Holiday
Kick-Off

Apples & Honey—and an artist-clown from Chicago
— will get the New Year off to a quick start.

SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

hat do you get of the fail holidays and show the
when you mix to- incredible cultural diversity rep-
gether a cartoon- resented in different traditions."
Menschy the Clown (David
drawing clown, a
klezmer duo, a Sokoloff), who is traveling from
dancing troupe, Chicago for his Detroit premiere,
storytellers, shofar-making is making a career out of ex-
demonstrations, candle rolling plaining Jewish traditions to chil-
presentations, international dren.
"Menschy appears in one of my
kosher treats and prizes?
You get Apples & Honey, a books, Jewish Stories of Fun and
recipe for an afternoon of events Adventure," said Mr. Sokoloff, a
planned to give families some once-syndicated cartoonist ("Griff
new ways to celebrate the fall hol- & the Unicorn") who has written
and illustrated eight religion-
idays.
The festivities take place be- based children's stories.
"Menschy is a very happy-go-
tween 1 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday,
Sept. 11, at the Agency for Jew- lucky clown who sings little songs
about mitzvot (good deeds). He
ish Education (AJE).
The general admission fee is a loves to draw cartoon animals for
donation of gloves or mittens to kids, and he wears a black derby
be distributed to appropriate shel- with a flower springing out of it.
"The hat is dark, and the
ter organizations and to empha-
size the theme of "Many flower is a daisy to illustrate how
good things can come out of dark
Hands—One People."
"This is our eighth annual Ap- times, a key concept in Jewish
ples & Honey program, and this life."
Mr. Sokoloff, who spent 15
year the twist is international,"
said Sue Stettner, director of Jew- years designing contemporary
ish Experiences For Families, greeting cards for Hallmark, di-
which is sponsoring the event rects his programs toward boys
with the AJE and The Jewish and girls between the ages of 4
and 7.
News.
"The first person the children
"We want to teach the basics

W

Menschy does a
self-portrait.

see as the act begins is David
Sokoloff," revealed the author,
who regularly entertains at a
kosher diner in Skokie, Ill.
"I show them step-by-step how
a person becomes a clown. Part
of the idea for that is to help chil-
dren who are very small feel com-
fortable with an unusual looking
person in their presence."
Menschy will be telling stories
based on the Ten Little Rabbis,
characters Mr. Sokoloff created
who appear in three books. As he
demonstrates how the characters
are drawn, the children also will
learn how cartoon characters are
constructed of very simple geo-
metric shapes.
"When I was working for Hall-
mark in Kansas City, I would do
volunteer work for Children's
Mercy Hospital," Mr. Sokoloff
said. "I would dress up as a clown
and visit kids there. I found I re-
ally enjoyed doing that, and I
wanted to continue performing.
"Since I couldn't do magic and
I couldn't work with balloons, I

MeNSci-i`r TeLL5
WONDeRFUL, FUNNY

ST0RieS WITFI

PicTuR e

realized that the one thing I had through rhythmic chants, ques-
going for me was being able to tion-and-answer exercises and
draw quickly and tell stories, so activities arranged around wood-
en dancing toys.
I became a storytelling clown."
As the younger children are en-
Mr. Sokoloff has been Menschy
since 1988, the year he published tertained with activities and as
his first book, Moshe's Monster. the older youngsters participate
He decided to try to get his ideas in special workshops, Neil
into print while telling stories to Alexander and Nan Nelson will
children growing restless during fill the hall with klezmer music,
services at the synagogue he at- taking the traditional and adding
modern beats.
tended in Kansas City.
"It will be a fusion of the old
world and the new world," said
Dr. Alexander, an Ann Arbor
geriatric researcher who man-
ages his Klezmer Fusion Band af-
ter he completes his daily medical
responsibilities.
"We've been hired to showcase
Jewish music from around the
world, and we'll put a contempo-
rary sound to it. We'll also pre-
"When you tell a story, some- sent some original songs
times it feels like it kind of evap- including a Jewish pride rap
orates in the air," he said. "I number."
Dr. Alexander, whose band
wanted to do something people
could hold on to, something with grows to six members depending
on the needs of the event, has
pictures that I loved drawing."
With his wife, Lilly Rublin years of experience working with
Sokoloff, the writer/illustrator cre- youngsters. Both a vocalist and
ates cartoons for the Jewish fed- guitar player, he has directed
eration newspaper in Chicago United Synagogue Youth pro-
and is compiling them into a new grams and groups at a Min-
neapolis synagogue.
book.
To recognize all children be-
Also telling stories at Apples
& Honey will be Laura Pershin ginning religious school or day
and Rosalie Koenig, both from school for the first time, there will
Ann Arbor. Their focus will be be surprise gifts. For other at-
international, and they will tendees, there will be opportuni-
weave music into their presen- ties to win a lulav and etrog as
well as places at a family camp
tation.
Ms. Pershin, a children's li- weekend.
"We will have activities for all
brarian, and Ms. Koenig, a gui-
tar-playing music teacher, are
planning audience participation KICK-OFF page R40

Apples & Honey will
be 1-3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 11
at the AJE.

