Pam Hersh

Recent Articles

World Renowned Ensemble Lucidarium Coming to Anshe Emeth on Nov. 9

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On
Saturday Nov. 9, 2019, the Highland Park Conservative Temple (HPCT) –
Congregation Anshe Emeth will host a special Shirainu Jewish Music concert
featuring Ensemble Lucidarium. Founded in 1991 in Basel by Avery Gosfield
and is now based in Geneva and Milan, Italy, Lucidarium is on a USA tour,
supported by the Canton of Geneva. 

Ensemble
Lucidarium specializes in bringing little-known repertoires from the
Renaissance and Middle Ages back to life in an entertaining, engaging way
designed for a 21st century public. 
Lucidarium’s work is currently divided between two different projects: Ars
Italica, which explores different aspects of Italy’s culture through its
music and poetry, and Ars Hebraicae, dedicated to a reconstruction
of the sound scape of the Jews in Renaissance Europe. 

Lucidarium
will perform Sounds from Shylock’s Venice, a program created by
Lucidarium in commemoration of the 500 years since the establishment of the
Venice Ghetto and the 400 year anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.  Sounds
from Shylock’s Venice conjures the sights and sounds of a day in the life
of Shylock, in and out of the Jewish quarter, in the vibrant, colorful world that
was Renaissance Venice. Shylock’s
Venice was a crucible of cultures and a magnet for immigration, where – in
spite of pervasive prejudice – Spanish and German Jews joined their native
Italian co-religionists. Whether escaping repression or coming to find work as
merchants or as Hebrew and Kabbalah teachers, Jews profoundly influenced the
cultural crossover of 16th century Venice. 

This
program has been performed in Jewish and Early music festivals from Dresden to
Austin. READ MORE

Filed under: Arts & Entertainment

Rutgers Scientists Discover New Antibiotic in Tropical Forest

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Scientists from Rutgers University and around the world have discovered an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium from a Mexican tropical forest that may help lead to a “plant probiotic,” more robust plants and other antibiotics. Probiotics, which provide friendlier bacteria and health benefits for humans, can also be beneficial to plants, keeping them healthy and more robust. The new antibiotic, known as phazolicin, prevents harmful bacteria from getting into the root systems of bean plants, according to a Rutgers co-authored study in the journal Nature Communications. “We hope to show the bacterium can be used as a ‘plant probiotic’ because phazolicin will prevent other, potentially harmful bacteria from growing in the root system of agriculturally important plants,” said senior author Konstantin Severinov, a principal investigator at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology and a professor of molecular biology and biochemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “Antibiotic resistance is a huge problem in both medicine and agriculture, and continuing searches for new antibiotics are very important as they may provide leads for future anti-bacterial agents,” Dr. Konstantin Severinov said. READ MORE

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Metra Lundy’s Harriet Tubman Walk Moves Along in Pursuit of a Moving Mission

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Four weeks ago, the HP Planet
ran the story of how Highland Park resident Metra Lundy, the owner and founder
of Kinetics, was inspired to lead a walk
that followed Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad route, all the way to
Canada. She invited Highland Park residents to accompany her on the portion of
the walk from Highland Park to New York City on July 19th. Ms. Lundy
provided updates for our readers by answering the Planet’s questions.  A final
update will come upon completion of the walk. (The initial story is reprinted
after the Q&A)

Q- What was the route the
walkers took to New York? READ MORE

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