Theater for Action

I'm the Sr. Youth Director for the Reform Temple of Forest Hills. The Rabbi's Wife at the temple recently invited me and several other Youth Advisors, to hear a presentation about the Theater for Action Project, which is being run through the Jewish Child Care Association, via grant from UJA-NY. Mrs. Perelmuter (The Rabbi's Wife) happens to be the Vice President of Services to the Jewish Community of JCCA-NY.

The Theater for Action Program, is a project which takes the recent Buhkarian immigrant Teenagers, who are centrally concentrated in Forest Hills, Queens, and intermingles them with American Jewish Teenagers. Together, the group puts on a show for the Forest Hills Jewish community about the interactions between the two groups, and focuses on Bukharian life, and what it means to be a Bukharian Jew.

I had heard about the project previously because my Youth Group President is involved with the project. This is her second year doing it, and is the "Jr. Assistant Director" (or some title like that), for this years production. She says it's been an amazing experience, and she's learn so much about what it means to be a first generation American, and how the community is so inwardly focused. Many people sometimes refer to Forest Hills as the Buhkarian shetl of some sort.

The production looks like it's going to happen sometime this May, probably in Forest Hills, at either the Reform Temple or at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. I will post the dates and times as soon as i receive them.

I find it very interesting how people can express their judaism in different ways - We've look at music, magazines and the internet - add theater and acting to that list. :)