On January 26, 150 Stern women and their female guests gathered for the premier all-female concert of the Bulletproof Stockings, sponsored by the Chabad Club, Mechina, and TAC. The event celebrating the musical talents of Orthodox Jewish women appropriately fell on the Saturday night of Shabbat Shira, when the Torah and Haftorah portion include Miriam and Devorah’s contributions to shira, or song.
On January 26, 150 Stern women and their female guests gathered for the premier all-female concert of the Bulletproof Stockings, sponsored by the Chabad Club, Mechina, and TAC. The event celebrating the musical talents of Orthodox Jewish women appropriately fell on the Saturday night of Shabbat Shira, when the Torah and Haftorah portion include Miriam and Devorah’s contributions to shira, or song.“Women have a unique role in Judaism,” said Angelie Stokes, a junior from the Mechina club in the Dvar Torah she delivered to open the event. “We have a unique mission: Miriam and Devorah may have been in the background but they were also the backbone. This night is all about inspiring other women.”
It was also a night celebrating the talented young women at Stern College. “Youth is the engine of the world,” said Chabad co-president Rochel Spangenthal, quoting Matisyahu’s song “Youth,” as the audience cheered.
The B’Notes were the opening act; all the members wore grey shirts, imprinted with “B’Notes” in pink letters, and denim skirts, singing Kol Gaga with alternating whispers and whimsically humorous “Whees!” For the second song, the group performed their version of Six13’s “Al HaNissim,” featuring the incredible beat boxing skills of the talented duo Daniella Eson and Tanya Gutterson. Next came a medley of “Yehi Shalom,” “Mikimi,” “Hinei Bah HaShalom,”and “Oz V’Hadar,” all beautifully conducted by B’Notes leader Sarah Diamond.
As the audience waited for the arrival of Bulletproof Stockings, a talent show commenced. Dasha Sominski played the guitar and performed a soulful rendition of a song which she dedicated to her sister, the lyrics expressing her admiration for her sister’s strength. “Sister, sister/You are made of steel,” she sang huskily in a smoky voice slightly reminiscent of Janis Joplin.
The following acts included the B’Notes’ Tanya Gutterson also playing the guitar as she sang Matisyahu’s “One Day” with a kind of country twang to it, as the audience clapped and sang along. She followed up with her own original song, “Closer to You,” describing her own struggles of connecting with G-d. Her final solo performance included a soulful rock version of “Adon Olam.”
Tamar Schwarzbard, a presidential fellow at Yeshiva University and recent Stern graduate, also got hold of the guitar to play and sing Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and Adele’s “Rollin’ In The Deep.”
Finally the Bulletproof Stockings arrived. Singer and lyricist Perl Wolfe and drummer Dalia G. Shusterman were clad fashionably in gold and black outfits, respectively, accompanied by cellist Elisheva Maister, dressed in black. The audience rushed towards the stage and began to dance and sway along to “Easy Pray,” “You Are,” “Homeland Called Stomp” and an as yet unnamed instrumental piece. The audience had shaken loose and were showing off their moves to fast-paced beats of “Off Track” with clever lyrics (“Children gallop through the void with a purpose/This is not the means to an end we hold for”). With their rising stardom in both the Jewish and secular world – they’ve garnered favorable press in news outlets like the New Yorker, New York Post, and most recently AOL, the musical group not only did not disappoint but rose beyond expectations.
Overall, the event was a smash hit, with soulful music, talented performers, the lively crowd…and of course, free pizza.