Greetings Friends,
We know you haven’t heard much from us since the pandemic shutdown began, but we’ve been working hard to ensure that Ashkenaz will survive, thrive, and be ready to welcome our community back as soon as it is safe for us to gather again.
Like so many small music venues, it hasn’t been easy. As a nonprofit organization, we run on a tight budget, with 70% of our support coming from ticket sales and venue rentals. As we watched other venues struggle and even announce closures, we wondered how long the shutdown would last and how we would survive.
But we have an amazing community. Not only those who come to play, dance, and sing, but also an incredible community of supporters. And thanks to generous support from the City of Berkeley, Hewlett Foundation, a major grant from Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and individual supporters, we can see a path forward.
We believe we will make music and dance together again, but we need your support. And please don't forget our artists and musicians. Visit their web pages to find tip jars or make a donation to organizations like Sweet Relief.
With your support, we will survive and when we can do it safely, we will once again throw open our doors, welcome our friends, and continue the traditions of community, peace, and cultural exchange. In the meantime, please continue to follow us on social media, and read on for more news!
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Follow us on social media to keep our community connected! |
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WHAT DOES ASHKENAZ MEAN TO YOU?
Share your story!
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That’s just what we asked some community members recently, and we heard things like this:
"Ashkenaz is my happy place -- my family, my church, my exercise center, and my spiritual spring.”
“Without Ashkenaz, I wouldn’t have my partner, my business, or my home.”
“It began as my neighborhood bar and is now my community and as close to a house of worship as I’ve ever experienced.”
“What I miss most is all the hugs.”
"Ashkenaz is not only a haven from the outside world, but a place to bring the best of the outside world into a shared space to enjoy with friends. We can't wait for when we can return for more precious moments!"
What does Ashkenaz mean to you? Click the box below to time-travel to the REVIEWS section of our Facebook page. We'll share the most compelling with the Ashkenaz community in our next newsletter.
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Larry Chin's
Long, Strange Trip
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The first time Larry Chin peeked through the window at Ashkenaz, he saw folk dancers on the floor and band members on the stage with tuckered children in sleeping bags behind them. He was mesmerized. It was 1984, and Larry had newly arrived in Berkeley from his native Jamaica to attend school. He was reuniting with wife Sandra, their daughter and their extended family, and he needed a job.
Someone pointed him toward David Nadel.
Trenchtown Jamaica in the 1970s was rife with gangs and unspeakable violence born of intense political rivalries. Killings were commonplace and families were destroyed, leaving Larry on his own at a young age. As he says, “in my day, you were more mature. I attended school, worked part-time, and fended for myself. My whole family got separated, but that made me and my family stronger.”
Eventually he made his way to Berkeley to study computers "in (coding) languages no one uses anymore," he says with his trademark deep, warm laugh.
Initially he worked part-time security in the parking lot while completing his degree, but 36 years ago the streetscape was considerably rougher around the edges than it is today. It was not usual to see crimes and commerce openly committed on the street, and Larry has a wealth of stories that include robbery, breaking up fights, having his nose broken, and (most thankfully) surviving a bullet in his skull during an armed robbery. As in Jamaica, his experience made him stronger, but he admitted to embracing a new reality of vulnerability.
Although he landed a bank job in the financial district, he was reluctant to leave Ashkenaz, so he moonlighted in Berkeley. “It was the diversity of the people there and the way people were. David was so accepting of people. He accepted you for who you are and didn’t try to put his politics on you. Bringing people together to learn different cultures from each other through music and dance –- it was bigger than his politics.”
Larry’s family today includes five children and 13 grandchildren, but when he was expecting his second child, his job in the financial district moved to Arizona. So he left the bank, took on more duties at Ashkenaz, and today he’s best known to the public as the beloved House Manager . . . but others know he wears many hats and keeps everything from the paperwork to the building going. During the pandemic he has been working part-time behind the scenes and spending lots of time with those grandchildren.
When asked what his favorite music is, he says, “Reggae is my roots, but I love it all, cajun, zydeco, and swing, and I found a special place in my heart for the Grateful Dead.” And to the community he says, “I miss seeing the people in my home away from home. It’s what I say on stage: 'Welcome and treat the next person the way you want to be treated. Stay positive.' ”
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When I first moved to Berkeley in the ‘80s to care for my mom I felt rather lost. But when I met David Nadel and the loving Ashkenaz community, I knew I had found a very special home full of music, dance, and love. I started coming to Ashkenaz first to listen to music and dance, and in 1988 I joined the staff, working in the office helping David and then in the café where I worked for decades. I still do, although I’m mostly behind the scenes now.
After David‘s death, a core group of staff and audience members worked together to re-open the club and form the nonprofit we know today. I am a founding board member who believes strongly in our mission and knows that Ashkenaz is more than a place: it is a people. We are one big Ashkenaz family and we want to keep our community center open so we can continue to gather, sing and dance for years to come. Until we can meet on the dance floor again, I hope to see you out in the world, exchange a "Hey Ashkenaz!” and share a musical memory.
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THINK GLOBALLY, DANCE LOCALLY |
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While we're waiting out the pandemic, keep up with Ashkenaz community: |
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TODAY (Nov. 17), 6 p.m.
Taj Mahal will be performing a live stream on stage at The UC Theatre – you can see Taj and support Ashkenaz! Order your $20 tickets here and $2 will go directly to Ashkenaz and $1 to the Emergency Relief Fund.
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SUNDAY (Nov. 22), 10 am-Noon
Chan Kaajal Park
3100 17th St
San Francisco
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