Jake Weinstein welcomed the Jewish new year on stilts — with a musical message of peace.
Hours before the Wednesday sundown start of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of year 5774 on the Hebrew calendar, Weinstein towered above Chapel Street passersby and serenaded them with the song “Oseh Shalom.”
His fingers pressing the keys of an accordian, Weinstein sang:
Oseh shalom bimromav hu ya’aseh shalom aleynu v’al kol yisrael vimru amen
Translated that means:
He who makes peace in his high places
he shall make peace upon us
and upon all of Israel
and say, “Amen”
Weinstein ended with “l’shanah tova!,” a wish for a good year.
Weinstein, his stilts and his accordion were a downtown fixture for many years. Weinstein himself was a fixture in circus and political activist circles. The 59-year-old street musician moved to Knoxville some years back; he returns here regularly to visit his now 19-year-old son — and to play for tips on Chapel Street.
Click on the video to watch his year-welcoming serenade. Would you throw him some coins for the performance? Feel free to comment below.
And happy new year!
Previous street-musician coverage:
L'shanah tova!! Thanks NHI and have a Happy New Year.