Sunday, June 26, RUACH hosted its annual Nachas RUACH event, featuring the music and artwork of Yeshiva Elementary School (YES) students, and a guest appearance by Adam Margolis and Friends.  The event took place at the Rubenstein Pavilion of the Jewish Home and Care Center. The event celebrated the 2017 YES programming calendar year which brought the return of the RUACH-YES Boys Choir, the Art Academy, and introduced the new RUACH-YES Ukulele Ensemble.  

 The Ukulele Ensemble, a new program introduced this year with the help of Dr. Adam Margolis, director, was an excellent addition to the YES programming.  Dr. Margolis created a ukulele workbook, containing instrument instruction, music fundamentals and Jewish music written for the ukulele.  The boys met once a week, practicing music technique and instrumentation.  The ensemble performed a piece with Mr. Margolis, who shared a wonderful poem he wrote about the instrument.  

The Art Academy, taught by Mrs. Anne and Mrs. Judith Kaiser, and assisted by Ms. Chaya Miriam Schlotman, led students in an educational, hands-on exploration of different art styles from around the world.  Students in grades K4-2nd grade attended a 4-week workshop, creating visual arts projects which were then put on display for those in attendance. The Boys Choir, under the direction of Mr. Chad Nashban and Rabbi Yaakov Sklar, consisted of 10 boys in grades 3-7.  They met at YES once a week during the winter/ spring semester, and learned vocal and performance techniques.  They performed a variety of popular Jewish music, as well as one piece composed by Mr. Nashban.  

The afternoon concluded with a performance by Dr. Adam Margolis on mandolin, Mr. Rick Aaron on flute, Mr. Guy Fiorentini on bass ukulele, and Mr. Avi Gelfman on drums, delighting the crowd with familiar Klezmer and Chassidic tunes.

The audience of over 100, consisting of residents of the home, and YES students and their families, thoroughly enjoyed the music and admired the artwork of the students involved in the programming.   The programming was made possible through the generous support of the Gene and Stephanie  Klurfeld Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Bader Philanthropies, and generous anonymous donors.