Religion - Marblehead Current

Super-sized Hanukkah installation sparks kids’ creativity

15Dec

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Culture, Local News, Religion, Top Stories

Super-sized Hanukkah installation sparks kids’ creativity

Natasha (left) and Nyomi Male of Swampscott create designs on the Brighter Ignited installation. PHOTO: Leigh Blander Braving dark skies and below-freezing temperatures, dozens of local kids created bright designs on a super-sized interactive light display, as part of Hanukkah celebrations at Temple Emanu-El on Atlantic Avenue. “We’re building a menorah,” said Natasha Male, 10, of Swampscott, who was working with her big sister, Nyomi, 11. “It’s really fun.” The installation is called Brighter United and looks like a giant Lite Brite game. It’s a traveling art exhibit with Boston-based JArts, designed by Needham artist Tova Speter. Brighter United is visiting more than a dozen locations across the state this month, including the Museum of Fine Arts. Temple Emanu-El was its only s...

Marblehead Select Board OKs Epiphany tree burning

14Dec

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local News, Municipal Matters, Religion, Top Stories

Marblehead Select Board OKs Epiphany tree burning

Marblehead Select Board signed off on the annual tree burning that the Marblehead Fire Department will stage on Riverhead Beach on Friday, Jan. 6. The Marblehead Fire Department will stage the annual tree burning on Riverhead Beach on Friday, Jan. 6. The entire town is invited to attend. COURTESY PHOTOS / CHRIS STEVENS “The Christmas tree pile will be set alight at 6 p.m.,” wrote Marblehead Fire Chief Jason Gilliland and Marblehead Department of Public Works Director Amy McHugh in a joint letter. “Residents are invited to attend this community event.” Marblehead’s Epiphany Tree Burning goes back decades, but Gilliland reinstated the tradition in 2015 after an eight-year hiatus. “Trees will be picked at the curbside from Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Friday, Jan...

New faces, new hopes for Marblehead faith leaders

10Nov

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Religion, Top Stories

New faces, new hopes for Marblehead faith leaders

There are many new faces among Marblehead’s faith leaders, with more coming in the next couple of years. Longtime Temple Emanu-El Rabbi David Meyer, who is the current head of the Marblehead Ministerial Association, spoke to Marblehead Current about all the changes and his hopes for the future. Rev. Jenna Crawford at UUCM Rabbi David Meyer with the MMA “It is a challenge to keep the energy of the interfaith community strong as people are just getting to know each other,” Meyer said. “Hopefully, all the new ministers in town will take up with the same commitment and motivation for the interfaith work here.” The MMA was formed in the late 1970s in response to antisemitic graffiti at Temple Emanu-El and the JCC. Since then, the group has met monthly and worked to stand...

9Nov

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Religion, Top Stories

New faces, new hopes for Marblehead faith leaders

There are many new faces among Marblehead’s faith leaders, with more coming in the next couple of years. Longtime Temple Emanu-El Rabbi David Meyer, who is the current head of the Marblehead Ministerial Association, spoke to Marblehead Current about all the changes and his hopes for the future. Rev. Jenna Crawford at UUCM Rabbi David Meyer with the MMA “It is a challenge to keep the energy of the interfaith community strong as people are just getting to know each other,” Meyer said. “Hopefully, all the new ministers in town will take up with the same commitment and motivation for the interfaith work here.” The MMA was formed in the late 1970s in response to antisemitic graffiti at Temple Emanu-El and the JCC. Since then, the group has met monthly and worked to stand...

Honoring Agnes: Special dedication on Old Burial Hill for enslaved woman

19Sep

By Leigh Blander1 Comment

Culture, Local History, Local News, Municipal Matters, Religion, Top Stories

Honoring Agnes: Special dedication on Old Burial Hill for enslaved woman

The new, historically accurate gravestone for Agnes, an enslaved woman in Marblehead More than 300 years after she died, a new gravestone will be dedicated at Old Burial Hill for Agnes (or Agnis, see below for an explanation of the two spellings), an enslaved woman who lived in Marblehead at the turn of the 18th century. The Marblehead Racial Justice Team (MRJT) will lead the ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 25, after raising $7,000 for the project. “We know that Agnes’ grave is an emblem,” said the Rev. James Bixby with the MRJT. “We know of about 100 to 200 people who lived enslaved in Marblehead. Where are their gravestones? They were dumped in a low-lying swamp upon basically being worked to death. How did Agnes survive her situation and how did she maintain an identity?” Agnes...

‘Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered’ concert set for July 16 at St. Andrew’s

8Jul

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Entertainment, Religion

‘Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered’ concert set for July 16 at St. Andrew’s

Vocalists Cameron Dobson and Mary-Alexandra Onstad will perform jazz standards and sing-along music July 16 at 5:30 p.m., in an outdoor “Pops on the Plaza” concert at the Church of St. Andrew, Marblehead. Dobson and Onstad, both sopranos, will perform “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered” by Rodgers and Hart, as well as “I Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin, “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael, “I Could Have Danced All Night” by Lerner and Loewe, and other favorites. They will be accompanied by Mary Jodice, music director at St. Andrew’s. The concert will be on the church’s new plaza, part of a refurbishment of the grounds undertaken in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the parish in 2024. Concertgoers are invited to bring their own chairs and a picnic supper. “We are so excited abo...