takes the stage to perform Bach’s Sarabande and Chaconne. Following Eugene’s performance, creator and executive producer of the Jüdischer Kulturbund Project, will present a multimedia program “Playing for Life: Art Under Tyranny”, discussing the history and relevance of the Jewish Kulturbund.  The program closes with a discussion about Eugene’s father Ernst Drucker, a violinist in the Kulturbund, and a question and answer segment with the audience.

Lunch & Learn, hosted by Hadassah Greater Washington office
11900 Parklawn Dr, Ste 350, Rockville, MD 20852
June 10, 2015

Gail Prensky, Executive Producer of the Jüdische Kulturbund Project presented “Art Under Tyranny” at the Hadassah Greater Washington luncheon.  Gail brings to this project a deep and first-hand understanding of the Kulturbund’s spirit and recognizes that their issues of living under tyranny continue with artists around the world today.

Paul Peck Humanities Institute Keynote Presentation
Montgomery College, Rockville, MD
April 22, 2015

Gail Prensky’s keynote presentation at The Paul Peck Humanities Institute-Montgomery College Holocaust Commemoration, April 22, 2015.  Musicians performing are Lauren Gray on flute, Billy Kahkonen on bassoon, and Mike Langlois on piano.