A Musical Journey in Our Welcoming Sukkah

On this beautiful fall morning, Jim Rebhan on accordion and his spouse Barbara Hollinger will present an assortment of music to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. Get in the spirit with lively Klezmer tunes and an assortment of songs in Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino. 

Then dwell in joy and join us in our outdoor Sukkah on the patio. Sukkahs are temporary shelters partly roofed with branches and leaves. While comfortably and safely ensconced, learn about this harvest holiday with Rabbi Batshir and Maggid Jhos. Touch, shake and smell the the lulav and etrog, beautiful Israeli fruit signifying the holiday. What are those objects, you ask? The lulav is a cluster of plants: a palm branch, two boughs of willow, and three boughs of myrtle. The etrog is a citron fruit — basically an overgrown lemon. Join us to connect with an ancient and thoughtful tradition.

Jim Rebhan has been a mainstay of the San Francisco Bay Area Klezmer scene since 1980 when he began performing with the Ellis Island Old World Folk Band. He is the son of Jewish immigrants who left Europe in the late 1930’s and he grew up listening to Yiddish songs.  His first accordion teachers were Italian immigrants in Chicago. Rebhan majored in music at the University of Chicago and has a master’s in composition from California Institute of the Arts.  In addition to the piano accordion, he performs on drums and xylophone.     

Barbara Hollinger, Jim’s wife – the dynamic and talented other half of this duo – is a trained soprano who has been performing with the Ellis Island Old World Folk Band for over a decade.  She sang in the Yiddish musical Di Megileh of Itsik Manger.