Vision & Mission || Past || Present || Future || Year End Report 2010

STORY
In the beginning, story mattered. Woven through the generations, sacred stories charted community courses and mapped individual life journeys. Today, many are denied access to the relevance and transformative power of their inherited legacies. The People of the Book often don't know what's in it.
Bridging past and present, Storahtelling makes story matter again. Using an innovative fusion of scholarship, storytelling, performing arts and new media, our programs reclaim the narratives and traditions that define Jewish life yet have failed to adapt to modern times.

TORAH
The Torah Service is the world's oldest continuous ritual of sacred storytelling. Conducted for more than 2,500 years, it was once the primary source of Judaic literacy for the wider community. Today, the Torah Service is still conducted weekly and continues to serve as the main event for the initiation of youth into the adult community. Yet, for the majority of world Jewry, the ritual has lost much of its power to inform and engage - and the Torah, core to the Jewish identity, remains a closed book.
Storahtelling restores the Torah Service to its original stature through a revival of the lost craft of the Maven, the traditional storyteller who translated the Hebrew Torah into local language. Rooted in biblical text and ritual practice, Storahtelling uses dramatized interpretations, traditional chanting, orginal music and live interaction to bring Bible off the page and onto the global stage.

STORAH
Storahtelling is a pioneer in Jewish education via the arts and new media. Through innovative leadership training programs and theatrical performances, Storahtelling makes ancient stories and traditions accessible for new generations, advancing Judaic literacy and raising social consciousness.

Founded by Amichai Lau-Lavie in 1999, Storahtelling has grown into an international network of educators and artists, invigorating Jewish identity through dynamic educational programs and performances for multigenerational audiences worldwide.

Storahtelling has developed three program models to carry out its mission:

1. MAVEN Ongoing performances and training programs that revive the Torah Service for audiences of all denominations and ages. Over the past ten years Storahtelling has provided programming for more than 1,000 synagogues and organizations, reaching more than 100,000 people worldwide. 2. RAISING THE BAR Our newest program reclaims and reshapes the B’nai Mitzvah experience for the wider community by infusing it with the Storahtelling methodology. Storahtelling has launched a training program for B’nai Mitzvah trainers in local communities and continues to provide study preparation and ritual performances for unaffiliated families in NYC. 3. STORAHSTAGE Bible-based theatrical events: fully-staged theatrical performances focusing on Biblical narrative through a modern lens. Accompanied by educational programming and online materials that are suitable for diverse audiences throughout the year, these performances provide Judaic access to the wider community.

Storahtelling in WIKIPEDIA!

Vision & Mission || Past || Present || Future || Message from Storahtelling Board