When this web site was created, its initial theme was to provide a home for the documentation generated by the disk coordinator CDs. In the interim, and we don't know why, it has tried to cover other facets of Israeli (and International) folk dance and one of the branches is into the history of this genre of dancing in the Philadelphia area.

Those familiar with this web site know that it includes a repository section of media articles through the years on Israeli dance and there has been an attempt to create a time line of events which at the moment dates back to 1995. A new feature is the conversion of vinyl to mp3 which you can see by clicking here.

This web site has also had several conversations with Rob Malerman, Sharon Polsky, Ellen Weber, Israel Siegler, Don Schillinger and others as we attempt to pick up some verbal history also.

This script, and a sister script which you can view by clicking here, takes us even deeper into this historical perspective. At the moment, we have over 100 photos from years past pertaining to Israeli dancing in the Phila area from a variety of sources which are indicated. In all cases, the sources indicated freely and knoweledgeably gave access to these photos are were aware that they would be displayed in a script on this web site. The following segments this script into the several parts pertaining to the sources of the pictures. We hope to shortly give you, the reader, an ability to quickly comment on each picture so that the comments can be included within a short duration.

First set of Pictures - provided by Israel Siegler

This web site arranged on April 28th, 2011, at Don's session, to copy 27 photographs as seen below submitted by Israel Siegler. He has also been gracious enough to add some commentary which are the first comments pertaining to the pictures. We have asked others to look at these pictures and their commentary is included after Israel's. So below, we have a picture to the left, and Israel's commentary on the right with any additional commentary in italics. The pictures are numbered so if you can add something to these or any of the other pictures, you are welcome by emailing that info (with appropriate photo number) to diskcrd@thediskcoordinator.com.

Performance for Israel Independence day at Penn’s landing. The group and event was organized by Rob Malerman.
Rob Malerman indicates:The Blue and White costumes [ed note: that you see in the rest of Israel's pictures at Penn's Landing] are Cafe Israel costumes. The previous photos were not part of the Cafe israel dance presentation as uniforms for Cafe Israel performances were blue and white.

1.			Roseanne and Pnina at the Y at Broad and Pine.
2.			Gabbi Gabai, Shimon and Israel at the Y at broad and Pine.
3.			Gadi Meir and Israel at a dance party at Hannah’s house in Phialdelhia. Gadi is well known in the dance community for the best ever video tapes (video in motion) of camps and events in USA.
4.			Shlomo Maman and Shmulik Gov-Ari with Beth on the stage at the Y at Broad and Pine.
5.			Bobby Carr at the dance party at Hannah’s house. Per Rob Malerman:Bobby Carr used to teach Internantional folk dance with Jerry Shiffer at Boat House row. He is also a California State champion Irish Step Dancer and was part of the Rikudim Ensemble, led by Shelly Kotilikoff in the 1970s, This troupe also had Kelly Rae (known for tango in this area), Sherry Milner and myself (Rob Malerman).
6.			Mamman and Beth dancing on the stage at the Y at Broad and Pine (same event as 290.4)
7.			Edna Ludomirsky and Israel posing with a move from the dance “Hamsah”. We performed at a synagogue in the North East as part of Café Israel performances in the community.
8.			same as 190.7
9.			Same as 190.7
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11.			same as 1909 Per Rob malerman: Besides the Cafe israel dancers, Don Schillinger had a dance troupe at one time and after the Cafe Israel troupe was abandoned, Hana and Ethan led a dance troupe based on the Cafe Israel dancers>/p>
12.			Same as above
13.			same as Above
14.			Same as above
15.			same, Pnina with Andrea. She was one of the best female dancers in Philadelphia and then she stopped dancing. [Ed Note: All the following were taken that afternoon at Penn's Landing]
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25.			Third from the left is Grace Flisser. Ethan (of Ethan and Hana fame) is next to me (Rob Malerman)
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Pictures received from Rob Malerman

In the repository section of this web site, we have several articles about Cafe Israel and Rob Malerman. Rob created and ran Cafe Israel at the Klein JCC from 1987 (or 1988) through 1999. On the fifth anniversary, in 1993, there was a celebration and below are several shots of this. Besides Rob Malerman in these pictures, you can see Rich Averett (who still is a part of the Sunday night dancing in his position of money collector) and Edna, who we have seen in some of the pictures above

28.			You can see by these pictures major differences between the Sunday night dancing of then vs now. Rob Malerman indicates that there were plenty of young people, mostly teenagers, that attended Cafe israel on a regular basis. The diskcoordinator has taken the liberty of cropping this picture but the original, which pans only a small portion of the room used at the Klein JCC, has about 25 people in it. At the time the picture was snapped the room was filled, according to Rob, and he estimates that 100 dancers were there that evening for the celebration.
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Pictures received from Ellen Weber

Ellen Weber has been nice enough to provide some photographs which were scanned on May 9th. Ellen become involved with this genre of dancing during the 70's when it was being done at the University Of Philadelphia. She became part of the committee (which also included Rob Malerman) that ran the weekly Wednesday night sessions and moved with the session to the Gershman Y. She took time off during the 1990's from dancing but is now back. Below are 30 pghotographs spanning 2 decades. In italics are comments by Rob Malerman

31.		From left to right:Sherry Milner, Laurie Darren (also danced in Rikudim for a while)Steve Schwartz, Beth, Ellen,Marko Ben Shimon,?,Sharon and Andrea Friedman seated. Most of these people were on the "committee"
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33.		With Marko Ben Shimon. Photo taken on the rooftop of the Gershman Y. In the summers we danced on the roof.
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36.		We used to get a lot of dancers. This was a busy night at Gershman.
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39.		Shlomo Maman and Ellen. Notice Lee in pink in background
40.	Moshiko at Gershman for a workshop
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47.	Looks like Penn Hillel on a busy night. Moshe Eskayo is in the center with Ellen. Must have been a workshop.
48.		Striped shirt second from left is Jerry Shiffer, one of the forefathers of Internatioonal dancing in Phila. He and Bobby Carr led the Monday night Boat House Row dance in winter and the Art Museum Tuesday nights in the Summer.
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50.		Israel Yakovee was teaching a workshop at Penn but not Hillel. There was a time when we danced in a different room. I don't remember where it was, but it was on campus
51.		Maman and Ellen
52.		Looks like Moti Al Fassi doing a Penn workshop?
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56.		Maman at Penn
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58.		Moshiko and Yakovee
59.		Beth, Sharon, Shmulik and Ellen
60.		Eskayo on mike, Behind him is Moshiko, next to Moshiko is Maman, and the red headed guy looks like Danny Uziel. Must be a workshop. Probably Keff.

The following pictures have been submitted by Sharon Polsky. Sharon was part of the committee at Penn and the gershman Y. Some of these pictures are at Penn, some in upstate New York when many dancers attended a danc e workshop and some at the gershman Y.

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86.		Back row, left to right, ?,?,Moshe Eskayo,Danny Uziel,Ruth Goodman,Israel Yakovee,Moshiko Ha Levy,?,?. Front row left to right:Shlomo Bachar, Dani Dassa,. This is perhaps the largest grouping of israeli folk dance leaders and choreographers I have seen in one picture

87. Grace Flisser has been pictured above. Below, she contributes a picture for our history project

The following pictures are additional pictures submitted by Sharon Polsky. Some of these pertain to dancing at Houston Hall in Penn and others are at various dance camps including Hora Shalom. Some of thep ictures at Penn involve a workshop given by the choreographer Israel Yaacovee in 1984.

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Additional Pictures from Rob Malerman. These pictures pertain to Cafe Israel. This web site hopes to shortly do a script on the discontinuance of the Sunday session at Klein (although the session continues at other venues) combined with some nostalgia about Cafe Israel. Below, as indicated, are 6 pictures from Cafe I srael in the 1990's.

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Rob Malerman, through Cafe israel, was the administrator of the Cafe israel dancers. We know that they performed at the Blushing Zebra coffee house on Germantown Avenue in late march, Early April of 1988. Apparently the next gig was at the Israel day celebrations in may of 1988. The picture below shows the troupe. This picture comes from the Klein Branch publication that gave announcements of future events

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We believe these pictures were taken by Alex Huber and pertain to the 2000 Hora Aviv which was at Wilson College near Gettysberg.

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One of the Cafe israel dancers was Jody G who has returned to dancing, being a regular at Don's Beth Sholom class. Apparently, some of the photos that appear earlier have her in it. An avid dancer, she naturally gravitated to the severla groups that performed israeli dance around the Philadelphia area. These pictures below are taken in may, 1990 as the dance group performs at the Israeli independence day parade on the Parkway in Philadelphia.

Great effort went into this performance as you can see. Various costumes were used and, as we understand it, several changes of costumes preceded several dancing skits for that afternoon. Below are some pictures from may, 1990

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