The Old World Folk Band

Map by Laura Hartman Maestro
(click for larger view)

During this fascinating program, the Quiet Reading Room will come alive with the sights and sounds of the Sephardic Jewish culture. Join the Old World Folk Band as they explore the global journey of the Sarajevo Haggadah through music, calligraphy and discussion. The program is sponsored jointly by "One Book, One Community", the Martin Library and SFMS.

Details below:
About One Book, One Community
About this year's book
About the Old World Folk Band

6:30pm - 8:30pm

at Martin Library

159 E Market St, York Directions

• A FREE event!

• Please pre-register by contacting the library.

  Seating is limited!

• Register by phone:

  call 717-846-5300 ext 222...

• Or register online:

  visit the "Events" section of the library's website and indicate which time you'll attend.

About the Program:

The "One Book, One Community" initiative is led by libraries in seven counties (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York). The initiative encourages residents to read and discuss "a compelling book that links the community in a common conversation". This Fall the Old World Folk Band will be repeating their program at several locations across the region.

This year's selection, People of the Book, is based on a true story. Award-winning author Geraldine Brooks traces the route a Jewish prayer book, the Sarajevo Haggadah (sar-ra-YAY-voh ha-GOD-duh), takes along a journey that spans five centuries and four cultures. The presentation will include an explanation of the Haggadah and its interpretation in different cultural settings across time. Examples of illustrated Haggadahs from around the world will be available for examination.

Nationally known calligrapher Susan Leviton, the band's vocalist, will demonstrate the art of Hebrew hand-lettering with a special emphasis on the style of the Sarajevo Hagaddah, comparing it with Hebrew lettering arts from other geographic regions. The Old World Folk Band will perform Jewish music found in the various regions that the Sarajevo Haggadah travels through, recalling the analogous journeys made by Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain. The music will include a Judeo-Spanish Passover song from Sarajevo and a Yiddish Passover song about a family of crypto-Jews who escaped the Spanish Inquisition.

Like art and writing, music reflects different cultures and times. The presenters will demonstrate how culture is preserved and passed down through time and how people in disparate cultures and faiths act both simply and heroically to preserve music and the arts. There will also be opportunities for participants to share their own experiences.

The program will conclude with a sampling of the Harrisburg-based band's usual repertoire: Klezmer music from Eastern Europe.

About the Old World Folk Band:

The Old World Folk Band was founded in 1982 and devotes its energies to preserving the sounds and spirit of klezmer music, Yiddish theater songs and the indigenous folk music of Eastern Europe. Based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Old World Folk Band performs extensively in the mid-Atlantic region, from upstate New York to Virginia. The band's singer, Susan Leviton, is known nationally for her skills and work as a calligrapher in the Jewish tradition.

READ MORE at the Old World Folk Band’s website »

About People of the Book:

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March comes an intricate, ambitious novel that traces the journey of a rare illuminated Hebrew manuscript from convivencia Spain to the ruins of Sarajevo, from the Silver Age of Venice to the sunburned rock faces of northern Australia. Inspired by the true story of a mysterious codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah, People of the Book is a sweeping adventure through five centuries of history. From its creation in Muslim-ruled, medieval Spain, the illuminated manuscript makes a series of perilous journeys: through Inquisition-era Venice, fin-de-siecle Vienna, and the Nazi sacking of Sarajevo.

READ MORE at Geraldine Brooks' website »
(Lots of interesting links to follow, too)

See a larger view of Laura Hartman Maestro's enchanting map showing the Global Journey of the Sarajevo Haggadah as imagined in People of the Book

About One Book, One Community:

One Book, One Community --- now in its seventh year---is led by libraries in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York. The regional reading campaign is intended to promote the value of reading by recommending a compelling book that links the community in a common conversation. Several communities across the country have initiated “One Book” efforts, but One Book, One Community, is the largest such effort in Pennsylvania.

READ MORE at One Book, One Community's website »

This program will be repeated throughout the seven-county region:

Wednesday, October 7, 7 pm, at Beth Israel Synagogue, Lebanon, PA (Lebanon County) -- 717.273.7624 ext. 204 (Lebanon Library)

Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 pm at Martin Library (York County, described above)

Thursday, October 15, 7 pm at Grace United Methodist Church, Carlisle, PA (Cumberland County) -- 717.243.4642 (Bosler Library)

Thursday, October 22, 7 pm, at Harbaugh-Thomas Library, Biglerville, PA (Adams County) -- 717.677.6257

Wednesday, November 4, 7 pm at Lancaster Jewish Community Center (Lancaster County) -- 717.207.0500 ext. 0

Monday, November 9, 11:30 am at HACC, Harrisburg Campus (Dauphin County) -- 717.780.2624

Monday, November 9, 6:30 pm at Newport Public Library, Newport (Perry County) -- 717.567.6860