JUNE 22 • 2023 | 25

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ach year since 1990, the 
North American Jewish 
Choral Festival (NAJCF) 
has attracted hundreds of 
singers who sing their hearts 
out and connect to Jewish 
culture during a five-day 
immersion in Jewish music. 
 From around the 
country, hundreds of voices 
come together to form 
one harmonious choral 
community led by a renowned 
staff of conductors and other 
music experts who inspire 
and create a truly unique 
musical society. This year’s 
34th annual event will be held 
from July 9-13 at the Sleepy 
Hollow Hotel in Tarrytown, 

New York. 
“The festival is for anyone 
who wants to experience 
the joy of Jewish music,” 
says Matthew Lazar, Festival 
founder and director. 
“The participants are 
multigenerational and include 
amateur singers, professionals, 
cantors, conductors and lovers 
of Jewish music of all ages.” 
Festival participants 
from across North America 
and beyond enjoy a wide 
variety of Jewish musical 
experiences. These include 
daily community sings; 
workshops and seminars on 
topics ranging from sight-
singing and vocal technique 

to spirituality through music; 
and evening concerts featuring 
choirs and outstanding 
performers. 
All singers are divided 
into five different choirs, 
based on their sight-reading 
abilities and previous musical 
experience. The festival 
culminates with ensembles 
performing for the entire 
group. 
This year’s festival celebrates 

the 75th anniversary of the 
State of Israel with choral 
repertoire by Israeli composers 
featured throughout the 
festival program.
The North American Jewish 
Choral Festival is a program of 
the Zamir Choral Foundation. 
To register for this year’s 
festival, go to NAJCF 2023 
Application-Formstack. For 
more information, go to 
zamirchoralfoundation.org. 

Recruiting Singers 
for the 2023 Jewish 
Choral Festival

Jewish Family Service’s 
Annual Meeting takes place 
Tuesday, June 27, from 5-6:30 
p.m. in Handelman Hall at 
the JCC in West Bloomfield 
with special guest Sen. Debbie 
Stabenow.
The election and installa-
tion of board members will 
take place as well as a recogni-
tion and awards presentation. 
JFS will honor Diana 
Mukh and Elaine Polevoy 
with the Norman R. Keane 
Lifetime Achievement Award. 
Mark Jacobs will receive the 
Barbara and Irving Nusbaum 
Volunteer of the Year 
Award, and the Patti Nemer 
Employee of the Year will be 
announced at the event.
Register at jlive.app/
events/4595. 

Sen. Stabenow 
Guest at JFS Annual 
Meeting June 27
At its May board meeting, 
the Jewish Fund approved 
$2.8 million in new and con-
tinuation grants to support a 
range of initiatives to address 
the health and well-being 
of vulnerable and at-risk 
residents of Metro Detroit. 
These grants include the fol-
lowing:
A $70,000 grant to 
Alternatives for Girls in 
Detroit will provide an 
organization-wide trau-
ma informed care training 
program, educating staff 
in every position, on this 
critical issue impacting the 
women and girls served by 
AFG.
A grant of $50,000 to Isaac 
Agree Downtown Synagogue 
for the third year of a 
$500,000 grant to renovate 
the building and create a 

shared workspace for Jewish 
communal organizations.
A grant of $60,000 to 
Luella Hannan Center in 
Detroit will support the 
addition of an occupational 
therapist to its adult day 
program, providing life- 
enhancing skills to older 
adults experiencing demen-
tia.
A $40,000 grant to 
Common Ground will 
support a new behavioral 
health urgent care service 
in Southeast Michigan that 
addresses the mental health 
crisis in our communi-
ty along with the lengthy 
waiting periods for patients 
seeking treatment in hospital 
emergency departments.
A three-year grant of 
$300,000 to Fresh Air 
Society will support general 

operations in the health ser-
vice activities of its residen-
tial camping program.
A grant of $235,000 to 
the Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit will 
fund the purchase and 
training for AEDs (automat-
ed external defibrillators) 
throughout the Jewish com-
munity’s organizations and 
congregations.
A challenge grant of 
$100,000 to Jewish Family 
Service over two years will 
fund personal assistive 
devices for low-income older 
adults who live on their own, 
providing an immediate 
connection to emergency 
response services when acti-
vated.
A full list of grants is avail-
able at theJewishFund.org 
website. 

The Jewish Fund Awards $2.8 million in Grants

