A 

recording of 13 
songs, videos of three 
performances and a 
book — all for youngsters ages 
3-6 and developed over a year 
with the coordination of Temple 
Israel staff members and outside 
pros — are available for just the 
asking.
All that’s needed to obtain 
the package is a visit to 
temple-israel.org/eretz- 
israel-sheli.html# and/or a call 
to Maya Grinboim (248-661-
5700, ext. 110) at the temple. 
A visit to the temple website 
before orders are placed lets 
parents review the program in 
advance.
“Jewish music is important, 
and we want children to grow 
up loving it all their lives,
” said 
Cantor Michael Smolash, who 
is at the center of development 
of materials that follow the pro-
duction of recordings for adults. 
 
“We wanted to cover every 
angle and get the best music 
recorded in the best way with 
phenomenal musicians, produc-
ers and studio. We also wanted 
to write a really inviting book to 
bring kids into it and get it into 
their homes. We wanted them 
to see it on their terms and let 
our youngest kids know we care 
about them.
”
To listen to the entire pro-
gram takes about 40 minutes. 

Costs of the program were 
funded entirely by a gift from 
the Gottlieb family in memo-
ry of Stephen Gottlieb. Not a 
penny for the team and mate-
rials comes from the temple 
budget. 
Working closely on the devel-
opment of the three elements 
were Cantor Neil Michaels, who 
wrote the music and lyrics for 
“a place called PEACE,
” and 
Jacob Spike Kraus, Zipser Artist 
in Residence, who helped write 
songs and bring about the pro-
ductions before finishing his 
term. 
“We want to be the best 
environment for kids to grow 
and learn music and Judaism,
” 
Smolash said. “You can down-
load and listen to it for free 

from our website.
” 
The album, Temple Kidsrael, 
has 13 tracks. The program 
creators started with many 
more tracks and whittled them 
down to a base number for fun 
and learning with an emphasis 
on English. They range from 
songs about holidays to a folk 

song that has to do with African 
melodies.
The song “There’s a Dinosaur 
Knocking,
” for instance, was 
written by Linda Arnold and 
adapted by Mimi Greisman and 
Andi Joseph. It delves into the 
love of Shabbat. The song “Kum 

Details

To order this package, go to www.temple-israel.org/
eretz-israel-sheli.html# and/or call Maya Grinboim at 
(248) 661-5700, ext. 110.

ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC

Temple 
Kidsrael
Temple Israel creates 
album, book and 
videos just for kids.

SUZANNE CHESSLER 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

92 | JULY 14 • 2022 

continued on page 94

Emma Trivax, Cantor Michael Smolash, Cantor Neil Michaels, Rabbi Jen Lader and Jacob Spike Kraus 

