Call (855) 956-4040 to own Virtual assistant Home loan Eligibility Requirements
Call (855) 956-4040 to own Virtual assistant Home loan Eligibility Requirements Are you a veteran or army solution member questioning about your Virtual assistant financing qualifications? Its likely that when you have honorably served or already providing for the one of the twigs of your United states Armed forces your are probably entitled to the new Virtual assistant mortgage. Having said that allows look closer at Virtual assistant loan qualification plus the many Virtual assistant loan gurus like the settlement costs. Just who Qualifies to possess an excellent Virtual assistant Mortgage? This present year, brand new Va performed a primary study of veterans, productive obligation services participants and you will surviving spouses. 33% off experts who had not used their Va mortgage benefit did not even know they’d the possibility. These individuals possess spent age preserving upwards currency once that have already spent four, half dozen, twelve age or higher in service to your country. However, through the help of your Virtual assistant loan benefits, you could potentially personal on your own household within just 60 days which have little money initial. The essential wild and you may screws of a great Virtual assistant mortgage is quite easy to understand. Just like a conventional home loan, an exclusive financial, or bank, has the resource. Your performs individually toward financial throughout the application procedure, as you would any other mortgage. The lender know the fresh particulars of what they must do to own protecting this type of financial support to you. In which the Va is available in ‘s the make sure. The newest Va pledges twenty five% of one’s financing. Due to this a down-payment is not needed, and exactly why you could money 100% of your own price of the house. Loan providers know that if you given that borrower standard for the mortgage, he’s got the backing on Va. It offers him or her way more liberty during the deciding the eligibility having the loan. In addition are not restricted to to find an individual-home. You can aquire a made household or a flat during the an effective VA-acknowledged enterprise. It can be used to change your most recent house or apartment with opportunity-effective enjoys, such solar power. Brand new IRRRL (Interest rate Prevention Refinance) system lets you refinance your existing Va financing. Sufficient reason for good Va repair financing, you can get a great fixer-higher or an effective foreclosed property and now have a whole lot more fuck for the dollars. Oftentimes, you are able to build a brand name-brand new home! Their bank is certainly going over-all the options to you and you will let choose the best one to your requirements. Virtual assistant Loan Eligibility Requirements How will you know if youre eligible to make this benefit? When you are an energetic Responsibility Provider User, Experienced otherwise an old or most recent member of this new National Protect/Reserves, you are most likely qualified to receive an effective Va mortgage. For each military category has some lowest solution criteria and this alter centered on hence years was basically supported. With the Gulf coast of florida War (noticed August 2, 1990, up until a still becoming calculated go out), services requirements are as follows: 24 months off persisted energetic-responsibility along with other than dishonorable release ninety days otherwise finished full term which had been ordered in order to active duty together with other than dishonorable launch 3 months energetic obligations, but released for adversity, convenience of the us government https://paydayloanalabama.com/decatur/, very early out, a beneficial RIF (loss in push), otherwise an effective compensable solution-linked handicap Less...
Read MoreMethods for Experienced Home buyers to own 2nd Home loan:
Methods for Experienced Home buyers to own 2nd Home loan: Have you considered to acquire a second house? A property is more than simply a location to real time; it is a valuable asset is appreciated. Incase you have the methods to invest in the second resource, you need to! But not, there are many decisions becoming made before committing to a family. You been making EMI repayments on your own establish house. Have you been in a position to get a moment home loan as quickly? Thought bringing an additional financial, which will not only provide you with a much warmer lifestyle place but may also save you money into the fees. Guess Mr. Singh, good 38-year-old business person, has you to definitely domestic when you look at the Pune wherein the guy will pay EMIs (Equated Monthly Instalments). He or she is today planning go on to Delhi selecting most readily useful providers options. Thus, Mr. Singh rents aside his domestic inside the Pune to finance the fresh new EMI. And, as opposed to renting, he decides to buy another domestic from inside the Delhi. Point 80C: Under Part 80C, you could allege a great deduction into dominant number around Rs. step one.5 lakh. That it deduction might be said towards the of numerous services, whether or not he’s self-occupied otherwise rented out. Both houses are mind-occupied: According to the newest funds conditions, next assets cannot be sensed rent. Because of this, each other properties would be sensed self-filled. The complete desire paid back on one another residences should be below Rs. 2 lakhs. Self-occupied very first household rented second family: The leasing earnings from the next house need to be stated. You can subtract a typical 30 percent attract into the a house mortgage and you can civil fees regarding one. You could potentially deduct to Rs. 2 lakhs out of your other sourced elements of earnings. Taxation Gurus for Second Home loan: People who own a couple of https://www.clickcashadvance.com/personal-loans-ne/blue-springs/ property meet the requirements having a bevy out-of tax getaways. not, when you have before paid back your house financing entirely, you will not be eligible for it work with. Let’s look closer on those pros. Taxation Advantages towards the Next Home loan Self-Occupying the second Home: For those who have one or more residential property at your disposal, because the certainly manufactured in the income Taxation Work specifications, among the a few properties of your choosing is experienced self-filled, and its yearly well worth would-be zero. With regards to the specifications, others put would be felt a permitted-away and you may an effective speculative book, and will be taxed beneath the supposed Income regarding Household Possessions.’ Examining the Income tax Implications from Unused Possessions: If you very own a few Self-occupied Properties’ (SOP), you could potentially always remove one of them since the SOP. The remainder home(s) might possibly be classified since the Deemed Let-Away Property’ (DLOP) underneath the Act. If a person of your own functions was a DLOP, it is felt accommodations possessions. This means that, a fictitious leasing value could well be applied to the brand new nonexempt earnings. Repairs and you will general upkeep are eligible having a 30 percent apartment compensation. By using the Next House while the a holiday/Old-age Refuge: Because mind-occupied asset benefit is readily available for you to assets, the analyzed yearly rent is experienced the newest taxable worth. Renting otherwise local rental away the next home: If you buy a second possessions in order to book or lease, the actual book you will be making was...
Read Morestep one. How do you Rating Capital for a special Build?
step one. How do you Rating Capital for a special Build? Searching for property that’s perfectly to you personally is just like shopping for an effective needle from inside the a haystack. This new domiciles you visit is almost certainly not big enough, otherwise they are too large. They could never be located in a handy urban area, otherwise these are typically within the an area which is as well busy or noisy. The brand new house you view may not have the latest business your dream throughout the otherwise should have on the quarters. In case the household have a look is actually leaving you cold, you’ve still got selection. You to definitely option is to build your following family regarding the ground up in the place of purchasing an existing family. Strengthening yet another family has some positives. You could potentially purchase the sort of the house, the quantity and kind out-of rooms additionally the information used. To invest in this new design is actually a bit different from to shop for an existing family in different ways. The guidelines for financing and financial support for brand new domestic design are not exactly the same as he or she is for selecting land one already stand. Often, you will need to remove a housing mortgage earliest, that can become a mortgage once your household will get founded. If you find yourself tilting to the building yet another family, rating the information on credit processes. Frequently asked questions In loans Echo Hills CO the House Framework Fund Curious about the procedure of bringing a construction financing? Your have in all probability some questions. Why don’t we address some of the most aren’t requested questions regarding taking a home framework loan The process getting a houses financing starts with a loan application. Really potential home designers apply at several associations observe exactly what categories of cost and you can financing terms are around for them. Because you incorporate, possible bring detailed construction endeavor suggestions, like the specialist you will be handling, the building preparations and you may timeline, and you may will cost you off product and you will labor. When approved towards the mortgage, brand new borrower tend to place an advance payment, or if it already own this new land, they’re able to to utilize the new equity in their belongings because the downpayment. The loan often loans the development, and you will fee arrives when the investment is done. 2. Are a homes Financing a home loan? Whether or not a construction loan covers the cost of building a beneficial domestic, its commercially not a mortgage. A mortgage means guarantee, in this instance, your home. When you are strengthening a property, i don’t have almost anything to act as equity but really. As an alternative, a casing loan was a primary-name mortgage which you possibly repay immediately following in the event that endeavor is fully gone or move to your home financing. step three. What does a property Loan Pay money for? Framework fund pay money for all anything working in building an alternative household. The fresh new arises from the borrowed funds typically receives a commission for the company when you look at the payments or as the certain strengthening milestones are reached. The money is protection the cost of it allows, product and work. The loan may buy new home bought with the household. cuatro. What sort of Credit rating How would you like? Usually, individuals must have good credit that have a rating from on least 680 in order to be eligible for...
Read MoreHow to get Acknowledged Getting A mortgage With Less than perfect credit
How to get Acknowledged Getting A mortgage With Less than perfect credit Company guidelines: Particular employers offer forgivable mortgage assistance for many who stay with brand new providers to have a specific amount of many years. You might like to be able to get assistance from your own labor partnership. Down-payment recommendations: Past employers, you can find local governing bodies, nonprofits and you can construction assistance through which you could sign up for repayable otherwise forgivable financing which you can use with the your own down-payment. Be sure to know the fresh regards to the assistance. Borrowing from the bank regarding retirement fund: Shortly after examining with your economic advisor/tax elite having guidance, you could borrow funds from the retirement fund become reduced throughout the years into a set agenda and employ it for down repayments or any other mortgage transaction costs. Mortgage borrowing certificate: This is exactly your state otherwise state government option that’s available having lowest- in order to reasonable-earnings buyers to take a credit to reduce their tax bill centered on the home loan attention. If you opt to get a home, below are a few steps you can take to improve the possibility of profits. step one. Look at your Credit history Before you could keep in touch with a lender otherwise fill out a credit card applicatoin, you need to know what your credit history currently try. Even though you consider you realize, you could be amazed observe just what remains on your declaration. Past-owed scientific debts, a fantastic bank card balances plus unpaid registration charges is also every find yourself harming the score. Make sure to know what your location is by checking their credit statement prior to starting our home buying techniques. This task allows you to determine their record, work out how you might alter your rating otherwise catch and you will correct one errors that can appear. You can purchase their 100 % free VantageScore step 3.0 credit history and you will report away from TransUnion once a week courtesy of our family relations at Rocket Land SM . 1,dos 2. Pay down Your financial situation Including i listed above, settling an excellent debts can assist decrease your DTI and make certain that you have adequate month-to-month earnings to fund the mortgage payments. Getting rid of credit debt may also decrease your borrowing use, that will as well replace your odds of taking accepted to own a mortgage. Really banks, credit unions and online creditors want to see you are a trustworthy borrower and you may in control citizen who will make home loan repayments timely. By detatching people outstanding balances or debts ahead of time, you may be appearing prospective loan providers that you’ll be motivated to plus pay away from your mortgage. step three. Consult The Lender Explain the entire facts of borrowing from the bank affairs on financial representative or financial. Maybe you’ve a high money, along with your borrowing was busted because of previous problems, or if you have been a target away from identity theft & fraud. If you try to cover up any of these economic circumstances, the bank might pick him or her inside underwriting techniques in addition they could end up declining your home loan. Getting upfront with your bank you certainly will encourage them to work on you and offer solution selection. Make sure to provides earnings and economic papers to you whenever you determine the borrowing from the bank points, as these things can help you make a healthier case. cuatro. Apply Personally In the event the spouse’s credit rating...
Read MoreAn alternative choice is to find an unknown number toward lender’s web site and name in person
An alternative choice is to find an unknown number toward lender’s web site and name in person We discovered that you can get very accurate rates along the mobile phone. If you prefer a quote that may lead to a firm provide, you will need to give the bank your own Societal Coverage number. Ahead of time considering loan providers, determine what form of family you have in mind while the style of out of home loan need. You’ll also need give the lender where you are in the method. Will you be starting to buy property, otherwise do you have an accepted give or a finalized package? After you start filling in applications, you will end up likely to verify of a lot areas of your financial and individual life. Guarantee that so it the main processes continues seamlessly by having any important papers at your fingertips. Reference Zillow’s list out of what is actually usually requisite. Ask for each financial about a good float off choice on your home loan, says Keith Gumbinger, vp off HSH, a home loan guidance site based in Riverdale, N.J.. Using this solution, the mortgage speed falls in advance of closure if interest rates slide-regardless if you’ve currently locked in the speed. Even though the ability always means a charge-maybe $500-you save huge if interest levels sanctuary. Float-downs are not strange, however, men and women have to check out her or him, Gumbinger claims. View Shorter Lenders Also given a home loan regarding the big banks and you may on the web loans Delta lenders, look reduced, lower-character people including borrowing from the bank unions and you will community financial institutions. Search online towards term of your home county and you will conditions such as for instance society lender mortgage, S&L home loan, and you will borrowing from the bank union financial. We found certain aggressive selection that way. Not too from Consumer Reports’ Yonkers, Letter.Y., head office, Maspeth Government Coupons in the Maspeth, Letter.Y., try appearing an apr out-of 4.008 per cent getting a conventional 30-seasons repaired loan. Cleveland-created 3rd Government Deals & Mortgage are demonstrating a 30-seasons repaired-rates conventional loan which have an annual percentage rate of cuatro.47 per cent. Gumbinger claims this type of faster loan providers normally have better costs getting variable-rate mortgage loans and gives most useful terms and conditions and you will rates to those that have varying earnings streams, for instance the notice-employed. This is because they often cannot sell people fund on supplementary market since big financial institutions manage, Gumbinger says: While the loan providers are placing these types of financing on the books, they’re able to rates her or him in whatever way it wish. Envision a mortgage broker A large financial company normally shop one of of a lot loan providers and now have greatest prices than you possibly might yourself. But be aware that brokers get money of the banking institutions, maybe not your, so take a look carefully. If you go the mortgage broker route, rating recommendations away from family otherwise colleagues who’ve had an effective experience in a certain mortgage broker in past times, McBride states. Including reduced lenders, home loans are a good idea for people whoever income are varying. It focus on activities one slip away from conventional, Gumbinger claims. See the CFPB Loan Guess Once you’ve seen some attractive rates out of a number of loan providers, inquire for every single for a financial loan Estimate. It is a standard document crafted by the fresh new CFPB to greatly help your contrast mortgages. It’s also possible...
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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