What: Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival
When: Sunday, January 11th
Where: The Breman Museum
Cost: $18 for Members, $20 for Non-Members
An afternoon of building community through storytelling, workshops, and tales from the pulpit.
1440 Spring Street, Atlanta GA, 30309
Events included with Registration.
SUNDAY, JAN 11
10:30am – 12:00pm
Children’s Storytime
Grandma Ida’s Diamond Earrings with Laura Simms
The Breman
FREE with Registration. Donations welcome
Ages 3 – 7
“My Grandma Ida was born in Lumza, Poland. This is a story about her childhood, my childhood, and the gift of dreams and imagination. “
Crafts and Snacks will follow.
1:00 – 5:30pm
The Breman
An afternoon of building community through storytelling, workshops, and tales from the pulpit
Free with Registration
12:00pm Registration open. Museum admission free with festival registration
1:00 – 1:45pm Gathering the Sparks and Opening the Circle
Join us at the very start of the Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival to spark some storytelling magic and kick off our festival community! We’ll jump right in with easy, interactive, fun ice-breaker games that help everyone feel connected. By the end, we’ll have a sense of what we’re all excited about for the rest of the day —stories, community, and Jewish creativity.
2:00 – 3:30pm Concurrent Workshops – festival attendees select one of three
- The Holy Grail of Braiding Stories – led by Laura Simms
We live in a braided story: a story within a story where we come to remember our interconnectedness and source of joy and meaning. The more we open ourselves to stories – whether they are traditional or personal narratives – we find common ground in the space itself from which stories arise. As child, a Rabbi explained that the space between letters, where in our alphabet we have vowels, is where one connects to God, to what is holy. Through engaged storytelling – listening, creating, telling – we come to know what we have forgotten: that the world is made of layers of stories.
In this workshop, Laura will guide you through the basics of learning how to braid or weave traditional tales with your personal narratives, and you can begin writing your own story.
- Family Stories for Resilient Kids – led by Richard Stone
Your family’s stories are powerful tools for building your children’s confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. In this interactive workshop with storyteller Richard Stone, you’ll learn how to uncover and share meaningful stories that create a family storytelling tradition and help kids feel grounded, capable and connected in a world filled with challenges and uncertainty.
- Creating Sacred Stories: An Art & Soul Workshop – led Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder
Telling stories is as old as Judaism itself, and we all have a story to tell. Judaism invites us to see creativity, including storytelling as a form of divine partnership. In this workshop, we’ll explore the stories that dwell within us. Whether you see yourself as an artist or not, this workshop will help you tell your story with guided prompts, engaging with a variety of materials, and self-reflection. Join us to share stories and blessings in a supportive circle of community and creativity. No art or writing experience required—just an open heart and willingness to explore.
4:00 – 5:00pm Holy Moly!
Tales from on and off the pulpit – by Rabbis Lauren Henderson (Congregation Or Hadash), Brian Glusman (MJCCA), Cantor Tracey Scher (The Temple) and more!
FRIDAY, JAN 9
Storytelling Shabbat
We invite families, synagogues, schools, and senior centers to incorporate the magic and creativity of storytelling into their Shabbat celebration. We’ve created toolkits with suggestions and story prompts to make the experience easy and joyful for all. Visit The Breman website for link to toolkits.