by Aaron Leibel

WJW Staff

When Storahtelling brings its ritual theater performance to Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation's Torah reading on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the troupe will be aiming to spiritually engage congregants -- especially those who are not touched by traditional religious experience.

"We offer a way to tap into the tradition, into themselves, into the narratives of their community in a manner that is captivating and fresh and deeply engaging," says Storahtelling founder Amichai Lau-Lavie.

"When people go to theater, they are wearing their entertainment hat, their hearts are open and expectations are high. That brings out a certain type of behavior.

"When people go to synagogue they don't have the same emotional agenda. We want to make people at synagogue as excited about that as they are at the theater."

Storahtelling is a 5-year-old, New York-based company with 20 actors, musicians and directors that fuses Torah, contemporary performance art and traditional ritual theater.

Lau-Lavie sees himself as part of the modern effort to revitalize the synagogue ("It is an exciting renaissance," he says), as well as the ancient Jewish tradition of having a m'turgeman, an individual translating the Torah service into the vernacular and interpreting it.

For most of Jewish history, Lau-Lavie explains, Jews have not spoken Hebrew and have had a need for a translator. However, approximately 1,000 years ago, when a longer Torah service and the rabbinical sermon developed, the Torah translator/interpreter disappeared.

The Israeli-born Lau-Lavie graduated from Yeshivat Har Etzion, the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Elul Center in Jerusalem. From 1997 to 2000, he was a scholar-in-residence at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in New York where he developed the Storahtelling Project.

Beginning from his first performance, he has seen similar reactions. "Audience members often say, 'How did I know that the Torah could talk to me about my life?' or 'Who knew that the Torah service could be so exciting, entertaining and relevant?'" the storyteller/teacher says.

His group has performed at synagogues of all denominations, Lau-Lavie says.

In addition to the translation and dramatization of the weekly Torah reading, Storahtelling offers other programs to synagogues:

* Gained in Translation -- an interactive study session to teach congregants and people in the community about the ancient art of Torah translation and its relevance to modern synagogues.

* Setting the Stage: An Introduction to Storahtelling -- a company member talks about the origins of Storahtelling and the ancient tradition of Torah translation.

* Spice to Go: Musical Havdalah -- a program featuring music, stories, spices and wine.

* Talkback Session -- Q&A session with Storahtelling company members.

* Storahtelling 101: A Beginner's Intensive -- a five-hour workshop for 10-20 actors and educators to inspire participants to experiment with their version of Storahtelling in local schools, synagogues and community centers.

But his group's work is not limited to synagogues and other related venues ("shultime"), he says. There also is "Showtime," which takes Judaism into nightclubs.

"Showtime is for young Jews who wouldn't set foot in synagogue in a hundred years," Lau-Lavie says. He hopes these shows help those younger Jews have "a better conversion with themselves and their tradition."

Stories and myths, he says, "are powerful in shaping who we are as people and as groups. Part of my interest in working with Jewish stories is to give people the opportunity to wrestle with these stories, decide what is still relevant, and grow and develop as humans. That is the role of stories and religion -- to bring people back to themselves."

Rabbi Sid Schwarz, founding rabbi of Adat Shalom, said when he first saw Storahtelling last year, he understood that he was seeing "a powerful new art form that would allow people to experience Torah reading and study that was unprecedented."

The rabbi contacted Lau-Lavie, inviting him to come to the synagogue and also asking him to help set up a Storahtelling group at Adat Shalom. "He loved the idea," Schwarz says.

Lau-Lavie came on an Adat Shalom retreat in June, where 35-40 members signed up to be part of that synagogue's Storahtelling troupe.

They have been studying Torah together and training, the rabbi says, and they will perform during services every six-eight weeks in the coming year.

The Rosh Hashanah performance by Lau-Lavie is meant to introduce more people to Storahtelling, Schwarz says.

The Rosh Hashanah Torah portion that Storahtelling will translate and interpret at the Bethesda synagogue deals with the birth and weaning of Isaac and the expulsion of Ishmael and his mother, Hagar.

This Torah portion opens many questions for discussion, says Lau-Lavie, including, what does it mean for a person and a community to be weaned from things we are familiar with? What are we going to wean ourselves from this year? Do we agree with Sarah's decision to kick Ishmael and his mother out of the house? Are we paying the price for Sarah's decision now? What are the prices we pay for decisions we make?

Sara will be played by Yolanda Shoshana Thomas an African American and Jew by choice. Lau-Lavie will portray Eliezer, Abraham's servant.

"Congregants will see the conflict between two voices in the story and two voices within themselves," Lau-Lavie says.

There also will be three musicians, one of them an Arab musician from Chicago, who will be a guest performer.

Anyone interest in attending the Storahtelling performance at Adat Shalom should call 301-767-3333, ext. 2.