In October this year, your Alliance for Jewish Theatre colleagues attended wonderful seminars, performances, engaged with young Jewish Theatremachers Fellows, and resourced issues on Jewish identity — all at our annual conference in Philadelphia. Superbly hosted by Theatre Ariel, the AJT Board, and supported by The Drake Theatre and the Covenant Foundation, we then returned to our theatres, our communities, our families — carrying the excitement of new pursuits, creative possibilities, and the warmth of new friends doing Jewish theatre and creating

a supportive theatre community.

Three days later the massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh took place and our

world changed.

In his riveting keynote address to a packed house at the conference, Adam Kantor, a star of The

Band’s Visit, emphasized: “Jewish theatre will only survive and thrive if it’s redefined for a new

generation.”

When our voices can be silenced, now more than ever we understand how the immediacy and visceral nature of theatre is essential in telling the stories of survival. In fact it is the essence of survival. And we need your contributions to continue this work.

Broadway theatre, film and television star Tovah Feldshuh enthralled us upon receiving the

Theodore Bikel Award for Achievement with her passionate appeal to live up to the legacy of

Theodore Bikel and to tell Jewish stories because they are “ours” and also have universal

application. The conferences we design for you (next one: late fall 2019 in Chicago), collegial

connections, memberships, ongoing AJT Pop-up performances, AJT Jewish Theatremachers,

and other initiatives — all bring to fruition the stories about Jewish values, history, tragedies and

artistry — giving meaning to the world!

Your donation extends the work of AJT to the world. You can make an online gift of any amount

to the Alliance for Jewish Theatre and re-up your membership. And what about finding new members for us? That is the gift that keeps on giving. From our very first fundraising campaign last year we raised enough to help fund a stellar conference. This year we plan to double it. Or if you use landmail make out your check to the Alliance for Jewish Theatre and send to: AJT c/o Segal, 3054 W. Fargo, Chicago, IL. 60645, and it will be gratefully acknowledged.

We need you to keep Jewish ideas, creativity, and culture alive through theatre. In this way not only do we continue our survival but we join with others in Jewish culture's most important task, Tikkun Olam - healing the world.

Warmly,

Hank Kimmel, President

David Y. Chack, Executive Director