The High Holidays: A Personal Reflection on Live Performance
- Brooke Vogel
- Oct 1, 2022
- 2 min read
The High Holidays, also known as High Holy Days, is a ten day celebration ringing in the Jewish New Year. Marked as the holiest days of the year, we repent for last year's sins. What my family does is we don’t just take this time to repent, but to reflect as well.
As the 2022 High Holidays are in full swing, I’ve been taking the time to reflect on who I was, who I am, and who I will be. Through this, I’ve realized that part of my past, present and future is live performance and entertainment.
In my first blog, I explained my love for theater, performing, and storytelling, but what I didn’t talk about was the person who inspired and encouraged my passion: My Pada.
As a toddler, my older sister, Lexi, had a hard time saying "grandpa" or "papa." The word "Pada" slipped out and since then, the name Pada had stuck for my mother's father.
From a young age, Pada encouraged me to perform any time I saw him. When my sister and I were younger, he would sit down and request for us to sing for him. Since he lived in Florida and I live in New York, it was rare that he would get to see any of my performances in real time.
Any singing recital, musical, or play, would be recorded and sent to him a few days later. Nevertheless, he was always ecstatic to watch, listen, or even just hear about any of my performance endeavors.
In the summer of 2021, I sang for him and my grandma on their wedding anniversary. My dad and I were on our way to see a movie and decided to call them.
When we spoke to them, my dad insisted that I sang “On My Own” from the musical, Les Miserables, as a part of their anniversary gift. At first I protested, but I eventually caved. I’m honestly glad I did because that was the last time I sang for him.
A few months later, I was cast as the entertainment anchor on ICTV’s morning show, Good Day Ithaca. I can remember him telling me how excited he was to watch me on TV. But he never got the chance to see my broadcast.
He passed away a week after that.
Ever since then, every performance, every broadcast, every achievement, I’ve dedicated to him.
The High Holidays are not only about reflecting on ourselves but it’s about remembering who we lost. I keep the memory of my Pada alive through live performance and entertainment, whether that be my own, or through sharing someone else’s performances.
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