Posts Tagged phish
LA Jewish Journal: Phish, Shabbat Mingle in Coachella
Posted by Rabbi Yonah in Press on November 13th, 2009
November 11, 2009
Phish, Shabbat Mingle in Coachella
By Ryan Torok
For three days over Halloween weekend, between 30,000 to 40,000 fans of the eclectic, free-form rock band Phish gathered on the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, site of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, for Phish Festival 8. RVs and thousands of small camping tents staked out territory throughout eight campgrounds. And in one of those tents, on Friday night, Rabbi Yonah Bookstein led 35 people in a Kabbalat Shabbat service. This was the Shabbat Tent.
Starting at around 5 p.m., timed so people wouldn’t miss the first Phish set, a group of Jews and non-Jews crossed the campground dancing and singing “Lecha Dodi,” then, beneath a huge Israeli flag, they recited Kiddush, said the Motzi and ate a vegetarian Shabbat meal. Read the rest of this entry »
Find Us Here!
Posted by admin in Latest News on October 30th, 2009
We made it- its a zoo. Expecting 50-60,000 people this weekend.
Look for huge Israeli flag in ” Lamb” camping lot – along fence, near exit to main venue area
Shabbat shalom!
UPDATE — CAMP MOVED NEXT TO CAMPING HQ AND GENERAL STORE IN LAMB CAMPGROUND
Shabbat Tent @ Phish Festival
Posted by Rabbi Yonah in Latest News on October 12th, 2009
The team is gathering. The Challah and the Wine are on the horizon. As a thousand Jews descend on Indio, the Shabbat Tent Team wonders – who is out there who wants to help set up Shabbat at PF8? This will be a DIY Shabbat for the team – we are coming in as civilians.
Click on the Volunteer tab on top to sign-up if you are making your way to Phish Fest 8!
History of Shabbat Tent
Posted by Rabbi Yonah in Community on April 1st, 2009
Phish
The Shabbat Tent Team started unofficially during the hours connecting 1999 and 2000. The rock band Phish was celebrating the coming of a new millennium at the Big Cyprus Indian Reservation in South Florida by playing for more than 12 hours over the span of two days. A small team consisting of Adam Weinberg, Joshua Vogelstein, and Rav Shmuel set up a small camping area to provide concert goers Shabbat services (including an amazing Kabbalat service sung while fireworks and disco-parties blared from nearby camp sites) Kiddush, Challah, and lively all-night discussions. Jews from all walks of life attended the services and engaged each other in issues of Judaism, music, spirituality, and social responsibility. There was little promotion, no funding, and lots of turn out – the seeds for providing Shabbat at mega-festivals were planted.During the next few summers, the team replicated the Shabbat Tent resource at more than a dozen Phish concerts and summer music festivals. However, without the direct assistance from camping directors, festival promoters, and funding, the Shabbat Tent functioned on a small scale reaching only a small percentage of attending Jews.
Matisyahu
The major change in the operation of the Shabbat Tent Team occurred the weekend of March 9-11, 2007. Famed reggae singer Matisyahu contacted team member Adam Weinberg to organize a large scale Shabbat Tent at the South Florida music and camping festival Langerado. With the support of a headlining artist, the team was able to work closely with the festival camping director and promoters in setting up a 1600 sqft space in the middle of the campgrounds ready to cater to everyone and anyone’s Shabbat and spiritual needs. The Shabbat Tent fed more than 300 people throughout the weekend, ran services catering to any Jew who chose to show up, and provided a comfortable and open space for hundreds more to relax, form social networks with other festival-goers, and share in a taste of Shabbat among the noise of a large music festival.The members of the team rotate from festival to festival, but the simple goal is to provide as many concert-goers with the ritual, peace, and inspiration Shabbat has to offer with services, meals, parties, and lively classes on spirituality, Judaism, and social responsibility, the Team is bringing the uniquely Jewish day-of-rest to campers festival-wide.