Victor Begq of the Muslim
Unity Center and NCCJ
Interfaith Partners, Brenda
Rosenberg of Pathways to
Peace Foundation, and the Rev.
Bill Ritter, retired minister of
Birmingham's First Methodist
Church, following a performance
of Children of Abraham in
Birmingham.

Diana Lieberman

Special to the Jewish News

n March 27, 2004, an
experimental drama
premiered at the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield.
Children of Abraham, a 45-
minute presentation by members
of Detroit's Mosaic Youth
Theatre, was an effort by two
dozen teens of various ethnic,
religious and economic back-
grounds to explore their shared
heritage and common humanity.
Working with director Rick
Sperling, writer Rachel Urist and
producer-facilitator Brenda

0

Naomi Rosenberg, the young
people researched and wrote the
play from their own experiences.
They used as a framework the
biblical story of Abraham and his
two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, who
reconciled at their father's grave.
After its JCC premiere, the
show ran several more times for
religious and educational groups.
But the Children of Abraham
Project was never meant to be
merely a play. And now, nearly
two years after its original per-
formance, Children of Abraham
comes to life again.
Reuniting the Children of
Abraham — a video of the play,
the process of creating it and

much more — makes its Michigan
premiere Saturday, March 4, at
Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian
Church in Bloomfield Hills. The
show's co-sponsors include the
Muslim Unity Center, Temple
Beth El and St. Hugo of the Hills.
All three Bloomfield Hills and
Bloomfield Township religious
groups are ongoing co-sponsors
of the project, as is the National
Conference for Community and
Justice Interfaith Partners.

Creating Understanding

"There's nothing more important
than creating understanding
between people of different faiths
in our world today': said

Managing Mosaic

Oak Parker named managing director
of professional performing arts training program.

Suzanne Chessler

Special to the Jewish News

Samuel Pollak, who has been-active in
arts organizations around Michigan, has
been named managing director of Mosaic
Youth Theatre of Detroit, an organization
specializing in personal development
through the performing arts.
Pollak, former general manager of the
Attic Theatre and more recently account
manager at a communications company,

will be responsible for Mosaic's strategic
objectives for finance, business planning
and development, staff policy, internal
communications and building manage-
ment.
"I feel hondred to play whatever part I
can as Mosaic enters its bar mitzvah
year," says Pollak, 54, who has acted with
the Jewish Ensemble Theatre. "This is a
particularly interesting program because
these kids and parents have to make a
huge time commitment. They really have
to want to be part of Mosaic."

Detroit-based
stage drama
takes on new
life as an
ongoing
multimedia
experience.

Rosenberg, whose Pathways to
Peace Foundation spearheaded
the new project.
The multimedia presentation
has already received rave reviews
at trial runs in Hamtramck,
Huntington Woods and two sites
in Minnesota. It sparked spirited
discussion at a youth conference
of the Reform movement's
Religious Action Center in
Washington, D.C., and will be
aired later this year on Bridges, a
nationwide American Muslim
television 'network.
Reuniting the Children of
Abraham has been the subject of
a national CBS television docu-
mentary. And, in April,

Rosenberg and volunteer Tali
Ben Josef of Huntington Woods
will bring the program to an
international conference in
Jerusalem on peace education.
Community groups can pur-
chase the entire facilitated pro-
gram, known as "Reuniting the
Children of Abraham: A Toolkit 4
Peace," throUgh the NCCJ or
directly from Rosenberg, at a cost
of $700. Underwriting is avail-
able.
"Money should not be an issue
in the ability to partake in this
project," said Rosenberg of
Bloomfield Hills.
The package includes a show-

Encore on page 46

Sperling, presents dramat-
Pollak, an Oak Parker who
ic and musical programs
attended yeshivah, discov-.
and requires that young
ered the performing arts
people audition before
while an undergraduate at
being accepted into activi-
Wayne State University. He
ties. Sperling previously
majored in English and
worked with Pollak as an
attended business adminis-
education outreach coor-
tration classes as a post-
dinator at the Attic before
degree student.
starting his troupe of
With an interest in many
young people.
types of productions, Pollak
"Mosaic has become a
has worked with auto shows
major organization with
touring the country.
major funding, and I hope
Recently, he performed with
Samuel Polla
to help it grow," Pollak
the Warren Symphony
says. "I've seen how the
Orchestra and Detroit
program fosters discipline while expect-
Repertory Theatre
ing quality work. ❑ .
Mosaic, founded by Jewish CEO Rick

.

February 23 2006

45