JCC University (camp) Rocks with JCR!

This past week was VERY full in JCR-land.

All week I've been volunteering for an amazing program called Willie Mae Girls Rock Camp. It's a week-long camp for girls from 7 to 17 or maybe a little older. I served as a band coach and vocal instructor and worked with AMAZING volunteers and incredibly brave girls. The philosophy is that everyone rocks and that anyone can learn to be in a band. check it out: http://www.williemaerockcamp.org/

In the MIDDLE of the week - July 8th - my partner and honorary Jewish rock chick, Glenn Grossman worked with the talented staff at the JCC in Manhattan to produce a day of ROCK for the JCC Uninversity (camp) program.

Videos to come! Stay tuned!
(And to protect the identities of the kids, all faces have smiley faces on them! But trust me, they were smiling - we all were.)

The kids got a chance to:

- Write a song














-Record their song













- learn to play the drums AND perform live



Staff joined in the fun!

If you want to book Jewish Chick Rock programming in your community, be sure to contact me - naomiless@gmail.com

the old becomes new and the new becomes sacred

Well...for the last week I've been working with about 120 innovative, caring, socially conscious, passionate Jewish change-makers who are commmitted to making a difference in the world. Beyond being inspired, I laughed, cried (from laughter), made connections, helped others make connections and built a ton of new friendships.

One of the beautiful things about this is that these change-makers are not throwing away history's contributions - they know on whose shoulders they stand and are jumping off those shoulders to reach a higher ground. The saying "the old is renewed, and the new becomes sacred" really sums it up.

And here's a cute example - Tel Aviv, a bassist committed to helping the environment (Anthony Rogers Wright), a guitarist from the UK committed to enabling people to volunteer to fix the world (Dan Berelowitz) and me, a feminist committed to helping young girls and women actualize their full selves - singing an oldie but a goodie with full-community-participation.
Click here for the impromptu band: "CollabaROI"

or just click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwoEOZZBHY4

For more info on ROI or the ROI Summit go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwoEOZZBHY4

Jewish Chicks Rock the ROI Summit

I am inspired.
I am inspired by others' passions.
I am inspired that these passions are for the good of the world AND the good of the Jewish global community.
I am inspired because I am seeing the future.
I am inspired because much of the future I'm seeing comes from visions of Jewish women I'm meeting.
I am inspired because I actually see the future of the Jewish woman in front of my eyes at the ROI Summit here in Tel Aviv.

Bringing together Jewish leaders from all over the world in all different kinds of fields (which over 55% represented are WOMEN) can build an enormous amount of creativity and excitement. But more than that, it can build bridges between people who are doing similar work in various places in the world.

For instance, there's a fantastic Jewish woman who's doing a Girls Rock Camp in Washington DC...we met up and are plotting and planning with national eyes!!!

There are women who are filmmakers, storytellers, culture event creators, band managers, creating visions for the future of Israel, helping to feed the poor in many ways, from every country imaginable.

I am truly inspired by the sheer volume of INCREDIBLE Female Jewish Role Models!

my first radio interview...

Hey everyone...
A great and challenging interview about rock, music, industry double standards, madonna, sex, Jews and the whole kitchen sink!!

Go to:
http://www.legendsradio.net/

Look for archive date May 27, 2009

fast forward to minute: 94:09

Let me know what you think below (post a comment!)

Naomi