The Braid is known for bringing Jewish voices to the stage via their salon shows. The Jewish theater company has adapted singular stories from essays, short stories, blogs and excerpts from novels and memoirs. They’ve even adapted an opinion piece from The New York Times.
Their latest endeavor – which, per usual, is timely – is an adaptation of stories from Zibby Owens’ bestselling anthology “On Being Jewish Now.” These essays offer a window into what American Jews have been experiencing in a post-Oct. 7, 2023 world.
“This is the first time in The Braid’s 18-year history that we’ve taken a book of essays and used stories from that book as the basis for a Salon show,” The Braid’s founder and artistic director Ronda Spinak told The Journal. “In these times of confusion, division, fear and a deep desire to live with Jewish joy and pride, despite the bad news experienced every single day, ‘On Being Jewish Now’ is particularly enticing to share at The Braid.”
“On Being Jewish Now” – the book and the show – bring real, personal stories of humor, heartbreak and hope to life.
“When I first thought of the idea and started working on the project, I just knew it would be the most important thing I ever did; I could feel it in my bones,” Owens told The Journal. One of the reasons the book has been so successful, she said, is because it has “served as a touchstone for a community in shock, in pain and, yet, indestructible.”
The book, she explained, has brought people together in person all over the country.
Owens hopes the show will bring people together in the same way the book has. “To make the members of the community feel seen, help others understand the Jewish experience and also, make people laugh,” she said.
Along with Owens’ powerful and vulnerable self-reflection about the need to stand up and make one’s voice heard, the show includes gripping personal revelations by author Joanna Rakoff (“My Salinger Year”) when she visits a hidden underground synagogue from pre-Inquisition Spain; actor Mark Feuerstein (“Royal Pains”) who shares a whimsical tale of being a 50-year-old man who breakdances at his twins’ b’nai mitzvah; and Rabbi Sharon Brous who reveals the story of a trip in the emotional wake of Oct. 7.
There are also stories by novelist and Boston Book Festival co-chair Jeanne Blasberg, writer/journalist David Christopher Kaufman, award-winning journalist Keren Blankfeld, children’s book author Courtney Sheinmel, author Rebecca Raphael, author and creative director Alison Hammer, film and TV writer/director Jeremy Garelick and novelist Elizabeth L. Silver.
Spinak said choosing which stories to include took months of reflection and conversation. “Our team of literary experts at The Braid includes Lisa Kenner Grissom and Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum,” she said. “Each of us read the book many, many, many times; we chose not only our favorite stories but ones that had heart and humor.”
The show, directed by The Braid’s producing director, Susan Morgenstern, features veteran The Braid actors Abbe Meryl Feder, Karen Macarah, Benmio McCrea and A.J. Meijer. “I think audiences will strongly identify with various stories,” Morgenstern told The Journal. “To offer a show where everyone can see themselves represented and recognize an author’s journey as similar to their own is always impactful.” She added, “I think even non-Jews who attend will relate to the stories, and hopefully, will gain understanding of how it feels to be Jewish at this particular time in history.”
When asked what “being Jewish now” means to them, Morgenstern said, “While my work with The Braid over the last 14 years has steadily increased my affiliation to my Jewish culture and religion, Oct. 7 certainly deepened my resolve to acknowledge and celebrate being Jewish. I’m not so quiet about it anymore. I wear my Star of David more often — and not just at Jewish events.”
For Owens, it means “speaking up, creatively tackling the current problems, giving back and inspiring the next generation. … For me, being Jewish now means holding the uncertainty of the future while being proud of my Jewish soul and speaking out in the best way I know how … through telling our Jewish stories in America today,” Spinak said. “I’m grateful to Zibby Owens for trusting me and The Braid to share these beautiful personal stories on stage. … Her trust inspires me; and I feel this show is exactly what our community needs right now.”
“On Being Jewish Now” running at the Braid in Los Angeles March 22-April 23 , and performances in the Bay Area (April 11 and 12), as well as live on Zoom (April 16 and 19). For tickets and more information, the-braid.org/beingjewishnow.
