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Safam mixes traditional fare
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February 19 • 2009

J1111

25

Safam ("moustache" in
Hebrew).
These Jewish enter-
tainers extraordinaire
are ordinary mortals by
day.
Songwriter Joel
Sussman, who sings,
plays piano, guitar and
synthesizer, is a native of
Canada who began sing-
ing in a rock band when
he was 15. After serving
as a social worker with
Safam (with friends) has been playing together for
Sherut
La'am, Israel's
35 years.
Peace Corps, he moved
to Boston. He is married,
Elizabeth Applebaum
the father of three and runs his own
Special to the Jewish News
financial services company.
Robbie Solomon, the group's other
he songs of Safam are like a
composer, also sings and plays guitar,
as well as mandolin and flute. The
quilt: a bit of something old,
father of two, Solomon is a graduate of
pieces of something new,
Hebrew Union College and a cantor at
traditional threads and designs, and
the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.
something completely unexpected.
He has written numerous Jewish works
"It's a very eclectic, modern-sound-
including a Friday-night service, a
ing music with traditional Jewish
Havdalah service and an entire musical,
themes or liturgy blended in," says
The Orphan Queen: The Story of Esther.
Dan Funk, the group's business man-
Alan Nelson, a Boston native, sings
ager and a lead singer.
and plays synthesizer. He grew up
Based in Boston, Safam performs
loving Jewish music as director of
next month as part of the JCC's
numerous temple and youth-group
Stephen Gottlieb Jewish MusicFest
choirs and at Jewish summer camps.
2009. The group began working
For many years, he worked profession-
together in 1974. Their music, lyr-
ics and arrangements all are original
ally in purchasing and marketing but
most recently began a second career in
and include such popular songs
insurance sales.
as "Leaving Mother Russia" and
Before Safam, Dan Funk was part of
"Nachamu Ami."
a
choir,
a rock band and a barbershop
When Safam was founded, the
quartet. His love of Jewish music came
members looked to their own influ-
first, though — developed thanks to
ences — both Jewish and American
singing at his family's Shabbat table and
— as they began creating music.
Passover seders. Funk met Sussman
"We had the entire panoply of music
and Nelson when all three performed
from the '60s, plus Chasidic, Latin and
with the Zamir Chorale of Boston.
folk music. We had so much to draw on
A High Foliday cantor for many
that it didn't matter where it came from;
Boston-area synagogues, Funk is the
it was all part of our roots:' Funk said.
city solicitor of Newton, Mass.
The audience, too, was diverse,
"In a sense, I give bent to both sides
though everyone Jewish could identify
of my brain: the intellectual side as
with the songs' themes: history and
city solicitor and the artistic and cre-
holidays, a hope for peace, lifecycle
ative side when doing concerts:' Funk
events and the lives of immigrants who
says. "It's a balance that's very hard to
came to the United States from Russia
strike, but I've been very fortunate'
and Poland, Spain and Hungary.
The group found many of its
early devotees at United Synagogue
For a complete MusicFest
Youth events or at colleges where
schedule of performances,
they performed in concert. Today,
see page C8.
many of those fans' children also love

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