Atlantans Jam at URJ Biennial
David R. Cohen is the former Associate Editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times. He is originally from Marietta, GA and studied Journalism at the University of Tennessee.
(Above: Sammy Rosenbaum performs on the Jewish Rock Radio stage with Marcy Morris.)
The URJ Biennial was the epicenter of contemporary Jewish music in the United States for a few days.
Each plenary session began and ended with a featured artist, and more than 30 Jewish acts performed in some capacity at some point Nov. 4 to 8.
Much of the action took place on the Jewish Rock Radio stage at the Kikar Biennial Town Square, which offered a constant stream of musicians Wednesday through Friday. Elsewhere, music could be heard echoing throughout the conference as attendees jammed and showcased their personal brands of Jewish music.
Amid the shuffle, two Atlanta musicians featured prominently: Sammy Rosenbaum, who performed at the Jewish Rock Radio stage Friday morning; and Temple Sinai Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair Beth Schafer, who performed multiple times.
Schafer helped close the biennial’s Thursday evening plenary with a rousing rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” and “If I Had a Hammer” with Julie Silver, Peri Smilow and Michelle Citrin after Rabbi Rick Jacobs gave his Union for Reform Judaism presidential address.
Later that night, Schafer, Smilow, Silver and Citrin played to a large crowd in a performance focusing on their personal Jewish journeys through music titled “Fourtelling: Journeys, Stories and Songs.”
Rosenbaum, who recently released his debut album, “We Are the Ones,” performed a 30-minute set with Coleen Dieker, Max Jared, Jay Rapaport and Marcy Morris.
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