Feature: Eight Days Of Jewish Artists In Cabaret And Concert - Day One

Today is the first day of Hanukkah, a holiday that is celebrated each year in December, a time of year when a few different holidays are celebrated. Known as The Festival of Lights, the eight-day celebration is the most widely visible of the holidays celebrated by our Jewish citizens of the world, but that is mostly because it happens to coincide with the season of Christmas. The Jewish High Holy Days are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the first lasting for three days in September (usually) and the latter lasting for one day (sunset to sunset) in the four weeks between September 14th and October 14th. There are also eight days of celebration for Passover, each spring, but right now it's Hanukkah, and there are eight days of celebration for the Jewish community, and that's eight days that Broadway World Cabaret would like to spend highlighting some of the Jewish artists working in the cabaret and concert industry.

These are difficult times for the Jewish people of the world, and this country has seen an appalling rise in antisemitism. Our Jewish citizens are under attack in a variety of ways, and it is time we all fought back. It is in fact, long past time that we all fought the fight against antisemitism. There are organizations that exist to combat the bigotry, and people that follow other faiths (or no faith at all) have been using their voices, their funds, their social media, and any tool available to them to remind our Jewish family that they are not alone, that they are valued, and that we are here for them; but it should be everyone standing up and standing beside our Jewish brothers, sisters, and gender non-conforming siblings.

Broadway World is not a political outlet, it is entertainment news, here to shine a light on the talent, on the artists, on the creatives, which is what we do best. So we invite our readers to learn about eight Jewish artists who enrich the industry and who bring beauty and merit to the world, through their art.

Day One

Alexandra Silber

Alexandra Silber is a storyteller. You could call her an actress or you could call her a singer. You could call her an author or you could call her an activist. There isn't any one label to describe Alexandra and her art unless you just want to say that she is a storyteller. She has been telling stories on stage for a while now, making big splashes in cities around the country in plays of the musical and non-musical variety, but with a voice like hers, theaters have tended toward seeking her out for roles like Guenevere, Eliza Doolittle, Amalia Balash, and two of Tevye's daughters. In spite of her weighty musical theater background across America, in New York, and in London (where she works so much that she might need to consider dual citizenship), Alexandra gets to do dramas like Master Class (on Broadway with Tyne Daly), comedies like Lend Me a Tenor, and a solid amount of film and television. The acting life is going very well for Alexandra Silber. When she is not acting, though, Al (as she tells her audiences she prefers to be called) returns, repeatedly to the concert halls and nightclub stages of the world.

Alexandra is the Mistressmind behind I WISH: THE ROLES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN, one of the most popular series to be produced (by producing powerhouse Jen Sandler) at 54 Below. With a handful of presentations throughout each year, I Wish is an evening of daydreams for the actors of this fair city. Alexandra opens each production and emcees the program in which people like Noah Galvin, Ann Harada, and Mason Alexander Park spend a few minutes telling of the roles they would have liked to play, but have not been given a chance to, before singing a number written for that character. It's an ingenious idea that has provided several opportunities for the artists, but also for the audiences who love these singing actors, and this producer and Mistress of Ceremonies has given them this spectacular platform.

Al also does her own thing, from time to time, presenting rock-solid, super-exciting solo shows that sell out, every time, shows informed by her life story (which has not been a boring one) expertly crafted to illuminate, entertain, and share heart. The Lady is adored across the board and her fans, family, and artistic family always want to be there when she gets up on the stage.

Al has also made a successful stage out of the social media world, using her Instagram stories to post messages of optimism, affirmations of validation, and greetings of inspiration. She makes people laugh, she shares her truth, and she gives everyone smiles and hope. She puts herself out there, in everything that she does, including the writing of two books, a novel titled AFTER ANATEVKA and a memoir titled WHITE HOT GRIEF PARADE, the first, a fiction about Hodel and Perchik, the second a reminiscence about the loss of a parent. Poignant, fascinating, and oftentimes funny, the two books show that those who talk also can type... magnificently.

Alexandra Silber is a font of storytelling: one has only to open the lamp and the artistry pours forth, like the light. Let the light last for lifetimes to come, for all our sakes.

These eight profiles for Hanukkah will feature one Judaism-themed question between the artist and the journalist.

Ste: Alexandra, when we first connected over this article, we discussed the fact that Hanukkah is not the most holy of the Jewish holidays and you said, "But I DEEPLY LOVE it and will always be happy to celebrate it and Jewish artistry and excellence and JOY!" Put me in the picture of your love for the holiday that is Hanukkah, and the importance of the celebrations you mentioned in that email.

Al: HANUKKAH FEELINGS!

Deep in the shadows of old Jerusalem, the ancient Jews fought against oppression. They joined together, rose up, and defeated the oppressors who had outlawed their faith and desecrated their holy temple.

In the ruins of their newly won city, the ancient Jews stood in the silence and agreed: they must cleanse and re-dedicate the temple. They would reignite the menorah-a beacon of light that would burn all day and all night - as a symbol of their fortitude, and, in every way, their faith.

According to the Talmud, olive oil was required to keep the menorah ablaze within the Temple. But when the Jews returned to their oil supply, they found that there was only enough oil to burn for a single day. Eight days would be required to prepare a new supply of oil. The light in the temple would be doused long before then.

But a miracle happened.

The oil in the temple lasted eight incredible days: exactly the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. Thus, Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights came to be.

[- record scratch- ]

Full disclosure:
This story is likely apocryphal-a work of fiction. 650 years after the original military victory, Hanukkah was likely "re-branded" by Rabbis in order to shift the focus away from the Hasmoneans (the descendants of the Maccabees) as they did NOT always behave ethically, and their militaristic tendencies eventually lead to horrific battles (such as the Bar Kockba Revolt in 132 CE.)

So the "re-brand" was an effort to preserve the beauty of a "miracle" celebration with all its hope and symbolism, but wanting to distance the celebration from radicalism. Which I'm all for. I don't want to burst anyone's Hanukkah bubble, but it's important to know nuances. (Ya know, like Thanksgiving...)

Anyway here is WHY I light candles every winter:
Have you ever been at the very bottom of your life? Have you ever felt that you were empty? That you had run out of every kind of fuel, had nothing left to give, nothing left to believe in? To offer?

I know I have.

Beyond all reason or logic, we find that we too-like the light in the ancient Temple of Jerusalem-are inextinguishable. In the darkest and most desperate hours, when we reach down to the bottom of our proverbial barrels and mine ourselves for more than we ever could conceive was possible, we discover that the fuel is there. So that we may continue on.

And that is a very real miracle. No mythic story required.

Hope may be fragile, but it is there.

Like light. . .

Sometimes blazing, sometimes merely a tender, trembling flicker that regardless, cannot be extinguished, that flame winking even in the darkest hours. So our ancient ancestors have taught us. So we continue to learn again and again as time churns ever onward.

Hope accompanies all new beginnings. . .

Happy Hanukkah everyone. May we all mine ourselves for more- always.

Alexandra Silber is joined in her photos by her husband, actor Alec Silver, who appeared in her solo show SO IN LOVE.

Read the Broadway World Cabaret review of Alexandra Silber SO IN LOVE HERE.

Read Broadway World Cabaret reviews of I WISH HERE and HERE.

Alexandra Silber's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Instagram: Click HERE.

Alexandra's pronouns are She/Her/Hers

Alexandra's future projects include:

(I have lots going on but so much of it is still under wraps!)

- The next I WISH is March 13, 2023, at 54 Below at 9:30 pm - Link HERE.

- Both of my books are available at all good booksellers, but also available on Audible (both read by me! And After Anatevka ends with a beautiful musical theatre cabaret-meets-book-talk recorded Live at Minetta Lane starring Ben Moss, Samantha Massell, Matthew Scott, Ellie Fishman, and Kerstin Anderson)

After Anatevka - Link HERE.

White Hot Grief Parade - Link HERE.

- Most exciting of all: keep your eyes peeled for my first solo album dropping this time next year. (Eeeee)

Alec Silver's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Instagram: Click HERE.

Alec's pronouns are He/Him/His

Alec's future projects include:

TEMPING at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in February 2023.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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