Jewish Home singers to star in CD and film

Residents of San Francisco's Jewish Home might soon be able to add "signing autographs" to their activity calendars.

On the day after last month's terror attack, the home's chorus offered a rousing concert, performing original songs for residents, friends and family. The session was recorded in front of a live audience, as was a later session in the home's synagogue.

The result will be a compact disc of original songs, titled "Island on the Hill," that offer glimpses into their lives and their joys.

Residents will become not only recording artists but also possible movie stars. A local filmmaker is documenting the entire project, from the rehearsals to the planned record release party in the summer of 2002.

The recording effort is the natural evolution of a program that's been music to the ears of the home's 350-plus residents. The songwriting project is the brainchild of Judith Kate Friedman, the home's songwriter-in-residence, as well as a solo artist and member of Vocolot, a women's a cappella ensemble. Four years ago, with funding from the California Arts Council, Friedman started a songwriting program at the home, enabling residents to sing their stories and to create a legacy of songs about their lives.

Friedman called the CD project "an opportunity for residents to create something meaningful that reflects them individually and as members of the community here at the home."

Songs recall family vacations at Yosemite, encourage boasting about one's grandchildren and praise the ever-popular gefilte fish. Often, the residents sing about the challenges of aging and the memories of which they are fondest.

Many of the songs deal with residents' feelings for the Jewish Home. Lyrics are both warm, "You take me as I am," and funny, "There's no weeping about housekeeping."

Resident Esther Weintraub has been involved in the songwriting project for two years; she also sings in the chorus. "It really gives you a lift to be a part of this group; it gets the spirit moving." Her favorite songs are the aptly titled "Esther my Shvester" and "Gefilte Fish."

A sampling of "Gefilte Fish," written and copyrighted by the residents and Friedman: Some chop the fish/ Some grind the fish/ Some boil it in a kettle plain/ Some put in onions and carrots/ Serve it chilled with white and red chreyn [horseradish]."

The Jewish Home Chorus, composed of 12 residents, three staff members and the brother of one of the residents, performed the songs. And they enjoyed the accompaniment of top musicians. Friedman sings lead vocals and plays the guitar.

Violinist Daniel Hoffman, who plays with Davka and San Francisco Klezmer Experience, was impressed with the songwriting expertise. "The songs are incredible," he said. "I'm going to take the song 'Gefilte Fish,' translate it into Yiddish and perform it with the San Francisco Klezmer Experience."

Other musicians include clarinetist Beth Custer, who performs with Trance Mission and Club Foot Orchestra, and pianist Randy Craig, who performs locally and has participated in the home's Chanukah shows for four years.

Recording engineer Gary Mankin, who has produced albums by the Persuasions and Linda Tillery during his 25-year career, also has a personal connection to the home. His grandmother lived there a decade ago. Mankin acknowledged the challenge of combining the professional voice of Friedman with the less-polished but equally enthusiastic voices of residents.

But recording the songs is important as a way of connecting the home to the community. "Composing music is a performing art, so we want to perform the songs and to record them and get them out into the world," Friedman said.

As residents sang and the audience joined in, videographer Nathan Friedkin and his crew were busy capturing the activity on two digital cameras.

"The material is so rich and the stories of the residents are moving," Friedkin said. He plans to create a short documentary on CD and perhaps even a feature-length documentary for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.

The repercussions of the previous day's tragic events in New York impacted the recording.

Custer was stranded in Seattle, requiring a recording session to be rescheduled.

Said Friedkin: "It was hard for residents and musicians to be here. A lot of the residents were very disturbed about what happened. But through the art of singing and the healing, they were able to forget about the trouble for a while."