Cool Jews Artist Showcase Celebrates Jewish Diversity

Sept. 3, 2009 - PRLog -- When author Lisa Alcalay Klug wrote Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, a National Jewish Book Award finalist, her goal was to celebrate Jewish identity and culture in all its diversity. "Cool Jew catalogs Jewish pop culture and honors our rich heritage with a 'reverent irreverence,'" says Klug, whose book was published September 2008. "After an amazing year of events across North America, we're celebrating the first anniversary of the book's publication with a blow-out show in New York City that honors the complex diversity of our people. The Cool Jews Every Member of the Tribe Artist Showcase features an amazing cast of multicultural Jews. And, in an online giveaway we're running in conjunction with this event, one lucky winner will receive a prize package valued at almost $300.”  

The Cool Jews Every Member of the Tribe Artists Showcase, produced and emceed by Klug, is slated for 5 pm, Sept. 13th at the JCC of Manhattan. http://www.jccmanhattan.org/category.aspx?catid=1022

A diverse group of multicultural Jewish artists will perform their greatest hits. Performers include:

* Sarah Aroeste -- Ladino chanteuse of Greek-Sephardic heritage
* Yisrael Campbell -- Orthodox comedian/Jew by choice
* Eprhyme –Ashkenazi “punklezrapper” Eden Pearlstein (on the Shemspeed label)
* Elie Massias -- Gibraltar-born Sephardic guitarist/solo artist
* Adam McKinney -- Jewish African-American, classically trained dancer who has performed with Alvin Ailey and other acclaimed companies, filmmaker and arts educator
* Rachel Ravitz and Matthew Brown -- married singer/songwriter folk duo; Rachel is a storyteller in the tradition of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach; Matti is a cantor and Jew by choice
* Rav Shmuel -- hasidic rock rabbi and yeshiva director aka Rabbi Samuel Skaist
* Emcee Lisa Alcalay Klug -- journalist, author and editor of the blog, “Tolerant Nation;” daughter of an Ashkenazi Holocaust survivor and descendant of a Sephardic rabbinic family

In conjunction with the Cool Jews Every Member of the Tribe Artists Showcase, Klug has created the Cool Jew New You Giveaway in partnership with Jennie Rivlin Roberts, owner and creator of http://ModernTribe.com. This innovative website shares Cool Jew's approach to celebrating Jewish culture. Together, these two Jewish mamalahs have invited the Showcase Artists and several other Jewish mensches -- friends and colleagues, artists, writers, performers and entrepreneurs -- to donate prizes to the Cool Jew New You Giveaway in honor of the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah, which falls on September 18th.

To enter to win the Cool Jew New You Giveaway, visit the ModernTribe.com blog (http://blog.moderntribe.com) and submit your answer to this question: "In what ways are you "casting off" and starting new this year?" You can also click through to purchase elements of the Giveaway. (No purchase is required to win. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.)

The Cool Jew New You Giveaway begins September 8th. The winner will be chosen from all submissions and announced on Sept. 17th at the ModernTribe.com blog.

The Cool Jew New You Giveaway contains prizes valued at approximately $288. One lucky mensch will receive:

* Ladino chanteuse Sarah Aroeste's "Puertas" CD ($15)
* Stand-up comedian Yisrael Campbell's "Circumcise Me" DVD ($20)
* Eprhyme’s  debut CD WAYWORDWONDERWILL ($15) and 7-inch vinyl single, "Punklezmerap," on K Records as part of its International Pop Underground Series ($5)
* Jewcy.com’s “Table Topics: Spirit Box” discussion cards ($25)
* Author Lisa Alcalay Klug's book Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe ($13)
* Living Tree Community Foods’ organic Snugglespoon honey, raw almond butter and raw tahini ($47 total)
* Rachel and Matti’s CD sampler Your Kindness($5)
* Jennie Rivlin Roberts' "No Limit Texas Dreidel" game from ModernTribe.com ($20)
* Jean Roth’s Rotem Gear 'What Would Maimonides Do?" t-shirt ($24)
* Author Matthue Roth’s books, Never Mind the Goldbergs ($8) and Yom Kippur A Go-Go ($15)
* Musician/composer Elie Massias’ "Brooklyn Days" CD ($10)
* Singer/Songwriter Rav Shmuel's "Protocols" and "B'yameinu" music CDs ($18 each) and two t-shirts ($15 each)

Take a moment for fun and enter to win the Cool Jew New You Giveaway at http://blog.moderntribe.com/2009/09/cool-jew-new-you-give...

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ModernTribe.com offers design-conscious Judaica gifts and artwork that celebrate age-old traditions with modern style. From mezuzahs to menorahs, we find products made in Israel, Europe, and America with a contemporary design aesthetic. After you see the unique, clever, and beautiful pieces at ModernTribe.com, you will never again keep your Judaism tucked away in the closet.