Avi Jacob headlines community holiday event Dec. 13

From a young age, music called to Avi Jacob. The Dartmouth, Massachusetts, native grew up listening to Rabbi Jim Rosenberg play the guitar at Temple Habonim in Barrington. His parents would have preferred he become a lawyer, he said. But it was not to be.

“Music is what I’m suited for,” Jacob said in a recent interview. At 8, he was playing instruments. At 10, he sang onstage. “It made me feel good,” he said. “I never thought I’d become a professional musician. I didn’t know anyone who did that.”

He went to college, tried teaching history and farming, but the love of music won out. After living in Boston, Western Massachusetts and Charleston, South Carolina, he's settled in Providence.

Jacob will perform Dec. 13 at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence as part of a community holiday event sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

The singer-songwriter said he doesn’t play specifically Jewish music but there are Jewish themes in his music because “that is who I am.”

Much of what he plays is music that influences him. Song from artists such as Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan. He will play a Yiddish favorite, too.

When he plays at the JCC, you will surely hear “Every Night of Hanukkah.”

“I’m looking into planning an album of Jewish songwriter covers,” he said.

For now, he is working on promoting his latest project, Hawk in the Nest, a compilation of folk, Americana and R&B music with storytelling. For this, he is performing as Hawk in the Nest and has put together a band.

The community holiday event on Dec. 13 is part of the Israeli Culture Series. It is a partnership with adult programming and Kids Night Out so the community can take a break from the hectic holiday season and listen to live music, drink delicious Israeli wine and enjoy traditionally decorated sufganiyot from local Israeli Bakery, Navad. There will also be baskets with products from Israeli businesses that will be available to win with purchased raffle tickets!

This event is 21+ and preregistration is required. However, the children, grades K-5, can register for an Israeli-themed Kids Night Out where they will fill their own sufganiyot and enjoy activities including dinner and a movie.

For more information and to register for this program and Kids Night Out, please use this link: https://www.jewishallianceri.org/events/ics-adult-programming-avi-jacob.

FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.