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For Immediate Release

CLAL MARKS 25th ANNIVERSARY WITH CELEBRATION OF JEWISH ARTISTRY AND DIVERSITY

NEW YORK - Over 200 friends and supporters of CLAL took part in a literally moving demonstration of the themes and mission that animate the organization during a gala benefit celebrating CLAL's 25th anniversary. "In Concert for One People," featuring artists and writers representing the range of Jewish artistic expression, took place on October 27, 1998 at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan.

CLAL's dedication to unity, diversity, risk-taking, and celebration of the many ways of being Jewish was brought to life in a program that featured the photographs of Frederic Brenner, an excerpt from the play "The Quarrel" by Joseph Telushkin and David Brandes, the jazz-inflected settings of traditional Jewish melodies by pianist Jon Simon, and an interactive dance performance by choreographer Liz Lerman and her septuagenarian colleague Bea Wattenberg.

"Like the artists in this performance, CLAL attempts to link modern audiences with the beauty and meaning of ancient traditions, and to imagine new expressions that will continue to make the lives we lead more sacred and profound," explained Rabbi Irwin Kula, President of CLAL.

"In Concert for One People" was co-chaired by Barbara and Stephen Friedman. CLAL Chairman Charles R. Bronfman offered remarks inaugurating a yearlong series of celebrations marking CLAL's silver anniversary.

"In Concert" was also the occasion for the distribution of a collection, composed by CLAL faculty, of meditations, blessings, and rituals that mark significant events in people's lives, from Welcoming a New Child to Running a Marathon. The collection will soon be available to the general public as "Sacred Days 5759," CLAL's annual calendar and planner.