Soul Spark Shabbat

Step into a transcendent Shabbat service unlike any other! Immerse yourself in an extraordinary fusion of spirituality and melody, as our esteemed clergy, talented musicians, and captivating singers lead you through an enchanting tapestry of soul-stirring music, profound meditations, and illuminating teachings. Soul Spark is an extraordinary opportunity to enrich your soul and deepen your connection to the sacred rhythms of Shabbat.

Join our clergy, musicians, and singers for a unique Shabbat experience filled with soul-stirring music and contemplative meditations and teachings. Follow along with the online prayers during the service.

Click here to meet the musicians!

Upcoming Dates:

August 29 – Alex Koffman (violin)

October 24 – Ellen Frolichstein (cello)

November 21 – Alex Koffman (violin)

December 12 – Ellen Frolichstein (cello)

Meet the Musicians!

Dan Kaplan picked up stringed instruments as an adult after playing wind instruments throughout childhood. Playing trumpet in his High School marching band never brought him joy like he gets from playing at Beth Emet or with friends. Dan regularly attends live music for inspiration. In his day job, he works in publishing at the American Library Association. He and Bekki live in Evanston.

The Violinist

Alex Koffman received his Master’s Degree in Violin from the

Conservatory of Minsk in Belarus. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1989, Alex studied with Albert Igolnikov of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He joined Maxwell Street Klezmer Band in 1990 and became its first pianist, and then violinist, Musical Director, and arranger.  Alex has recorded five albums with Maxwell Street and performed in Carnegie Hall and across Europe and the UK, including at the Barbican Theatre in London and the Vienna Mozart Hall. In 2008, Alex was the featured soloist in the world premiere of Klezmer Rhapsody by Ilya Levinson, which he reprised in Symphony Center in 2014 with Chicago Sinfonietta. In 2015, Alex was a featured performer in Lyric Opera of the first klezmer opera, The Property. In 2019, Alex was Musical Director of The Dybbuk at DePaul Theatre School. In 2019, Alex was featured as a soloist and teacher at “Litvak Klezmer Festival,” Minsk’s International Jewish music festival. In 2020, during the Covid-19 Pandemic, Alex was selected as a soloist in a virtual worldwide event, “Beregovski’s Musical Treasures: 35 Klezmer Fiddlers: 12 Countries, 158 Nigunim.” In 2023, Alex arranged and performed music in “The Cherry Orchard” at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. Alex conducts three grassroots synagogue bands and mentors young musicians in the Junior Klezmer Orchestra.

Musician bio
My connection to Judaism has always been through music. My first professional gig as a drummer was playing the Beth El Hebrew Congregation (Alexandria, VA) production of Two by Two. As a member of Agudas Achim in Austin, TX I produced two albums with Hazzan (now Rabbi) Neil Blumofe (Root Music, Vol. I, and Moses’ Muses, with Jason Marsalis). Prior to moving to Evanston in 2015, my family and I lived in Philadelphia and attended Germantown Jewish Center. I played doumbek at GJC’s monthly Kol Zimrah service with Rabbi Zeff, and Rabbis Yosef and Annie Goldman. While in Philadelphia I had the honor and pleasure of playing percussion and drum set for Jesse Roemer’s first album, Ezuz, with Chana Rothman, and briefly with Joey Weisenberg. My day job is professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago with a specialty in youth suicide prevention. My wife and I live in Evanston with our twin boys (Kabbalat Mitzvah October 26, 2024) and our daughter (rising ETHS 11th grader).
Work bio
Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW is an internationally recognized expert in youth suicide and social work technology. He is Professor of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago, Past-President of the American Association of Suicidology, coauthor of two editions of the best-selling text Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention, co-lead of the Social Work Grand Challenge “Harness Technology for Social Good,” and founder and host of the award-winning Social Work Podcast, for which he was named an NASW Social Work Pioneer in 2023. Dr. Singer has chaired national committees for the National Associate of Social Workers (NASW) and Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and served on advisory boards for Sandy Hook Promise, Jed Foundation, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. He is the author of over 90 publications and his research has been featured in national and international media outlets like NPR, BBC, Fox, Time Magazine, and The Guardian. Dr. Singer is a well-regarded international speaker who has given hundreds of continuing education workshops, keynote addresses, and presentations in the USA, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. In 2024 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife, three children and dog Chewy.

Pianist

Barbara Unger-Wertico
Barb has been the accompanist at Beth Emet Synagogue since 2003 and has accompanied Cantor Erin Frankel, Cantor Arik Luck, Cantor Susan Lewis-Friedman, Cantor Richard Cohn, Cantor Kyle Cotler, and Cantor Natalie Young.
Drawing on her years of classical training at the University of Illinois, Barb performed live with The Buckinghams and later worked as a soloist prior to joining the band, R-Gang. In 1993, Barb toured with renowned jazz guitarist Pat Metheny throughout Europe, Israel, South America and the U.S., playing rhythm guitar, keyboards, percussion and vocals on Metheny’s “Secret Story” tour.
Her keyboard work can be heard on the song “Beyond Our Wildest Dreams” in Delirious, starring John Candy. She also played keyboards on jazz guitarist John Moulder’s CD, Awakening; on her husband’s (drummer Paul Wertico) CDs, The Yin And The Yout and StereoNucleosis. Barb has co-written music with bassist Bill Syniar and Jim Peterik (leader of the famed bands, The Ides of March and Survivor). Their initial effort, “Under the Spell,” appeared on The Doobie Brothers’ CD, Brotherhood.
She has written and co-written several pieces of music for Beth Emet for High Holidays, Shabbat services, and other occasions. Barb and Cantor Luck’s version of Mi Shebeirach was published in the 2015 Biennial Songbook.
Following the Tree of Life massacre in 2018, Barbara wrote the song, Love Can Conquer Hate, inspired by the words of Rabbi Peter Knobel at Beth Emet’s interfaith vigil.