Quite a few years ago, when I was cantor of Beth Emet Synagogue in Evanston, IL, Debbie Friedman came to sing at my shul one Friday night. It was Shabbat Shirah, January 29, 1988. Debbie had concerts in the area on Saturday and Sunday, and somehow I had learned that she was free on Friday. (It was just Debbie - those were the days before "the band.") So I called her a couple of weeks before and invited her to sing with me on the bima—very simple, low-key and haimish. She accepted. There were no ads or emails or phone blasts - with two weeks notice we barely had time to spread the word that Debbie was coming.

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard a performer introduce a “mashup” and then proceed to sing two unrelated songs in succession. That, my friends, is a medley, not a mashup. A true mashup is when you sing or play two different songs at the same time. Medlies are ubiquitous. True mashups are rare…

ARE (Alternatives in Religious Education) commissioned Jeff to compose these songs to aquaint religious school students with some basic Jewish ritual objects and practices.