“Purim Spiel” newsletter out!

A couple years ago, I wrote about my Purim newsletter in Tablet. It’s been a family tradition for years, but last year, I didn’t publish our usual f”Purim Spiel” paper. I couldn’t really see the humor in anything (I learned of my father’s death a week before the holiday).

This year we’re back. I can’t even tell if it’s funny anymore, because I’ve been working on it too much. Click here to read it: Purim Spiel 5776.

Note that the second page is first in the PDF. Feel free to print it out and read it that way. And, please, if you share, give the Klempner family credit!

Happy Purim!

 

Rabbi Yoel Gold: innovative storytelling

Last week, my profile of Rabbi Yoel Gold appeared in The Jewish Home – L.A. edition. Rabbi Gold leads Congregation Bais Naftoli here in Los Angeles, and teaches in a local yeshiva high school, but he is also becoming quite well known due to a series of videos he began making last year.

I got a chance to interview Rabbi Gold, and he said several interesting things about storytelling, particularly it’s role in education and how he makes sure his “true stories” are true. He also explains how to identify a “good story” to retell. Check out the interview yourself to see what he said.

Nice writerly things that have happened this week

On Sunday, we had a second ladies-only Open Mic night at my synagogue for women here in L.A. Despite it being Oscar Night, the evening of a big community bar mitzvah, and the height of cold season, we got a decent-sized crowd. Women's Open Mic FEB 2016

The participants were awesome. The youngest was in her twenties, I think, and the oldest was 68! The audience was just as diverse. More people I didn’t know already came this time, so I think that word-of-mouth is getting around. Continue reading