36 | MAY 13 • 2021 

A

singer-songwriter, 
a playwright-author 
and a producer — all 
raised in Metro Detroit — will 
be part of an international 
digital program celebrating the 
holiday of Shavuot.
They will be helping to navi-
gate an all-night event remem-
bering what occurred before 
the sunrise presentation of the 
Ten Commandments.

DAWN: A Cosmic Reunion
spotlights singer-songwriter 
Ethan Davidson perform-
ing two songs with his wife, 
Gretchen. Also featured will 
be playwright-author Brooke 
Berman, who will recite a nar-
rative she created just for the 
holiday event.
Francine Hermelin Levite 
participates behind the scenes 
as executive producer of 12 
hours of music, film, comedy, 
dance and instruction that run 
9 p.m.-9 a.m., Sunday night to 
Monday morning, May 16-17. 
It is sponsored by Reboot, a 
New York-based arts and cul-
ture nonprofit that reimagines 
and reinforces Jewish thought 
and traditions.
“I love this idea for Shavuot 
recalling the anticipation of 
the Torah being received,” 

said Hermelin Levite, a New 
Yorker who went to Hillel Day 
School and the University of 
Michigan while being active 
in Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek. “Spending a night in 
contemplation mixed with the 
anticipation of newness is an 
exciting concept.”
The Davidsons will present 
two songs: Davidson’s “Till 
the Light Comes Shining In” 

and John Prine’s “
Angel from 
Montgomery.”
“The first song is like wait-
ing for the sunrise at the 
foot of Sinai,” said Davidson, 
who is a director and Grants 
Committee chair of the 
Birmingham-based William 
Davidson Foundation and 
board chairman of the 
Michigan Opera Theatre. 
“
Also, we’re waiting for the sun 

Twelve-hour online international celebration 
to include ef
 orts of local artists.

Shavuot All-Nighter

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ARTS&LIFE
DIGITAL PROGRAM

Francine 
Hermelin 
Levite

Ethan
Davidson

Davidson’s New Book

Soon after Ethan Davidson appears with 
DAWN: A Cosmic Reunion to celebrate 
Shavuot, he will appear at two events to 
introduce his new book, These are the 
Developments of the Human, which also 
references Shavuot, among many topics. 
 The book, a compilation from notes 
taken over many years, expresses 
thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness 
style as Davidson combines excerpts 
from religious teachings, study explo-
rations with Jewish scholars and per-
sonal experiences unrelated directly to 
Judaism. 
 Because of the depth of subject mat-
ter, the book cannot be labeled a fast 
read. Passages are not declarations or 

answers; rather, they are starting points 
for contemplation. Readers can decide 
whether they want to read from cover to 
cover or pick out topics that have per-
sonal impact.
 The book will be discussed digitally 
from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 
26, during a conversation hosted by the 
Jewish Theological Seminary, and in 
person starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 
27, with a reading and book signing at 
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
 “The first word of the Ten 
Commandments is ‘Anochi,’ which 
means ‘I am,’” said Davidson, channeling 
scholarly thought on Shavuot. “I wrote 
a little bit about the Chasidic masters 
and the [significance of that] first letter — 
hearing the aleph with the vowel under 

it and maybe [hearing] the stillness that 
exists at the core of being.”
 The diversity of thought can be 
sensed by reading through the table 
of contents and introductory remarks 
by Rabbis Asher Lopatin and Benny 
Lau. Just four examples from about 35 
topics include “Don Quixote Tells Us 
How to Read Torah,” “Yukon River,” “The 
Mind is a Burning Bush” and “Your Evil 
Inclination.”
 “I wanted to organize all my notes, 
and then COVID-19 hit,” Davidson said. 
“We were all locked in our homes, and 
there was no excuse but to organize.”
Because of the stream-of-consciousness 
approach, dominant English is mixed 
with Hebrew and Hebrew transliterations 
without grammatical conventions.

