Centennial Celebration Details
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FRIDAY EVENING: The B’nai Abraham Centennial and Rededication Weekend began on Friday night, July 9, at 7:00 PM at B’nai Abraham. Musicians from the Northern Lights Music Festival will performed a short program of music including selections by Jewish composers. Following the concert, there will be a rededication ceremony and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. This was followed by a welcoming reception, in the Sanford I. Berman Social Hall, so that everyone could reconnect and recollect and say L’Chaim!, a toast to life and to 100 more years of B’nai Abraham, now a Museum and Cultural Center. |
SATURDAY MORNING: A Special Centennial Shabbat Service on Saturday, July 10, 2010 was followed by an outdoor kiddush lunch.. Whether you go to Shul, to Temple, or to Synagogue, daily or once a year, we all have memories associated with services. For most of its 100 year history, the B'nai Abraham building was the site of many Shabbats and special life-cycle events. The Friends of B'nai Abraham have lovingly restored the building, the Bimah, the stained glass windows and the Ark, and have preserved the ritual objects of the congregation, from the Torah Yad to the Kiddush Cup, to use in services. A Shabbat service was, a part of the 100th Anniversary Weekend, observe a Shabbat service was for those who wished to celebrate Shabbat and for those who were curious and wished to learn about the service.
In celebration of Shabbat and the B'nai Abraham building's 100th anniversary, please join us for Shabbat services on Saturday July 10, 2010 at 10 am for a Reform-style Shabbat service with music followed by a light Kiddush lunch. |
SATURDAY AFTERNOON: During the open house, visitors had an opportunity to tour the building, see the display cabinets containing artifacts found in the synagogue and some from Jewish homes, view the posters describing the history of the Jewish immigration and settlement of the Iron Range and view the photo display in the social hall of early Jewish businesses in Virginia and other range communities. Also in the social hall, visitors had an opportunity to identify those individuals who once belonged to B’nai Abraham and see a map of Jewish homes and businesses. Marilyn Chiat, an architectural historian and Board member spoke about the history of the Jewish community and B’nai Abraham, followed by a tour of some Jewish homes and businesses in Virginia. Mike Blehert, Board member and project manager, spoke about the stained glass windows and how he was able to decipher and interpret the Hebrew lettering, the symbols and the history of the windows. |
SATURDAY EVENING: On Saturday night July 10th at the B'nai Abraham Museum and Cultural Center we were entertained by "Millie and the Mentshn" (‘Mentshn’ is Yiddish for honorable people), a Klezmer (Jewish Jazz) band based in Bellingham, WA. Reviews have said, “this band could stir passions in a stone statue.” The "Mentshn" are a five-person combo of classically trained musicians; violin, oboe, clarinet, piano and drums and Millie, whose soprano voice and vibrant personality drew you into the music. Visitors and local citizens of all cultural backgrounds enjoyed the unusual combination of instruments, the intricate harmonies and the variety of musical styles including Russian, Ukranian, Israeli, Arabic, Yiddish, Ladino, Gypsy, Swing, Jazz and even Country Western. The Mentshn play extensively in Washington and have toured the Twin Cities, Alaska and represented the US at the 2007 International Klezfiesta in Buenos Aries, Argentina
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