An Afternoon of Stories at the Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival

SUNDAY, JAN 11

12:00pm Registration open. Museum admission free with festival registration

1:00 – 5:30pm

The Breman

An afternoon of building community through storytelling, workshops, and tales from the pulpit

$18 Members

$20 Non-members

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 (new description below)

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!

*By attending this event, you acknowledge that photography and video recording may take place. These images may be used by our partners for promotional, educational, and archival purposes across print and digital platforms.

If you prefer not to be photographed or have concerns, please inform a staff member at check-in.

Security Protocols: For the protection of our speakers and guests, All visitors are subject to security screening. To ensure the safety and security of our visitors and employees, firearms and weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited inside the building.

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Info: Join us for Spark! an evening with local storytellers who share personal stories inspired by Jewish or Jewish-related music. Whether it’s a prayer melody, a Broadway hit, a summer camp tune or even a Christmas song by Irving Berlin, music can spark a story. Storytellers include Mickey Dobrow, Samuel Frenkel, Jessica Handler, Hildee Isaacs, Faye Pous , Stacey Beth Shulman and McKenzie Wren.

Info: There is always possibility and joy. Rejoice! Regardless is a monumental weave of personal stories throughout a Kurdish Jewish Fairytale collected in the 1940s in Jerusalem called What a Beautiful Road. Laura tells stories of her childhood in Brooklyn, working in a displaced persons camp in Haiti, with Gypsy women in Romania, and hearing the violin music of a survivor who lived in her attic in Boro Park.

Laura Simms is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, writer and educator advocating engaged storytelling as compassionate action for personal and community transformation. She offers in-depth classes, coaching, and powerful performances of stories that address the most pressing issues of our times with dignity and joy.

Info: FREE with Registration. Donations welcome
Ages 3 – 7

Grandma Ida’s Diamond Earrings with Laura Simms
“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.

Info: An afternoon of building community through storytelling, workshops, and tales from the pulpit.

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