The fresh new FHA Title step one Loan: Everything you need to Learn Prior to getting a keen FHA Do it yourself Loan
The fresh new FHA Title step one Loan: Everything you need to Learn Prior to getting a keen FHA Do it yourself Loan If you’re a citizen or investor who has got purchased a property and needs to do specific home improvements to manufacture it much more livable, a keen FHA Title step 1 mortgage will be a practical financial support option for you. Labeled as new FHA do-it-yourself financing, so it federally-recognized additional mortgage choice can be used to loans certain improvements instead leverage security gathered regarding the possessions. With that said, if this appears like the fresh new FHA Identity step one financing is a good fit for you, read on below. We will go over just what this mortgage was, the way it operates, and how to qualify for you to definitely to learn if the it might be a good fit for your forthcoming rehabilitation enterprise. What is actually an enthusiastic FHA Name 1 loan? On the center, FHA Term step one funds is actually subordinate or second loans which can be used in addition to help you a home loan to help financing particular renovations, rehabilitation tactics, or family changes. He’s basically the government government’s technique for making sure reasonable-to-moderate-income property owners and you can much time-title clients have enough money for make requisite click the link now renovations, even though they won’t qualify for a timeless family security financing, or HELOC. While you are an enthusiastic FHA do it yourself loan may appear exactly like an FHA 203k financing, they are inherently some other issues. Due to the fact an FHA Name step 1 mortgage is actually a secondary mortgage, you can use it combined with a good 203k loan. Normally, inside circumstance, the 203k loan can be used buying the house or property, and Identity 1 loan loan is employed to pay for one required renovations pursuing the get has been finished. While doing so, unlike a good 203k loan, that can just be used in a first household, these types of financing are used for advancements so you’re able to solitary-family members land, multi-equipment characteristics, cellular land, if you don’t industrial properties. On top of that, the money are often used to generate web site advancements and will be placed to your historic preservation. How come a concept step 1 mortgage works? Similarly to some other FHA loan, the newest Government Construction Management doesn’t give currency straight to consumers. Instead, for every financing is established from the a private lender while the bodies pledges they in case your debtor looks like defaulting to the financing. Particularly, the newest FHA will ensure around ninety% of the loan amount. The most as possible acquire and also the financing name vary, depending on what type of assets you are planning to rehabilitation. not, it is essential to keep in mind that money well worth lower than $seven,500 are typically unsecured, and thus, instance an unsecured loan, you will simply need be certain that them with the trademark as an alternative of employing the property since the equity. Significantly, if you’re huge mortgage number are available, the individuals will generally need to be shielded by the possessions. At the same time, while it is you’ll getting multiple Term step one mortgage simultaneously, the total amount of your entire joint money can never go beyond the most allowed toward style of possessions. Just what are let developments to own a title step one financing? Luckily for us, this new HUD recommendations to own allowed improvements having Identity step 1 loan funds is very wider. According to...
Read MoreEducation loan Financial obligation as a Double-Edged Blade
Education loan Financial obligation as a Double-Edged Blade Specifically, the lady analyses advise that student loan loans is for the a more compact reduce regarding ong women (but not young men) Education loan debt is what Rachel Dwyer and you can associates telephone call an effective double edged sword: thirty five towards one-hand it is an invaluable economic funding that young people are able to use to bridge the newest ever-widening gap ranging from their as well as their families’ resources and the rising costs from university, which will make university attendance you’ll. While doing so, financial obligation have to be paid off, and fees normally demand problems to your some teenagers. Such as for instance, Dwyer and you may acquaintances have indicated that obligations go along with both will set you back and you may professionals. They have unearthed that student loan (and you can charge card) obligations try of the increased attitude away from empowerment and you may control over your lifetime in the previous grade from young adulthood, possibly because has enhanced freedom, consumption, and ventures. However,, this type of connections disappear over time just like the young people age and you can begin to repay your debt it accumulated in the process. Debtors inside their mid- to late-twenties tended to getting that they had shorter command over their life minimizing amounts of expertise. thirty six Loans also can each other help and you can hinder some one on quest for a college degree: Dwyer and you may associates reveal that modest loans accounts was associated with the emergency loans for unemployed improved pricing regarding college or university achievement, whereas large debt levels is of the a greater chance of college or university dropout. 37 Most other research has noted the risks with the student loan debt. Present work by Fenaba Addo shows that rising education loan loans may be affecting most other areas of the brand new transition to help you adulthood. 38 And you can, needless to say, in the absence of outcomes with the major existence conclusion, education loan obligations can simply make some teenagers miserable. Numerous degree suggest that student loan debt is negatively of the younger adults’ real, intellectual, and mental fitness. 39 Summary Our very own empirical performs shows that education loan debt sometimes, at the best, provides a fairly small impact on real estate behavior out of young grownups. However, there are proof of a poor connection regarding loans that have homeownership and you will, in order to a reduced the quantity mortgage amounts, evidence doesn’t advise that this is certainly an effective causal dating; and you can, again, it is merely smaller in size. Since indexed above, not, in the event education loan debt isnt best young adults to eschew home-to find durante masse, this is not fundamentally inconsequential to more youthful adults’ existence. Inside provided policy options for containing rising education loan debt, along with whether or tips reduce cousin size of individuals’ student loan payments, maybe we want to imagine greater questions regarding equity and you may collateral you to definitely increase outside the homeownership and you can relevant items. Basic, we would like to inquire if or not we because a culture is actually comfortable with the truth that rising postsecondary expenses and you can related obligations will get worsen existing societal and monetary inequalities? Such, whereas it is true that school accessibility has increased to have disadvantaged groups over the years, it can be correct that such groups has actually a notably high dropout risk while having get-off university that have a lot more...
Read MoreMake a romance with your bank or broker
Make a romance with your bank or broker Our home loan processes is somewhat more for individuals who work with oneself, thus we’ve got make ideas and you can techniques and then make the sense once the smooth you could. Let us allow you to get up to speed. What you’ll learn Self-working anybody can use for similar lenders once the the individuals who do work for somebody otherwise truly the only huge difference is you can need to offer much more detail around your financial situation. Once the, there are ways it is possible to make your journey to homeownership given that seamless you could. Which have a clear mission around the corner therefore the proper arrangements when you look at the set, saving and you can obtaining a home loan is unquestionably attainable although you’re running your own company. Listed here are four information to help you best plan your house loan processes while the a business owner. Trying to get home financing when you are care about-working could possibly get encompass way more paperwork than just a fundamental home loan application. You’ll find some other conditions, data and you can nuances to fund. For this reason it’s really crucial that you contact the financial otherwise agent early in brand new bit and start to create an excellent matchmaking. Your own lender otherwise representative takes committed understand the individual state and provide information the applying techniques. As part of these talks, you will want to try to provide your financial or agent a feel of how your business is recording especially things like cashflow or highest differences in your earnings otherwise monetary statements. This will help give perspective and you will background guidance which is often beneficial to your loan application. Encompass oneself with positives within taxation go out If you use an enthusiastic accountant or income tax top-notch to accomplish you tax statements, tax minimisation to own business owners is a very common strategy. Should this be happening for you, the nonexempt earnings ount or approval. It is best to have a chat towards the accountant and also make them familiar with their intent to get a home regarding the second couple of years approximately, once the you may need to give couple of years off organization financials. You could potentially the requirement to increase your income to suit your financial application. Another tip should be to discuss tax write-offs to have team-associated costs that you may manage to allege. This type of write-offs can potentially help improve your mortgage deposit coupons. Getting a complete directory of write-offs you might allege, take a look at the ATO web site or make an appointment with a good accredited tax professional or the accountant. Create a strong put As with any mortgage brokers, their deposit is a vital first rung on the ladder. How much money you may have saved up to the put possess an impact on your property application for the loan being approved. Normally, lenders choose candidates to keep a great 20% deposit. Thus the loan-to-worthy of proportion (LVR) is lower and means that you’re in a beneficial status because a borrower. There are an approach to improve your coupons to simply help go into your residence at some point. You can view things like: Put your house put savings objective and you may tune how you’re progressing within the brand new Westpac app. Review your own using (personal and team), identify portion you might scale back on and put those funds to your bank account. You will need to put away as much as...
Read MorePayday Loans Johannesburg: Everything You Required to Know
Payday advance loan are a preferred financial product in Johannesburg, offering quick accessibility to cash for people seeking immediate funds. Nonetheless, there are several important factors to think about prior to obtaining a cash advance in Johannesburg. What are Payday Loans? Payday advance loan are temporary fundings that are commonly repaid on the consumer’s following payday. These loans are designed to provide fast access to cash for people dealing with unforeseen costs or economic emergencies. Payday advance loan are understood for their high rate of interest and fees, making them a costly kind of loaning. It personal loans in kenya online is essential to meticulously consider the terms of a payday advance loan before taking one out. When getting a payday advance loan in Johannesburg, debtors will need to give proof of income, identification, and banking information. Lenders will usually call for a post-dated check or permission to access the consumer’s bank account to pay back the car loan. High interest rates and charges Temporary settlement period Quick access to cash Advantages of Cash Advance Loans in Johannesburg Despite the high cost of payday advance, there are a number of benefits to take into consideration. Payday advance provide same day cash loans online quick accessibility to cash without the requirement for a debt check, making them a feasible alternative for people with inadequate credit scores or no credit report. Payday advance loan can likewise be a helpful device for taking care of unforeseen expenditures, such as medical expenses or vehicle repair services. In Johannesburg, where the cost of living is high, payday loans can supply much-needed monetary alleviation in times of need. Furthermore, payday loans are often refined quickly, with funds deposited into the customer’s account within 24 hr. This makes payday loans a practical alternative for individuals in need of immediate cash money. Dangers of Payday Loans in Johannesburg While payday loans can be a helpful financial device, there are several risks to be knowledgeable about. The high interest rates and costs related to payday advance can make them a pricey kind of borrowing, bring about a cycle of financial debt for some borrowers. In addition, failure to repay a payday loan on schedule can lead to extra charges and charges, even more enhancing the expense of borrowing. It is essential to thoroughly take into consideration the dangers of payday advance prior to taking one out in Johannesburg. High price of loaning Risk of financial debt cycle Potential for additional fees and fines Verdict Payday advance can be a valuable financial device for individuals seeking quick accessibility to money. However, it is very important to very carefully take into consideration the terms and conditions of a payday advance prior to taking one out in Johannesburg. By evaluating the advantages and threats of payday loans, customers can make informed decisions concerning their monetary well-being. Remember, payday advances in Johannesburg ought to be made use of sensibly and as a last resort for emergency situation circumstances. Constantly seek monetary recommendations from a professional before taking out a payday...
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Read MoreAbout Me
What’s Susan up to?
Penn State Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies will host me as I present a solo program of song and history focusing on the roots of Eastern European Jewish music and related songs.
I have the honor of presenting this year at the annual American Folklore Society's conference. A lecture on papercut arts around the world and a demonstration of my own work will take place during the conference on October 22, 2021!
ELEVEN languages and counting! Over the years, I've crafted ketubot that honor many cultures. In addition to the expected Aramaic, modern Hebrew, English, and even Yiddish, I have included Korean, Kannada, Latin, Arabic, and even the Telugu seen in the cropped image above! What a joy this has been!
What a wonderful experience I shared with the community of Las Cruces, NM and the Guild of American Papercutters when I presented an hour-long lecture on the worldwide history of papercut arts on March 16, 2021. This was in conjunction with the museum's show of Islamic papercut art. We looked at tools, traditions, and especially shared visual vocabularies from India to Mexico, from Persia to China and beyond!
February 18, 2018 - Susan will be hosted by the Sholem Aleichem Center in the Bronx for a concert. Come for a shmuez (a chat) and stay for the music!https://www.pineclubgolf.com/best-electrical-push-carts/
As part of the Sacred: Image, Text, Ritual exhibit at Lebanon Valley College, Susan will be presenting a lecture recital titled "Words as Homeland: Where Jewish Text, Art, and Song Converge to Express a Culture." Thursday, February 8, 2018, 5 pm at the Zimmerman Recital Hall.
A wonderful arts residency in Teaneck, NJ at Congregation Beth Sholom concluded with a full concert, accompanied by Adrian Banner on Piano. Enthusiasm and learning flowed back and forth the entire time. Fabulous community!
What a great night at the Jalopy in Brooklyn on June 16, 2016 as my new trio with Lauren Brody and Jake Shulman-Ment stepped out to strut our stuff! Many languages, many musical cultures, and great joy in blending our voices and instruments.
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In the beautiful summer landscape of Rindge, New Hampshire, I was privileged to teach traditional Jewish papercut arts at the annual National Havurah Committee's Summer Institute. We turned a large, sunny room into an art studio, and the class burst into enthusiastic art creation. I love the celebratory greeting of everyone's creations as skills and appreciation deepen over four days of classes. I'll come to you! Just ask!
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Back to the Catskills, this time teaching for HAZAK, a group under the umbrella of United Synagogue that offers among its programs an annual summer week of learning and camaraderie. I used my lecture/recital format to widen the world of Yiddish song for about 150 life-long learners as we studied, laughed, sang a bit, and grew to know one another in Kerhonkson, NY.
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When Nancy Spielberg screened her film Above and Beyond in Harrisburg's Chisuk Emuna Congregation, I was tapped to create a papercut gift for her. I chose the color scheme of her promotional material and the Hebrew words which translate into "Be strong... and strengthen one another." The filmmaker and I are shown here. (photo by Josh Damrauer)
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Each year the myriad of faith communities in the Harrisburg region come together to celebrate in song. Here's an image of my participation, sharing the beauty of Yiddish song at the Pine Street Presbyterian Church.
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One of three children's programs to wind up a hectic and marvelous Scholar in Residence program at Congregation Beth El in Fairfield, CT. Lectures, singing programs, explorations of Yiddishkayt - and a debut concert of the new Leviton/Brody duo in concert! I'll happily come to your community, too!
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Yiddish Culture on St. Croix! I received the warmest welcome all across the island where I had the opportunities to teach a vocal arts class in a school, offer an adult papercutting workshop, lecture in the synagogue, and get the whole audience at the Reformed Church singing along in multiple languages! Cultural seeds planted and the smiles, voices, and hugs still linger in memory!
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The Judson Church off Washington Square was packed with well over 300 people on December 30, 2014, to honor the memory and brilliance of Adrienne Cooper, and to award Michael Wex with this year's Dreaming in Yiddish prize. Below is an image of the finale of the musical performance of the Kanonen song from Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera, translated from the German into Yiddish by Wex himself. An all-star band backed us as we belted out the Army Song and others, accompanied by the brilliant puppetry and staging of Great Small Works and Power Point translations which made the text a little less inscrutable! What a night! Singers below include Sarah Gordon, Eleanor Reissa, Tine Kindermann, Dan Kahn, myself, and others.
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A whirlwind arts week in Caldwell, NJ at Congregation Agudath Israel allowed me to open Jewish folk arts to energetic groups from preschoolers through elders. The tots sang and acted out Yiddish songs with costumes and props, the school students (4 larger groups) explored paper arts and traditional papercutting, and adults were treated to a series of lecture recitals, everything taking place in a large space where I hung over 35 works of framed art. What a fabulous arts residency for all of us together!
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Nearly 100 people attended a lecture/recital stitching together I. B. Singer's writing and the artists who illustrated his books as Susan sang her way through the bookshelves, Sunday, November 16, at Chisuk Emuna Congregation in Harrisburg, PA. This was the second event in the year's programming under a grant from the Koster Foundation.
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I was guest lecturer at Dickinson College today, October 6, singing my way through a program on Jews and Food. Unlike the light weight singalongs I often do on this topic, the class took food songs into the framework of Hasia Diner's examination of the place of food in Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement through acculturation in America. 15 songs unpacked! A great eye-opening experience for all!
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Heeding God's Call is a national organization working at a grassroots level to end gun violence and straw buying. On September 18, within days of two gun murders in Harrisburg, I participated in an interfaith program at the MLK Baptist Church in the heart of our city. We 'sang' Reisen's Dos Naye Lid together as the assembled crowd held colored cards with words in Yiddish and English.
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A happy bride at the huppah with her papercut ketubah! 'Tis the season, and I've been busy with commissions of all sorts!
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A full week of learning and teaching at the Havurah Summer Institute was a welcome experience again this year. Located at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, about 300 Havurahniks from infancy to elder sage-age filled days and nights with enthusiastic work, food, music, and exploration. I taught classes in Yiddish song and helped create a soundscape for Tisha B'Av this summer. Loved it!!!
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A lovely way to begin the summer's KlezKamp's Wisconsin adventure was a solo concert at Chai Point in Milwaukee. Jill Gellerman and were welcomed to the beautiful facility and then I sang for and with a great crowd of elders, eager to be part of the action!
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Quite a surprise when I met the truck from Welch Signage in Maine, carrying the massive synagogue feature wall I had designed, to see a piece of my own artwork prominently displayed on both sides of the vehicle!
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I performed for over 100 people at beautiful Maris Grove in Pennsylvania's Delaware County on May 13. As part of the PA Humanities Council's program of Commonwealth Speakers, I was able to bring the sound of Yiddish to an audience largely unfamiliar with the language and culture. As always, common threads were immediately found!
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Verrry busy these days creating a synagogue feature wall, but I took time last week to be interviewed for Ted Merwin's article "The Aesthetics of Judaism" in The New York Jewish Week. Here's a quote: "For Susan Leviton, a ketubah-maker, paper-cut artist and Yiddish folk song performer ..., it was during the 1960s and ’70s, when many Jews flocked back to their roots, that Jews... 'took Judaism back into their own hands' and began braiding challahs and tie-dying prayer shawls. Hiddur mitzvah 'alters us as we fulfill a mitzvah or perform a ritual,' she told me. A Midrash (Song of Songs Rabbah 1.15) suggests that observance of the commandments makes Jews beautiful, even as Jews glorify God through hiddur mitzvot."
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An outpouring of love and creativity filled the room as we honored the memory of Adrienne Cooper and saw Jenny Romaine accept the first Dreaming in Yiddish award for her visionary work. Here's Susan on stage with Alicia Svigals, Jake Shulman-Ment, Benjy Fox Rosen, Aaron Alexander, Michael Winograd, and Dan Blacksberg, 12/21/13. (Photo by Bob Blacksberg)
When Goucher College Hillel welcomed a gift of two Torah scrolls, I was honored to craft mantles and wimples. So much silk! Garnet polished to look like pomegranate seeds! Text and the visions of students to work with! A grand experience.
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A totally spectacular group of artists, writers, social activists, and even puppeteers joined me for a week of creative work as I served as Artist in Residence at the 2013 National Havurah Conference Summer Institute in Rindge, NH. In 4 days of intense collective learning and creating, we built a musical theater production in a box (a cranky) and shared the story of the plight of needleworkers, past and present, with 300 others in a rapt audience!
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It was a beautiful day in Baltimore as the Jewish Museum of Maryland presented its annual Risch Memorial Program. I was delighted to be the featured performer, following brief, powerful presentations by Andres Salguero, Ssuuna, and the DC Turkish Folk Music Group. It always touches me to rediscover the points of connection among immigrant communities, regardless of geographic homes, cultures, and reasons for relocation. A brilliant celebration of cultures!
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Over 350 pieces of beautiful Youghiogheny Art Glass hand-cut, and now I'm on to wet-grinding the edges! It's a new skill that I'm happy to add to my resume as I take on the responsibility to create a soaring double wall of glass above the Torah ark for Chisuk Emuna Congregation in Harrisburg, building anew after a destructive fire in 2009. Check back in mid-May for a look at the completed wall!
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Getting closer to a new recording! Michael Winograd spent a day in the studio on March 28 with Frank London, Dan Blacksberg, Hadar Noiberg, and Alec Speigelman to lay down horn tracks for my as-yet-unnamed CD. Dan Kahn joined in as a special guest vocalist. Next will come strings and soon after that the mixing and mastering, printing and artwork, and OT AZOY! A new Yiddish recording!
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A whirl of creative activity has sent me to the sewing machine to craft two Torah mantles for Goucher College Hillel. One of the scrolls is a rescued Torah from Czechoslovakia, so armed with a palette of palest greys, golds, silvers, and ivories, I headed to Chinatown in NYC on a rainy day to seek silks! What a delight to discover Belraf Fabrics, owned by an Uzbeki couple. A trip around the world in fabric! Take a peek here are the first days' construction.
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I'll be guest lecturing at Dickinson College in Professor Ted Merwin's class during the week that we commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. My program on the fire in words and Yiddish song continues to grow as I learn, and to sadly resonate as we all ponder how little has changed in global workplace safely in the last century. See "Upcoming Events" for details.
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Each year as KlezKamp ends, I proclaim, "This was the best ever!" And every year I mean it. And this year I mean it more! The staff concert nearly lifted the roof off what had been, in its glory days The Granite Hotel in the Catskills. My classes (traditional papercutting and "Our Lives are in our Songs") were filled with curious, thoughtful participants who challenged one another to take each idea to a new level. What an experience. Do not miss this next December!! (sneak peek? Check out the KlezKamp post under Upcoming Events for a video clip!)
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December 22, 2012. Kaye Theater in Manhattan. I soared on the energy of dozens of the finest performers of Yiddish song and Klezmer as we paid tribute to Adrienne Cooper's memory in a three-hour concert of the songs she most loved. What a thrill to sing 'Di Arbuzn' a cappella, in three parts with women performers including Alicia Svigals, Lauren Brody, Shura Lipovsky, and Marsha Gildin. It was both a humbling and energizing evening. Sing out!
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I've just been selected as one of ten 2013 Guild of American Papercutters/X-acto Masters. This means over the course of the coming year I will be testing tools and materials and interacting with other artists to hone our skills and increase interest in papercutting arts. Very exciting!
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Are you aware of the Commonwealth Speakers program under the PA Humanities Commission? Every two years, a roster of artists, story-tellers, historians, and musicians selected by the PHC are able to travel the state offering specific programs at no cost to groups (schools, libraries, state parks, etc.!) other than a basic application fee. I just returned from Ohev Sholom in Williamsport and will head to Reading on Thursday to bring Women's Voices in Yiddish Song to the Federation's Friendship Circle there. Visit the website at www.pahumanities.org and check it out! Free programming! What are you waiting for???
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It's been a long time coming, but here I am, immersed in the joy of working in collaboration with brilliant musicians as I prepare a new recording! Production is in the fine hands of Michael Winograd, and the initial tracks have been laid down with David Licht, Jake Shulman-Ment, Carmen Staaf, Garth Stevenson, and Avi Fox-Rosen, with Lauren Brody and others joining in soon! Hmm... mostly Yiddish, with some surprises mixed in, and everything from spare acoustic accompaniment to over-the-top orchestrations. There'll be more and more about the project as it emerges from its infancy, so watch for news! Perhaps a concert or cd release party in your neighborhood down the line...
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Kesher Zion Congregation in Reading, PA welcomed me as artist-in-residence for the weekend of November 9, 2012, as the congregation honored the memories of Dr. Robert Greenberg and Evelyn Blumberg. I was delighted to find myself in the company of the congregation's brilliant Rabbi Minna Bromberg and rooms full of enthusiastic people hungry to experience new 'takes' on Jewish culture. My programming included a presentation of Yiddish songs of spiritual yearning, a lecture on contemporary Jewish ritual art, and then a rollicking concert on Saturday night with the newly expanded Old World Folk Band! Be sure to check the "Upcoming Events" tab to see where else I'm scheduled to spread YIddish culture!
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I can't say enough about the wonderful Tree of Life Congregation in MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA, where I just spent a weekend as scholar in residence. If you go to my 'coming events' tab, you may see the whole arc of the weekend, but I want to focus here on the response to my "Rage Against the Sewing Machine" presentation on Saturday night, October 27. Among the folks in attendance were physicians, attorneys, and workplace safety experts who each added to a passionate conversation about the effects of completely unregulated natural gas extraction on West Virginians, coal miners' safety issues, and even the plight of disabled people in sheltered workshops who, like the needle workers of 100 years ago, are largely groups without a voice. 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' And yet we still find inspiration to act for social justice when we learn and sing the songs of our forebears. "Give us bread and give us roses!"
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A radio interview for a BALTIMORE station (WVIE 1370) allowed me to share some insights into the history of labor activism in the United States on September 2, 2012 - Labor Day weekend. So much more meaningful than running to sporting goods stores for sale items, this was a chance to engage listeners in anthemic Yiddish songs and their contexts. So many songs... so little time! But every time a Yiddish song is SUNG, it lives a new life.
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It's late summer, so a trip to the BLOCK AND HEXTER VACATION CENTER in Poyntelle, PA came around on my calendar. My teaching schedule allowed me to alternate sessions with fellow presenter Saul Silas Fahti, as we worked to expand the artistic, musical, polititcal, and in Saul's case, even cosmological horizons of the elders who flocked to the Poconos to participate, learn, and (it's a Jewish camp!) eat 3 squares a day. Whether singing, lecturing, or engaging in issues, I always learn from interactions with program participants. One highlight this year was meeting two Hungarian-born sisters who offered me a macaronic (mixed language) song that alternates lines between Hungarian and German/Yiddish. Will it make the cut on my upcoming recording? Stay tuned!
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A quick trip to MADISON, WISCONSIN as part of "A Bisele KlezKamp" on July 22 was a terrific bright spot in a busy summer season! Over 200 people buzzed around programming by some of the best teacher/artists in the Yiddish folk arts world as Michael Wex, Cookie Segelstein, Lauren Brody, Henry Sapoznik, Sherry Mayrent, Miriam Isaacs, David Spies, Sara Gordon, Kurt Bjorling, Steve Weintraub, and I managed to compress a week's worth of learning into one fabulous day. Keep up-to-date with U. OF WISCONSIN'S MAYRENT CENTER to find out what Yiddish programming will be offered throughout the year before our triumphant return next summer!
On Friday night prior to 'ABKK' I was hosted by Congregation Shaarei Shomayim where I presented an a cappella lecture/recital titled "Healing the World in Yiddish Song." Given the political upheavals and charged emotions in Madison these days, the program was a welcome one. The room was packed with people of all ages, and it was a special joy to me to be singing in a room within Frank Lloyd Wright's historic Unitarian Church, where the congregation meets regularly.
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Lauren Brody and I head to PITTSBURGH on June 3 for two concerts, a family event in the morning, and a full concert in the late afternoon at the JCC, in conjunction with the Jewish Museum's exhibit on the artists who illustrated the works of I.B. Singer. We're working up new material and are delighted that both PennPAT and the PA Humanities Council are supporting the program with generous grants. Come celebrate Yiddish culture!
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Healing the World in Yiddish - This lecture/recital program drew people from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages to a program sponsored but DICKINSON COLLEGE, the Literary Heritage Fund, Association for Jewish Studies, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg on April 24. With PowerPoint translations and even a visit from Dan Kahn and the Painted Bird on screen, we explored the drive for human rights that infuses Yiddish song, and the activism that the songs inspire. As part of a series titled "Telling Jewish Stories through the Arts," the evening's riches were obvious as participants lingered over tea and cake and shared the stories that bubbled up in response to the presentation. What a great night!
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On Sunday, April 1, the Jewish Federation of Greater DAYTON and the Lynda A. Cohen Yiddish Club welcomed Lauren Brody and me for a concert. It was the first time that Lauren and I had the opportunity to present a full concert and we felt like siblings on the stage, finding parallel expressions of meaning and intention in her accordion and my voice without even a nod or a word. Utilizing the full range of her instrument, Lauren crafted a unique setting for each song, and the 'whole cloth' was fantastic.
We're already warming up for an upcoming event in June, so stay tuned for details!!
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MAURICE SENDAK! I write this on the day of Maurice Sendak's passing. (If you haven't heard both the recent Fresh Air interview and the hilarious pair of Colbert interviews with the incomparable Mr. Sendak, go find them NOW and come back here in an hour...) I am grateful and humbled to have had the opportunity to spend several months immersed in the life and work of Mr. Sendak, preparing for a program built around the Rosenbach's exhibit of the influences of his Jewish world on his life's work. So on Sunday, April 15, the Haverford Public Library swelled with the sounds of Klezmer as I took over the children's wing of the library to present "Yiddish in the Nutshell" with Ken Ulansey on clarinet and Heath Allen on keyboard. Sendak's early life in a Yiddish-speaking immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, the awareness of evil in the world, and the fears and bravery of children shaped much of his life's work, and I blended his personal life into songs and stories for a rollicking hour. The program was interactive, with sing-alongs, props, costumes, and wild Sendakian tales abounding. It was a Yiddishe Vilde 'Rumpus' for everyone's inner child! Pick up a book by Maurice Sendak and look deeply into it. You may be changed!
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LAFAYETTE COLLEGE Hillel hosted me on Tuesday night, March 20 for a program in song and story on the actual history of the Sarajevo Hagaddah. It was a real one-woman show as I demonstrated design, lettering, and gilding techniques of the centuries-old masterpiece, as well as recounted its improbable story interspersed with songs in the Sarajevo dialect of Judeo-Spanish, in Yiddish, and in Hebrew, along with a Moroccan chant - all related to the Hagaddah. The audience included students, college faculty, and local residents, and there was a lively Q and A at the conclusion of the program. Lafayette has a gorgeous old campus perched above the city of Easton at the confluence of the Delaware and Raritan rivers. I hope to return!
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LAUREN BRODY will join me in presenting a full concert in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, April 1 for the annual event honoring the memory of Lynda A. Cohen. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share the stage and have been working up two terrific sets for the Yiddish club and expected gathered throngs!
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A presentation of my concert "Women's Voices in Yiddish Song" at Penn State University in Middletown, PA on February 23 drew people from Lancaster, York, Lebanon, and the greater Harrisburg area. Having been interviewed for an upcoming article in a Dayton, Ohio paper the night before, I kept thinking during the concert of a particular question I was asked: "What do you want people to take away from your performance?" So I'll tell you: I want people to be so surprised and touched that they come away with a desire to dig a little deeper into Yiddish culture and discover something about themselves. The values and history that are packed into our songs go far in teaching us how to know ourselves if we just open our hearts a bit. That's why I sing. Oh, and also, I sing because I can't NOT sing!!
Only a week to go before Kerhonkson, NY becomes the temporary capital of Yiddishland! This year at KlezKamp I'll be teaching the hands-on papercutting course and a four-session a capella lecture/recital course.
I'm especially looking forward to the time I'll be carving out with fellow PennPAT artist SUSAN WATTS to work on some vocal duets and arrangements, and to begin taking concrete steps towards my NEW RECORDING, which will be produced by the amazing MICHAEL WINOGRAD! Check this website regularly for announcements, too, of a new duo in the works featuring MICHAEL WEX and Susan Leviton. Use your imagination for now - details to follow soon!
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On Sunday, November 20, 2011, I presented a "Conversation with the Artist" in conjunction with the "Making it Better: Folk Art in Pennsylvania Today" exhibit in which one of my papercuts is featured. I demonstrated the art of Jewish papercutting and shared insights into its history and contemporary expressions with about 30 museum-goers. On exhibit through April 29, 2012, Making It Better tells the stories of over 30 master artists whose works represent a wide array of traditions such as African dance, stone wall construction, Native American clay flutes, Pysanky eggs, contemporary blacksmith work, woodcarving, and Vietnamese funerary portraits. I'm honored to have been chosen to have my work represented among so many brilliant examples of folk arts.
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Groundbreaking for Chisuk Emuna Congregation's new synagogue took place in Harrisburg on Sunday, October 16, 2011, and over 350 people celebrated with a block party that featured kugel in a sukkah, carnival food, games and abundant crafts for children, and an afternoon of outstanding music: klezmer, jazz, and old-timey. Bands set up on a concrete pad at one end of the soon-to-be-a-shul property, and music filled the air! I had the pleasure of singing once again with the Old World Folk Band, which has recently welcomed several new musicians as regulars, and which added additional guest performers for the outdoor event.
The synagogue was destroyed by an accidental fire in 2009, and more recently was left homeless when The Flood of 2011 forced the congregation from temporary quarters in the JCC. The sense that the next plague was waiting in the wings was banished by the wonderful welcome to a new neighbrhood, and it looks like the block party may become an annual event!
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A whirlwind few days at the 14th annual IAYC (International Association of Yiddish Clubs) conference in Novi, Michigan offered me the opportunity to perform and teach, and to meet people from all over the country who gathered to celebrate Yiddish culture. Highlights for me were presenting my powerful lecure/recital, "Rage Against the Sewing Machine" in this 100th anniversary year following the Triangle Fire, and joining Dan Kahn on the bandstand following my solo concert.
To see parts of one of my programs at the conference, please visit www.yiddishlives.com/susanleviton
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