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Get ready to rock at the 16th annual Shoreline Jewish Festival

By Stacey Dresner

GUILFORD, Conn. – It’s been 16 years since Chabad of the Shoreline grilled the first ever kosher hot dogs on the Guilford Green at their inaugural Shoreline Jewish Festival.

Since then, the festival has become a summer tradition in Guilford, featuring traditional and Israeli fair food (all kosher), different genres of Jewish and Israeli music, a Jewish book sale, vendors and crafters of Judaica and Jewish art, and children’s crafts and activities.

“The Shoreline Jewish Festival is an annual celebration of Jewish life on the Shoreline,” says Rabbi Yossi Yaffe, director of Chabad of the Shoreline and festival coordinator. “So many people now see it as a not-to-be-missed summer tradition. Last month a parent told us how her child was looking forward to their upcoming vacation in Italy—as long as she didn’t miss the Shoreline Jewish Festival!”

Peter Himmelman

This year’s festival will take place on Sunday, August 14, 12 noon – 5 p.m., and along with all of the family fun, the festival will definitely rock the community with musical performances by Emmy and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman; “the Jazz Rabbi” Greg Wall and Israeli singer and guitarist Yoni Lorber.

Himmelman, a native of Minneapolis, Minn. who grew up in an unobservant Jewish home, began playing in a rhythm & blues band as a teenager. His music runs the gamut from alternative rock, folk rock and blues to children’s music and television show scores. In 1985, he began attending classes led by Rabbi Simon Jacobson, a Chabad rabbi in Brooklyn, New York. Now an observant Jew, he is married to Bob Dylan’s daughter Maria and they have four children.

“He sings from the heart, and his words enter the heart,” Rabbi Yaffe explains. “Peter’s powerful, spiritual messages resonate deeply with his audience.”

Rabbi Greg Wall, a saxophonist and composer, has been a leading figure in Jewish music for more than 30 years and is a pioneer of blending Jewish music with jazz. The popular spiritual leader of Beit Chaverim Synagogue in Westport, Conn. for the past nine years, Wall regularly performs his eclectic mix of classical and experimental jazz, Eastern European and African American roots music.

Rabbi Greg Wall

He studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston and performed with a slew of jazz artists over the years, including klezmer artist Frank London and the late Yosi Piamenta. While on the road, Wall pursued Talmudic study and was ordained as a rabbi in 2006. Prior to joining Beit Chaverim, he served as spiritual leader of the Sixth Street Community Synagogue in New York City’s East Village. 

Yoni Lorber

Besides the musical entertainment, families with children will be regaled with the storytelling of Levi Welton, who will present the story “Shmerel Saves the Village” with its messages of caring for one another and finding the hero within ourselves.

The musical lineup also will include musician Yoni Lorber, an Israeli singer, songwriter. From a young age, Lorber played with his uncle, the late Yossi Piamenta, a guitar virtuoso known as “the father of Jewish electric guitar rock and roll.” The inspiration continues as Yoni’s original compositions and masterful guitar-playing make him a favorite in the Jewish music world.

Festivalgoers can choose from a variety of kosher fair favorites, including pulled beef brisket, hamburgers, hot dogs, falafel, schwarma grilled chicken, potato knishes, fresh mini donuts, cotton candy, sno-cones and more. Children’s activities also include inflatable bouncy fun, as well as Jewish-themed arts & crafts projects.

Admission to the Shoreline Jewish Festival is free. Food, crafts and vendor items will be available for sale. Artists can reserve a booth for the day for a fee of $85. To reserve a booth or for more information, call (203) 533-7495 or email at chabad@snet.net.

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