Be Thou a Blessing, In Honor of Rabbi Sugarman

We dedicate this update to the memory of Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, an inspiration to us both and countless others.

3/19/25

Blessings to All Y’all People of Conscience,

So much has happened in our world and in all of our lives since we last checked in via Substack on 1/14/25. On a very personal note, we dedicate this update to the memory of Rabbi Alvin Sugarman. Rabbi Sugarman, who passed away on 1/17/25, was the rabbi emeritus of The Temple in Atlanta, GA. A universally beloved and respected faith leader, Rabbi Sugarman impacted countless lives through his commitment to justice, his deep faith, and his belief that all human beings are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. These beliefs were not merely lip service, Rabbi Sugarman lived these beliefs every day of his life and, as a testament to his leadership, embedded these beliefs in The Temple community not only in people’s hearts and souls but in institutions like the Zaban Paradies Center and Our House.. Rabbi Sugarman’s favorite scriptural passage, which Micah heard him reference countless times, came from the book of Genesis. It is the moment when God told Abram: Be Thou a Blessing. It’s as simple as that. Be Thou a Blessing. Both of these institutions are in constant need of support. Action item: Support them. Be Thou a Blessing.

If you haven’t yet listened to our two new-ish recordings we hope you will take a few minutes to do so, share them with friends, add them to playlists (this really helps), and let us know what you think! Here are links to “I Am” and “To This Darkness.”

This past Saturday we had the thrill of playing a sold out show here in Atlanta, our home town, at the iconic venue: Eddie’s Attic. We opened for our dear friend, the immensely talented, Ariela Freedman. You can hear some of her music here. Playing at Eddie’s Attic, with a killer band consisting of the ever generous and talented Will Robertson, as well as Colin Agnew and Kris Goodall, was an absolute blast. For the first time we really felt the joy of being on our home turf. When we travel to other cities we receive such a warm and enthusiastic welcome, but it can be harder to generate excitement closer to home where “everybody knows your name.” But Eddie’s Attic really felt like a homecoming. We suspect that’s because of our involvement in Shabbat Shirah at Congregation Bet Haverim in February.

For the uninitiated, Shabbat Shirah is an annual concert presented by Congregation Bet Haverim. It highlights their incredible musical program led by Rebekka Goldsmith and Will Robertson. This year, we were invited to be the “special guests” and were able to help recruit a host of interfaith partners including the incredible Dr. Emorja Roberson and Dr. Tony McNeil who were all eager to create something special together. Though Micah missed much of the leadup due to flu and bronchitis, we witnessed an extraordinary opening of hearts and minds, repertoires and voices. We not only made music together, but we forged bonds that helped us all heal, grow stronger, and feel like we are part of a movement towards something greater-- a movement towards love. You can read more about Shabbat Shirah in this wonderful article written by Lauren Menis.

Knowing that we don’t want to overwhelm you with words, we’ll end by saying that we are headed into spring with tremendous energy and purpose. You can hear a bit of that energy and purpose in this interview which we did with Lois Reizes, the host of City Lights on WABE, Atlanta’s NPR. Shortly after the interview we learned that Lois is retiring after having one of the most successful and celebrated careers of any on-air NPR personality in the country. We wish her much joy in her upcoming retirement and are grateful to have been her guests on three separate occasions. If you listen, please let us know.

We need your encouragement and support to help us maintain focus. In exchange we offer you our music, but even more, an invitation to “join us on the endless highway that is America” as one of our not yet released songs goes. Please share our Substack, our music, and invite us to visit your community (again) or for the first time. We are eager to do our part wherever the spirit may lead us. In the meantime, we’ll end where we began: Be Thou a Blessing.

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Till We Meet Again,

Micah & Melvin