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.