36 | OCTOBER 26 • 2023 J
N
OUR COMMUNITY
G
et ready for the best treat of
the season! Leave it to Reboot
to innovate, reimagine and
collaborate its socks off to deliver an
event like no other this Erev Halloween
(not an actual Jewish holiday … yet?).
On Oct. 30, Reboot is taking over
Third Man Records in Detroit’s Cass
Corridor for Monster Mash. What can
you expect? The night will rattle your
bones with talks with a bestselling
author and thought leaders, an artist
exhibit, a vinyl release, a newly
scored film classic, conversation and
community, light apps and drinks, and
the spookiest vibes anywhere.
The star of the night, of mythical
proportion, is the golem. Oh, yes, that
golem, the one of ancient legend to
modern reinvention.
Angelique Powers,
president and CEO of the
Skillman Foundation, will
moderate a Reboot Ideas
conversation featuring
Adam Mansbach and Dr.
Justin Sledge to discuss “the
historical and contemporary
connection between the
legend of the golem and
Jewish links between the
supernatural, creativity and
tikkun olam (repairing the
world).”
Mansbach is best known
for his No. 1 New York
Times bestselling pseudo-
children’s book Go the F*ck
to Sleep. This fall, Mansbach
published his fifth novel The
Golem of Brooklyn. The book
is described as “a ferociously
funny reimagining of the
golem of Jewish folklore,
who is accidentally brought to life in
a basement apartment in Brooklyn
and embarks on an absurd road trip
to face off against the rising threat of
antisemitism in America.”
Sledge is a Detroit-based adjunct
professor at Lawrence Tech University.
He specializes in ethics, religion and
social-political philosophy with an
emphasis on Jewish esotericism and
the occult. Sledge is also the host
of the popular YouTube channel
Esoterica, with nearly half a million
subscribers. Sledge is a distiller and is
in cahoots with Detroit’s own Detroit
City Distillery to recreate a historically
accurate Absinthe following 19th-
century protocols.
Guests will also be treated to a live
painting installation by Detroit
artists Oliva Guterson and Faina
Lerman as they creatively manifest
Jewish monsters. Lynne Avadenka, a
globally recognized and locally based
artist and printmaker, will premiere
a video, created in collaboration
with Harrison Segall, reimagining
her artist’s book, Breathing Mud:
The Legend of the Golem.
And just when you think no
witchcraft could possibly squeeze
any more golem into just one
night, guests will be treated to
Paul Wegener’s 1921 silent horror
classic film The Golem: How He
Came into This World, newly
remastered with a Reboot-
produced new original film
score on vinyl. The score was
created in celebration of the
100th anniversary of film and
features world-class (and local
Detroit) artists, including
Alan Licht, Gretchen
Gonzales, Rebecca Odes,
John Olson, Nate Young,
Sharon Gal, ∈Y∋, Scott
Amendola, Steve Berlin (Los
Lobos) and Steven Drozd
(Flaming Lips).
This event is made
possible by the partnership
and collaboration of Reboot,
Detroit Public Theatre,
Detroit Public Television,
PBS Books, Third Man
Records, Avalon Bakery,
Jolly Pumpkin, Isaac Agree
Downtown Synagogue,
Source Booksellers and The
Well. The Forward is the
media sponsor.
Grab your Monster Mash ticket at https://rebooting.
com/article/monster-mash.
Jewish Detroit celebrates all things golem at Reboot event.
It’s A Monster Mash
Faina
Lerman
Adam
Mansbauch
Dr. Justin
Sledge
Angelique
Powers
YEVGENIYA GAZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Lynne
Avadenka
JEFF CANCELOSI