Guarantee that You might be Prepared to Undertake the excess Can cost you
Guarantee that You might be Prepared to Undertake the excess Can cost you You should guarantee everything with your taxation elite group, however, home financing can impact their taxes. There are the ability to deduct their mortgage interest since the really since the possessions taxation. There is certainly most other taxation advantages for you with home ownership. Make sure you talk to an experienced professional to be certain you may be conscious of most of the solutions. Ensure that You may be Ready to Pick Just before make one of the biggest orders out of yourself, you ought to make sure that you are in it for the ideal factors. Considering Mark A beneficial. Fitzpatrick out-of Fifth 3rd Lender, Due to COVID, now is an enjoyable experience to order from mortgage view. This is the lowest we’ve ever viewed as well as could go also lower. So if you’re thinking of buying a house nowadays, my best tip is to try to prepare yourself. Get financing ducks manageable and begin deciding on preferred properties. Its difficult while a resident, otherwise doing the medical profession, not to comparison shop and you can examine yourself to anyone else. When you yourself have members of the family who aren’t throughout the scientific job, odds are they usually have bought a property and working to your repaying off. You might think you will want to buy a home manageable to show you happen to be able to paying down off it’s just too-big out of an investment in order to foot the selection on what your think you should do. Financially speaking, never buy a home unless you’re planning on staying in your house for at least five years. Once you pick property, the mortgage are prepared thus nearly all your own payment are going with the focus and never their dominant balance. As well as the attract of one’s mortgage, you are including accountable for every charge for the financial. Charge particularly appraisals, settlement costs and you can moving expenses all are owed initially, that makes the costs sound right immediately. If you do not inhabit a rather sensuous industry along with your property worth explodes quickly, odds are it’s going to bring age about how to recoup the new upfront charge and you may attract. Along https://paydayloanalabama.com/kellyton/ with currency, it entails for you personally to maintain a property. You may be accountable for all repairs and you may repair. And you can believe me, little actually holidays when it’s much easier for the income. Whatever household you do buy, it’s super critical to have an emergency financing in position. Because you’ll end up the main one guilty of an alternative hot water heater otherwise Air conditioning unit once they split, you’ll be thankful there is the financing to pay for it. Whenever checking out the expense of your house, don’t forget to reason for all the charges associated with the purchasing a property. You really have insurance costs, taxation, HOA expenses, home fix and you will restoration, lawn care, furniture, and utilities and there’s alot more. Make sure You will be Willing to Stay Place The very last point we need to envision before buying is where far we need to end up being tied to the bedroom. When you yourself have people advice out-of moving once you over the residence, then you are better off would love to buy. Once again, it’s difficult to recuperate your money if you’re into the good household lower than 5 years. A few of these things being said, home ownership without a doubt has...
Read MoreBanks and other housing fund establishments render different kinds of home fund now
Banks and other housing fund establishments render different kinds of home fund now Inside India, settling off might synonymous with home ownership. Inside active loans for bad credit Clifton CO industry, everyone hopes for getting the greatest residency where they are able to pick tranquility at the conclusion of the afternoon. To find property is also become a good Herculean task now through the fresh mounting actual-home costs. A mortgage is an easy answer to money your property purchase given that it is not a smart idea to burn your entire savings to get a secure or a property. This new need for Home loan has increased manifold in recent years and people provides different requirement regarding a house loan. So you’re able to focus on the needs of different sections of area, enough banking companies attended with this idea out-of introducing various other mortgage schemes. To estimate several, multiple banking companies bring specifically constructed lenders for females, agriculturalists and you can funds only for acquisition of residential property. Style of Home loan: Loan providers bring lenders, just for selecting a property but for a variety regarding almost every other objectives. A number of the preferred kind of lenders in the new economic business are described less than. Multiple financial institutions promote financing to have belongings buy. Buying a land was an adaptable alternative, the customer can help to save funds and build property while his cash succeed or have the land just like the a financial investment. Doing 85% of your own price of the newest land is provided with since the loan from the loan providers eg Axis Bank. Home loan Items Widely known version of financial is the financing for purchase of a unique or good pre-possessed family. So it loan is additionally aren’t readily available that is given by of many banking institutions in various variations. The interest rate is actually often drifting otherwise repaired and generally range ranging from 9.85% and you will %. And, 85% of total count exists since financing by many banking companies. This mortgage is especially available for people who have to construct a location centered on their wants instead of to order an excellent pre-constructed house. The new acceptance processes for it type of loan differs getting it takes into account the expense of spot and additionally. 1st clause whenever applying for a property design mortgage is the fact that the plot should have already been ordered within this per year for the patch pricing also to be included in the loan number. The mortgage count is decided predicated on a crude estimate from the development prices. The amount may be paid on you to definitely go or perhaps in multiple payments. Preferred home build money range from the techniques offered by Lender off Baroda, UCO Financial and Canara Lender. Require another balcony or an additional bed room? Dont worry about it, particular banking institutions also offer finance for home expansion and additionally customization off most recent construction and you may framework of the latest bed room. HDFC House Expansion mortgage and you can house restoration loan offered by Financial away from Baroda try well-known within category. Those with currently availed home financing and have now ordered a home with it but have to proceed to yet another house go for family conversion financing. Because of the transferring the current loan to help you new house, individuals can also be finance the purchase of your new home and possess shouldn’t have to pay-off the earlier mortgage. Although it offers benefits, so it sector away from home loan is additionally...
Read MoreDitech Denied 100 % free and Obvious Marketing off RMS in the Bankruptcy Court
Ditech Denied 100 % free and Obvious Marketing off RMS in the Bankruptcy Court The latest ongoing selling process of Reverse Financial Options (RMS) is generally at stake just after a federal judge has denied the mother or father business’s advised personal bankruptcy plan. When you look at the a paying attention going on within Personal bankruptcy Judge towards South Area of the latest York into the Wednesday, a national court refuted the fresh recommended personal bankruptcy reorganization package petitioned because of the the fresh new guidance off Ditech Carrying Firm. That it leaves the new profit procedure of one another Ditech’s send and you can reverse mortgage businesses in order to previously-recognized stalking-horse bidders at risk of going on, predicated on new revealing of the Bloomberg and you will court papers obtained by RMD. The decision After hearing proof this past times from the recommendations both for Ditech Holding Enterprise and you will a face-to-face coalition comprised of a buyers loan providers committee and you will county attorneys standard, government bankruptcy proceeding Judge James Garrity Jr. rejected the plan who would enjoys greet Ditech to market the submit and opposite mortgage companies 100 % free and you may obvious from individual says facing them alleging wrongdoing and inappropriate property foreclosure. Within his written choice, Judge Garrity contends the suggested reorganization plan will not render sufficient ability getting https://paydayloanalabama.com/jemison/ individuals in order to believe rights out of recoupment facing Ditech, neither does it satisfy the standards of one’s Case of bankruptcy code if you find yourself proving that it’s fair and you can fair so you can consumers carrying states from the providers. Next methods Centered on Bloomberg, Courtroom Garrity produced a brief court appearance into Wednesday and you will treated counsel to own Ditech. The guy informed them one to a hearing could be scheduled to have second day, to see how exactly we can also be move ahead, he said. The ability to do unobstructed transformation out of both the forward and contrary financial repair business are seem to contingent into the recognition off new bankruptcy intend to be made free and obvious of your current legal says levied contrary to the mother providers of the each other impacted home loan individuals and state government, centered on Ditech counsel Sunny Singh for the a paying attention this past times. Although not, that not be a phrase about in which RMS was alarmed. Ditech got previously categorized investment business The newest Domestic as the newest accepted buyer with the send financial providers, and you may Financial Property Management due to the fact approved bidder to own RMS. Now, as a free and you may clear deals of your possessions could have been refuted, those individuals transformation are actually in danger, considering pros. A decision you to definitely has the states linked to the property form one to Brand new Home-based is probable out and can not pick the latest possessions and you may others who arrives may shell out a much smaller amount, David C. Smith, a money teacher within School regarding Virginia advised Bloomberg. After your day, that means a lot less cash goes into the brand new estate so you can spend claimants. The very best scrutiny surrounding the latest personal bankruptcy plan try primarily focused on the brand new submit home loan maintenance team. In earlier times 1 year, more cuatro,100 property owners has actually recorded complaints having federal companies concerning the loan servicer, along with allegations which failed to credit genuine money which provided to help you poor property foreclosure. The newest RMS product...
Read MoreChildren of congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans
Children of congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans Those committees will be the first to shepherd any legislative overhaul of the federal student loan process Collectively, the 44 Democrats and 24 Republicans have higher education liabilities of $2.5 million, according to recent financial disclosures. The median student loan debt is $15,000, while average debt is $37,000. Thirteen percent payday loans Tallassee is a slight increase compared to the previous Congress, when Roll Call’s Wealth of Congress project found that one in 10 members held student loans. One-third of Congress’ educational debt comes from new members. In one case, Texas Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar, 49, noted that she and her husband are simultaneously paying for their own debt while taking on joint loans for the college educations of their children. All told, those liabilities exceed $60,000. Escobar graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1991 and with a master’s degree from New York University in 1993. Three of the more recent college graduates in Congress are paying for their own education after earning a bachelor’s degree. Freshman Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Abby Finkenauer of Iowa, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York all graduated in 2011 and owe more than $15,000 each. Omar, 36, got her degree from North Dakota State University. Finkenauer, 30, graduated from Drake University, and Ocasio-Cortez, 29, graduated from Boston University. Seven representatives on the House Education and Labor panel, along with Sen. Christopher S. Murphy on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, all hold student debt. I had a decent-sized student loan debt, and I didn’t have them for undergraduate – I only had them for graduate school, Murphy said. I guess I have a little bit more of a window into how enormous your debt can be if you have to pay for four years of expensive undergrad and possibly graduate school as well. Murphy, 45, has a law degree from the University of Connecticut. As lawmakers look to reshape the federal loan process in the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a cohort knows firsthand the pain of rising college costs – 68 members, or 13 percent of Congress, reported that either they or their family members are mired in student debt Murphy’s wife has loans outstanding as well, but he said they kept the loans in part because they were able to refinance the debt at a decent interest rate. You don’t have to have student loans to understand how crappy it is to have $200,000 in debt, Murphy said. Among the Education and Labor group is the current occupant of Murphy’s old House seat, Rep. Jahana Hayes. Named 2016’s National Teacher of the Year, Hayes received an associate degree, bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from 2002 to 2012. She listed more than $115,000 in debt for her education. I wanted to be a teacher so badly that I accepted the debt I was incurring even though I knew my salary as a teacher would not yield an equal return on my investment, Hayes, 46, told Roll Call in a statement. I’m sure I share this distinction with many other members, and hopefully we can work together to ensure that the skyrocketing cost of higher education does not continue to go unchecked. California Rep. master of fine arts degree from the University of California, Riverside, and sees new policies for student loan repayment with a Democratic majority. As a member of Congress with outstanding student loan debt, I am acutely aware of the burdens...
Read MoreWhy Do My Joints Pain?
Joint discomfort can be an incapacitating condition that can significantly influence your daily life. Whether it’s a dull pain or a sharp pain, understanding why your joints harmed is important for discovering the best therapy and also alleviation. In this short article, we will certainly discover the numerous factors that can contribute to joint discomfort and also give insights into managing and avoiding it. What Triggers Joint Pain? Joint pain can be triggered by a selection of factors, consisting of: Arthritis Swelling Injury or trauma Overuse Autoimmune illness Age-related damage Arthritis, the most common source of joint discomfort, consists of conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid joint inflammation, as well as gout arthritis. These conditions cause joint inflammation, tightness, and pain, influencing numerous individuals worldwide. Inflammation plays a substantial role in joint pain. When your body’s immune system responds to injury or infection, it launches chemicals that trigger inflammation. This inflammation can lead to joint discomfort and swelling, making it difficult to move as well as execute day-to-day tasks. Injuries or trauma to a joint, such as a strain or pressure, can likewise create pain. Overuse of joints through repeated activities or extreme workout can put on down the cartilage as well as cause joint discomfort. Furthermore, specific autoimmune conditions, such as lupus or rheumatoid joint inflammation, can assault the joints and create discomfort as well as inflammation. As we age, our joints naturally experience damage, called osteo arthritis. This degenerative condition can cause pain, rigidity, and decreased movement, particularly in weight-bearing joints like the knees and hips. Taking Care Of and Stopping Joint Discomfort While joint pain can be challenging to handle, there are numerous techniques for handling as well as preventing it: Workout regularly Preserve a healthy weight Practice excellent stance Protect your joints Consume a balanced diet Keep hydrated Manage tension Obtain enough sleep Routine exercise is vital for keeping your joints healthy and lowering discomfort. Low-impact tasks like swimming, cycling, and yoga exercise can boost joint versatility and enhance the surrounding muscles. Nonetheless, it’s important to consult with a health care professional or physical therapist to figure out the very best exercises for your details condition. Maintaining a healthy weight is vital for joint wellness, especially for weight-bearing joints. Excess weight puts added stress and anxiety on your joints, boosting the risk of developing osteoarthritis or intensifying existing joint discomfort. By embracing a well balanced diet as well as normal workout regimen, you can attain and maintain a healthy and balanced weight, lowering the pressure on your joints. Practicing good stance is one more way to alleviate joint pain. Correct positioning of your body decreases stress and anxiety on your joints, specifically in the spinal column, neck, and also hips. When urofemmin perú precio standing or resting for prolonged periods, make sure that your spine is straightened, as well as you are dispersing your weight evenly. Securing your joints from overuse or injury is essential in preventing joint pain. Stay clear of repetitive activities or tasks that put excessive stress on your joints. If you engage in high-impact sporting activities or tasks, utilize ideal protective gear to reduce the risk of injury. A well balanced diet abundant in fruits, vegetables, entire grains, and also lean proteins provides the nutrients needed for healthy joints. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and nuts have anti-inflammatory residential properties that can help reduce joint discomfort. Additionally, remaining moisturized is important for preserving joint lubrication and also stopping tightness. Managing anxiety is not just necessary for general health yet can additionally have an effect on joint discomfort. High-stress degrees can contribute...
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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