As part of its yearlong celebration of the congregation’s 36th (double-chai) anniversary, Bolton Street Synagogue will present a concert by celebrated Jewish pop-folk artist Michelle Citrin on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at its annual Selichot service.
Joining Citrin for “an intimate acoustic evening of song and intention” will be local cellist and vocalist Kristen Jones.
Selichot is a special synagogue observance held the Saturday evening prior to Rosh Hashanah at which worshippers recite penitential prayers and ask for forgiveness, essentially kicking off the spirit and mood of the High Holiday season.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Citrin is a singer-songwriter and producer best known as the creator and star of such viral video hits as “20 Things to do with Matzah,” “Call Your Zeyde,“ “Rosh Hashanah Girl” and “Hanukah Lovin’.”
Time.com listed Citrin on its top 10 list of “New Jewish Rock Stars,” and the Jerusalem Post dubbed her “The Jewish IT Girl.” She has performed with Grammy Award-winning artists Michelle Branch and Dave Koz, hip-hop artist Matisyahu and alternative rock musician Tracy Bonham.
“Bolton Street Synagogue is thrilled to welcome singer and songwriter Michelle Citrin on the evening of Selichot,” said Rabbi Andy Gordon, the congregation’s spiritual leader since July of 2017. “This gathering will be an intimate evening of introspection and intention as we prepare for the arrival of the High Holy Days.
“This year, we will be celebrating our 36th High Holy Days as a congregation, and what better way to celebrate this milestone than by gathering together in community and working to make this world a better place through prayer, study and action.”
Founded in July of 1986 in the basement of a Bolton Hill neighborhood church by a group of Jewish families, Bolton Street Synagogue today is a congregation of more than 200 families located in Roland Park. Although unaffiliated for nearly three decades, the synagogue officially joined the Reform movement in June of 2016.
The congregation is known for its sense of diversity and inclusion, openness to inquiry and debate, culture of Jewish innovation and commitment to social justice.
“We pride ourselves in our embrace of interfaith families, Jews by choice, LGBTQIA+ members and Jews of Color, all of whom are well-represented and well-loved in the Bolton Street family,” the congregation states on its website.
Festivities for the 36th anniversary will continue throughout the year, and congregants have published a cookbook of recipes that can be ordered on the synagogue’s website.
Bolton Street Synagogue is located 212 W. Cold Spring Lane. For information, visit boltonstreet.org/
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