Episode #62: A Fromer Family Affair

On this episode, get to know the Fromer siblings! Rabbi Jaclyn (Fromer) Cohen of Temple Isaiah and Andrew Fromer of The Braid both ended up paving artistic, creative and musical career paths in the Jewish world…but how did it happen? Very unexpectedly! Despite growing up under one roof, they have two very different journeys that might surprise you…and they most certainly surprised the parents! Listen and enjoy this fun Fromer family episode as Rabbi Jaclyn and Andrew professionally cross paths this week when Temple Isaiah hosts a performance of The Braid’s latest Salon, Sweet Tea & the Southern Jew. 

Click Here for your tickets to Sweet Tea & the Southern Jew!

Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen is proud to serve Temple Isaiah as Associate Rabbi. Born and raised in West LA, Rabbi Cohen earned her BA in Religious Studies & Music from UC Davis and spent two years working in Bay Area Jewish community organizations before entering Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion’s rabbinic program. Upon ordination from HUC-JIR in 2014, Rabbi Cohen moved to Seattle, Washington to serve on the clergy team of Temple De Hirsch Sinai. Her primary focus was “The Tribe,” Temple’s hub of Jewish life, learning and spirituality for those in their 20s and 30s, as well as “The Village,” a programmatic initiative for Jewish families with young children. Since 2018, Rabbi Cohen has served on Temple Isaiah’s clergy team with a focus on music and ritual. Her background is eclectic and representative of what it means to create a unique kind of 21st century-rabbinate. In addition to overseeing Temple Isaiah’s ritual department – including its choirs & musicians, holiday celebrations and lifecycles – Rabbi Cohen also teaches, counsels and works closely with our K12 and preschool communities. Outside the synagogue she is a writer and advocate for birth justice and maternal & mental health, having contributed written pieces to Kveller, Jewish Daily Forward, Hey Alma and The Chalkboard Mag, among others. Rabbi Cohen is also a certified yoga teacher, fusing her passion for the practice with a deep love of prayer. She and her family live in Culver City.

Andrew Fromer attended Windward School in Mar Vista where his career as an actor began in the school plays and musicals. After completing his BFA in theater at UC Santa Barbara and an exciting year of living in Israel, Andrew returned to LA for acting and producing. His TV credits include Never Have I Ever (Netflix) and Anger Management (FX); feature film credits include Highway to Havasu (Billy/Producer) and The Sweet Life (Mike/Assistant to Production). Theater credits include Pledge (Sherman u/s), Bad Jews (Jonah), and The Braid’s Jews in America. Andrew also runs youth engagement at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas. He is excited to be coordinating this year’s iteration of NEXT, The Braid’s Emerging Artist Program (the-braid.org/next) and hopes you will enjoy his work as Editor on The Braid’s new digital storytelling competition, StoryNosh! (the-braid.org/storynosh).

Episode #62: A Fromer Family Affair2022-01-18T09:28:56-08:00

Episode #59: “That One Was Really Personal” with Jasmine Curry

Frequent cast member and audience favorite Jasmine Curry shares stories from a life of adapting to unexpected turns. What was it like behind-the-scenes to pivot an in-person Salon show into the uncharted Zoom frontier? How has she made virtual improv comedy work without hearing the laughter of an audience? And at the very moment her own spouse was coming out as transgender, what was it like to perform a writer’s story that tapped into those very same overwhelming emotions?

Jasmine Curry trained at New York University, Experimental Theatre Wing, and was a resident actor at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA. She studied improv and sketch writing with The Groundlings Theatre and iO West. Jasmine has worked in educational theatre with Writers Room Productions, California Weekly Explorer, and The Imagination Machine. She can be seen every Wednesday performing Longform improv online with her improv troupe The Interlocutors. She previously appeared in The Braid salons Family Matters, For Goodness Sake, Sex Love and Addiction in the 21st Century, Living After, and The Way Home. She wrote for the salon Persian Sunrise, American Sunset and is an Abby Freeman Artist-in-Residence at The Braid.

Episode #59: “That One Was Really Personal” with Jasmine Curry2021-08-12T08:32:16-07:00

Episode #57: Audio Replay of Ellen Harper Event

In case you missed it, a free-wheeling conversation with ELLEN HARPER: singer-songwriter, folk music historian, and Jewish mom to famed recording artist Ben Harper. She’ll reveal intimate insights about famed musicians like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger. In addition, she’ll share her own struggles with the anti-Semitism her family faced and the racism she encountered as a single mother raising biracial sons. Whether you love folk music, inspirational women, or someone with stories that make you want to pull up a chair, this is one crackling conversation you won’t want to miss!

Order Ellen’s memoir, ALWAYS A SONG here.

Join us for our next Sunday Morning with The Braid event, CIRCUS JEWS on August 8!

Episode #57: Audio Replay of Ellen Harper Event2021-07-11T14:31:58-07:00

Episode #56: Preview – Stories from the Violins of Hope

Click Here for tickets and more info

The Holocaust had silenced them… until an extraordinary violin-maker brought their voices back to life, and to the world. Seven actors will bring to life the extraordinary story of violins played in ghettos, forests and concentration camps… and of the passionate Israeli violin maker determined to restore them. Now heard in performances all over the world, they are called the Violins of Hope.

On this episode we preview the incredible collaboration coming to you in one performance only on January 31, STORIES FROM THE VIOLINS OF HOPE Click Here for tickets and more info.

You’ll hear about…
-The power of playing one of these violins from virtuoso violinist Niv Ashkenazi, the only violinist in the US with one of the Violin of Hope instruments from the collection
-The writing of the script from The Braid’s Writer, Event Producer and Dramaturg Lisa Rosenbaum
-The directing of the performance from The Braid’s Producing Director Susan Morgenstern
-The curation of the music from LA Jewish Symphony Artistic Director Dr. Noreen Green

This special performance was originally set to debut at Temple Isaiah (Templeishaiah.com) and was part of the Violins of Hope Los Angeles Program Tour (violinsofhopelosangeles.org), produced by Susanne Reyto. Special thanks to Gail Solo, our Angel Donor, whose support helped make this show possible.

Episode #56: Preview – Stories from the Violins of Hope2021-01-21T16:14:57-08:00