Shabbat

“You can smell the spice of Shabbat when Jennifer tells stories for our Junior Congregation.”
Josh Bender, former Principal, Beth Am Synagogue, in Baltimore, MD

Jennifer shares Shabbat stories each month at Beth Am Synagogue in Baltimore. After telling a story to the children in the Tot Shabbat service, she tells stories about the Parasha to the Junior Congregation and the many parents who come to listen.

On special occasions, at Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills, Jennifer gives Divrei Torah in the form of stories, and stays after morning services to tell stories and facilitate storytelling workshops for congregational retreats.

Synagogues throughout Baltimore and Washington, D.C. invite Jennifer to share Shabbat with their congregations. She works with children, teens, adults and families.

Jennifer’s Shabbat story options include: Divrei Torah and storytelling for the entire congregation, junior congregation storytelling, Friday night family stories, Tot Shabbat, and Shabbat retreats (programs designed for children, teens, or adults).

High Holy Days

“With each story she performs, Jennifer adds another layer of the sacred to our High Holydays.”
Steve Salzberg, Adult Education Co-Chair, Chevrei Tzedek Congregation in Baltimore, MD

Jennifer Rudick Zunikoff performed her story of the Akedah at Beth El Congregation in 2014 and Congregation Chevrei Tzedek in 2016. She told the story through the perspectives Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac.

Jennifer helps children and adults prepare for the High Holy Days throughout the month of Elul and into Tishrei with ancient and contemporary stories of these sacred days. From her first person versions of Jonah and the Great Fish to Chasidic tales to modern stories of prayer and forgiveness, her stories will offer listeners a path into their own process of T’schuvah.

Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah

“On Sukkot, when we live in a sukkah and surround ourselves with ancient rituals, Jennifer’s stories envelop us with the joy of Torah and the memories of ancient days.”
Alex Weinberg, Director of Congregational Learning, Temple Beth Sholom, Cherry Hill, NJ

On Erev Sukkot, Jennifer joined students and their parents in the sukkah at Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Stevenson. After traditional prayers and a delicious dinner, Jennifer told stories of the chaggim to the group.

During this season of rejoicing, it is a delight to hear stories from within the sacred space of our sukkah. Just like the holidays themselves, Jennifer’s stories add respite and renewal to our daily life.

Chanukah

The Chanukah story
During the darkest days of the year, there is light. Jennifer tells the ancient story of Chanukah in versions adapted for children, teens, and adults. As even the youngest children listen, they learn that far more than one miracle occurs during Chanukah.

Orit, the story of a sister of a Maccabi
Jennifer tells her own story of Orit, a sister of one of the Maccabi soldiers, who, along with her mother, tells stories of light to the women as they wait in the dark camp for the soldiers to return from their miraculous victories against Antiochus’s powerful army.

Yehudit’s Courage
Yehudit’s decision to place herself in danger to save the way of life of the Jewish people inspires teens and adults. Jennifer transforms into Yehudit as she tells about this heroine’s bravery in traveling to the enemy camp to save her people.

Miracles from within the Flames
Teens love Jennifer’s modern day story of 8th grade Sara who seeks out the miracle in the Chanukah lights only to discover that within those flames are thousands of years of Jewish memories, with the most sacred still to come.

Judah’s Kite
Jennifer shares another updated story for young children, about a Jewish boy who writes his prayers for peace on his favorite kite.

Tu B’shvat

Spirit of the Trees: Remembering the 1995 Jerusalem Forest Fire
Days before the holiday of Tu B’Shvat was to begin, Jennifer visited Friday night services at Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation in Mt. Washington to share a story with adults about the 1995 Jerusalem Forest Fire and the spirit of the trees. Jennifer interviewed Israelis and Americans who were in Israel at the time of the fire. Her powerful performance weaves together the factual and mystical events that led to the fire and the eventual replanting of the Jerusalem Hills.

Choni, the Circle Maker
Each year Jennifer retells the Talmudic stories of Choni the Circle Maker on Tu B’Shvat. These ancient stories dance back to life as Jennifer re-enacts Choni’s challenge to the Master of the Universe: “I will not leave this circle until you bring your people rain.” In a second story, Choni learns the importance of planting trees for future generations as Jennifer gives her audience a story to pass along to their children.

Purim

Jennifer’s Purim Stories for Adults

“When Jennifer tells the tale of Megillat Esther, she becomes Esther, sharing the heroine’s hopes and fears for the future of the Jewish people.”
—Gail Rosen, Jewish storyteller, founder and chair of the Healing Story Alliance, a special interest group of the National Storytelling Network

Esther’s Story
So many people think that Purim is a children’s holiday. When Jennifer begins Esther’s story from the perspective of a teenage girl (the rabbis estimate that she was about 14 years old at the start of the tale) who quickly matures into an adult, Purim becomes a grown-up holiday indeed. Jennifer’s Esther shares her innermost thoughts and doubts as she struggles to believe that she actually is who she is meant to be—a leader of her people.

Plum Jam Purim and Special Purims
Purim storytelling extends beyond ancient Persia and the month of Adar. Jewish communities throughout the world have instituted hundreds of special Purims to remember how their community was saved from disaster. Jennifer’s stories of some of these special Purims will bring these little known stories to life and teach us about the many miracles throughout the history of the Jewish people.

Jennifer’s Purim Stories for Teens

“Jennifer perfectly captured the attitude and facial expressions of a teenage Esther. For young people raised on every sort of techno-media available, these teens were mesmerized by the ancient art of storytelling by Jennifer.”
—Janet Ring, former Director of Education, Adat Chaim Congregation in Reisterstown, MD

“Why Me?”
Esther’s tale for teens
“All those other girls vying to become queen are so much prettier than I am. Why would the king ever pick me?” wonders Esther.
Teenagers grapple with the worry of not being nice-looking enough, cool enough, and just not good enough. Jennifer’s story of Esther introduces them to a teenager who is just as anxious as they are.
“Who does Mordechai think I am? I’m no Miriam, no Deborah. I am not a heroine. I’m just a teenage girl. And I certainly cannot be the one to save the Jewish people.”
Despite Esther’s initial doubts, the teens quickly learn that she is just the young woman to be the heroine of her people.

“Shushan High School”
A modern version of the Purim story
“‘But I can’t tell Verosh that Herrine is the cause of all our problems,’ Hadassah told her cousin Marty. ‘If I do, it will be death to my popularity.”

“‘Can’t you see Hadassah? Perhaps you were meant to transfer to Shushan High just for this reason – to save us from Herrine’s wicked plans.’”
Middle school students know how hard it can be to do what’s right when standing up for your beliefs means no longer being “in” with the right group. Teens relate to Hadassah’s situation as she struggles to decide whether to save the school play from being boycotted by the popular students. Does she speak her mind? Or does she choose to remain in good favor with Verosh, “king of the school,” and his nasty sidekick Herrine?

Jennifer’s Purim Stories for School-Age Children

“Jennifer’s storytelling is superb! Since she became a ‘regular’ at our school, the students can hardly wait for her visits.”
—Rachel Glaser, Director, Religious School, Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills, MD

Jennifer’s Purim stories meet school age students just where they are and can be tailored for any group…

3rd – 6th graders
When Jennifer tells the story of Purim, third through sixth graders learn about Purim through Esther’s point of view. For many of them, it is the first time they have seen Esther not just as a character from ancient times, but as a person with worries and dreams just like them. Jennifer also tells a version of her “Shushan School: a Purim tale for today” for this age group.

K – 2nd graders
In Jennifer’s Purim programs for kindergarten – 2nd graders, the children have the chance to wear hats, scarves, and jewelry and to act out the Purim story as Jennifer tells it. Not only do the students learn the Purim story, they delight in acting as Queen Esther, Mordechai, Vashti, Haman, and King Achashverosh. They rejoice with Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai as Haman’s evil plan is turned on his head – because the Jews do not die, they are saved instead!

Jennifer’s Purim Stories for Pre-School Students

Purim means dress-up time! Even the toddlers get to wear a bit of the Purim story when Jennifer comes for Purim. When she tells the story of Esther, Jennifer incorporates all the children into the story. As they listen and watch Jennifer’s storytelling, the children are transported into a magical world where the good guys and good girls succeed in saving the Jewish people!

Jennifer’s Purim Stories for Families

“Not only did Jennifer impart the religious significance of Purim, she did it in a way that will be long remembered by everyone who attended, especially by the parents and teachers who Jennifer asked to act out the Purim play as she told the story. It was an extremely fun and engaging day for all of us at Beth Shalom!”
—Richard Kavalsky, former Education Director, Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia, MD

When Jennifer presents the Purim story for children and their families, she invites parents to play the roles of Esther, Vashti, Mordechai, Haman, King Achashverosh and several other characters. She tells the story as the parents act out the story. The children delight in seeing their moms and dads at play!

Passover

“Jennifer’s performance made me feel so good to be a Jewish woman. Her first-person stories of the women of the Exodus were so gracefully done. She absolutely touched every woman’s soul in that auditorium. Her presentation at our Women’s Seder will never be forgotten.”
Saralyn Elkin, co-chair of Women’s Seder and member of the Board of Directors, Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, MD

At Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, Jennifer performed the stories of five of the “Women of Exodus” for more than 300 women at an experiential Passover Seder. Jennifer’s first person accounts included the perspectives of Shifra, one of the Hebrew midwives who defied the Pharaoh’s orders; Jocheved, Moses’ mother; Batya, the Pharaoh’s daughter; Miriam, Moses’ sister; and a woman who rebelled against Egyptian law by leading the righteous women down to the mud fields where their husbands lay sleeping.

Here are some excerpts from Jennifer’s “Women of Exodus” performance:

The story of Shifra, the midwife
“Puah, once I was young and beautiful like you. Now my skin is wrinkled and my body is old. But I am no longer afraid…
We have not listened to the Pharaoh’s orders. And we never will. We will only obey the Master of the Universe…”

Jocheved’s story
“God, how can you ask this of me? You want me to sacrifice my child. To place him in the river! I can not bare the taste of such bitterness!”

Batya’s story
“My father tells me not to bathe in the Nile River; that only common people bathe in the Nile. I would rather be a common girl than stay inside that palace with its narrow walls and narrow minds… My father thinks he is a god. He is not a god. A god would not teach his people to oppress others…”

Miriam’s story
“We are free. We have escaped the Pharaoh. Master of the Universe, I thank you for our freedom. Thank you for such righteous women; women who believed that you would set us free! They left room in their bags not only for matza, but for timbrels, so that they could dance. Thank you, God for women such as these. Women who knew there would be reason to celebrate!”

The story of a righteous woman
“The Pharaoh wanted to keep us apart from our husbands; to insure that a new generation of Hebrews would not be born… I missed my husband, and I had a plan. I knew that on this night the moon would be full and round in the sky. So I called to my sisters and neighbors. I told each woman to go into her own home and prepare the food her husband favored. We would steal down to the mud fields together. And then each of us would find our husband…”

Passover stories for Children
During religious school at Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Stevenson, Jennifer shared a miraculous story of Elijah the Prophet with the third graders. The children then worked in small groups to retell a piece of the story for their classmates. By the end of class, they were prepared to be the guest storyteller at their family Seder the following week.

Jennifer tells age-appropriate versions of the Exodus story as well as midrashim about Moses and Miriam. She also shares mystical stories about the Pesach holiday.

Yom HaShoah

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Chana Szenes:
Jennifer transforms into Chana Szenes as she tells the story of this young heroine who risked her life to save the Jews of Hungary under Nazi occupation.

Kristallnacht

The Night of Broken Glass
This account of Kristallnacht, as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl living in Vienna on the horrible night of November 9, 1938, is a true story. Jennifer interviewed an elderly woman who watched her life slowly unravel from the days of the Anschluss. Then, on Kristallnacht, the young girl knew her life had changed forever.

And We Listened: Germans and Jews Today

What does it mean to compassionately listen? Witness the experience through Jennifer’s dramatic telling. In September 2002, she was a member of a group of 34 Jewish-Americans and non-Jewish Germans who spent ten days listening to each other and to several other speakers who lived during WWII, including a Holocaust survivor who recently moved back to Berlin, and a former SS soldier.

The listening begins in Lebensgarten, an eco-village near Bremen, Germany that was once a Nazi munitions factory. It continues as the group travels to Berlin, and to the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Back in Lebensgarten, participants realize that listening to each other means listening from within.

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Israeli Independence Day

At Beth Shalom Congregation in Arnold, Maryland, the 8th -10th graders celebrated Israeli Independence Day by listening to the story of Golda Meir, Israel’s first and only female prime minister.

Golda Meir
The story begins with a view of Golda’s family fearfully huddled in the dark, hoping to escape the pogrom outside their door. As the years pass, Golda, now a young American, draws a crowd as she stands on street corners speaking eloquently about the importance of Palestine.
Jennifer’s storytelling brings her audience into a dangerous secret meeting between Golda and King Hussein of Jordan as she, the foreign minister of the soon-to-be Jewish state, unsuccessfully tries to persuade him to avoid attacking Israel. And Jennifer transports her audience again into the horrible moment when Golda discovers that the Yom Kippur War has begun.
Despite enduring so many hardships with this new nation, as well as her personal battle with cancer, Golda becomes the hero that the Israeli people need.
Jennifer’s research into Golda’s life, combined with her intense energy and admiration for this incredible heroine, create a powerful tale.

The Western Wall
Jennifer shares the story of her first experience at the Kotel as she changes from a young person filled with doubt into a woman forever connected to the land of Israel.

Israeli folktales
The ancient folktales of the holy land continue to live in the hearts of the Jewish people. As they listen to Jennifer’s voice, children and adults float into Israel’s mystical past; to a place where reality and magic melt into one.

Shavuot

Ruth
She let go of her past to follow her true mother home. Jennifer’s first-person telling of the first woman to choose Judaism brings her listeners to back to a world where faith,love and loyalty create the future for the Jewish people.

Rachel who Seeks the Broken Pieces
Jennifer’s creative midrash relates the story of a young girl with a hearing disability who lives at the time of the receiving of the Torah. Rachel listens, not with her ears, but with her heart. While her leader and mentor Moses speaks with God at the top of Mt. Sinai, Rachel listens to God from the bottom. It is she who sees that the broken pieces of the first set of the commandments are as sacred as the set which is whole.

Shavuot Midrashim
The holiday of Shavuot is filled with midrashim about the time of the giving of the Torah: the tale of how Mt. Sinai was chosen, the story of how the women did not participate in the creation of the golden calf, the tale of the people’s promise to God that they would teach the Torah to their children. Children and adults will step back into the time of Moses as they listen to her moving account of these delightful stories.

Tisha B’Av

Women of the Torah

“Seeing and hearing a performance of a Biblical story lends reality to an event that is usually far removed from the lives of teenagers, or just considered legend. Jennifer’s first-person storytelling performance provided a very real means of understanding the characters’ motivations and the conflict that the character was going through.”
Steve Gordon, middle school Judaic teacher at Rosenbloom Religious School, Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore, MD

“Jennifer’s performance made me feel so good to be a Jewish woman. Her first-person stories of the women of the Exodus were so gracefully done. She absolutely touched every woman’s soul in that auditorium. Her presentation at our Women’s Seder will never be forgotten.”
Saralyn Elkin, co-chair of Women’s Seder and member of Board of Directors, Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, MD

At Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, Jennifer performed the stories of five of the “Women of Exodus” for more than 300 women at an experiential Passover Seder. Jennifer’s first person accounts included the perspectives of Shifra, one of the Hebrew midwives who defied the Pharaoh’s orders; Jocheved, Moses’ mother; Batya, the Pharaoh’s daughter; Miriam, Moses’ sister; and a woman who rebelled against Egyptian law by leading the righteous women down to the mud fields where their husbands lay sleeping.

Here are some excerpts from Jennifer’s “Women of Exodus” performance:

The story of Shifra, the midwife
“Puah, once I was young and beautiful like you. Now my skin is wrinkled and my body is old. But I am no longer afraid…
We have not listened to the Pharaoh’s orders. And we never will. We will only obey the Master of the Universe…”

Jocheved’s story
“God, how can you ask this of me? You want me to sacrifice my child. To place him in the river! I can not bare the taste of such bitterness!”

Batya’s story
“My father tells me not to bathe in the Nile River; that only common people bathe in the Nile. I would rather be a common girl than stay inside that palace with its narrow walls and narrow minds…
My father thinks he is a god. He is not a god. A god would not teach his people to oppress others…”

Miriam’s story
“We are free. We have escaped the Pharaoh. Master of the Universe… thank you for our freedom. Thank you for such righteous women. Women who believed that you would set us free! They left room in their bags not only for matza, but for timbrels, so that they could dance. Thank you, God for women such as these. Women who knew there would be reason to celebrate!”

The story of a righteous woman
“The Pharaoh wanted to keep us apart from our husbands; to insure that a new generation of Hebrews would not be born…
I missed my husband, and I had a plan. I knew that on this night the moon would be full and round in the sky. So I called to my sisters and my neighbors. I told each woman to go into her own home and prepare the food her husband favored. We would steal down to the mud fields together. And then each of us would find our own husband…”

Jennifer brings the women of Torah to life through her storytelling. She uses the stories written in the Torah as her foundation and incorporates tales from the Midrash to bring the biblical women to life. Jennifer also weaves her own creative midrashim into the ancient stories.

Through Jennifer’s storytelling, audiences witness Sarah’s beauty through the eyes of the Egyptian men who see her for the first time. Listeners fall silent during Sarah and Hagar’s at the Pharaoh’s palace. They cry with Rebecca’s pain when Esau and Jacob struggle within her womb. They cringe to hear Rachel’s anguish as she cries to God, “Why can’t I have children?” They stare stunned at the transformation of young Esther when she tells Mordechai that she will die to save her people.

Other Performances

Interwoven Lives:
The story of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The tale of two great men who could hear the passion in each other’s hearts.

“I have used the imagery of Heshel and King marching together in dozens of interfaith invocations. When I heard Jennifer’s rich and dramatic story of the two, I re-wrote the invocation. The power and emotion Jennifer brought to the episode now resounds with new energy in my invocation. It never fails to elicit appreciative comments from the audience.”
Rabbi Elan Adler, Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation in Mt. Washington, Maryland

The Answer is in Your Hands
Stories for Jewish teens dealing with friendship, peer pressure, rejection, and listening to the still, small voice. Stories for Jewish teens dealing with friendship, peer pressure, rejection, and listening to the still, small voice.

“Jennifer has the unique ability to engage children and teens in a discussion of serious issues by telling a story that immediately captures their attention. Her mesmerizing way of telling stories helps them focus on situations they may face and the decisions they may have to make.”
Susan Kurlander, Program Director, Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister League in Baltimore, MD

Shalom, Soup, and Shadows: My Nana’s Gifts
Tales about Jennifer’s Nana and how love and family make all the difference.

“Jennifer is a fabulous performer! I asked her to perform for a group of adults in their twenties and thirties. She was able to tell stories that speak to their stage of life and their range of experience. From dealing with the death of her grandmother to her first trip to Israel, all were able to relate and be part of the group experience. I will definitely bring Jennifer back to perform again!”
Jodi Green, J-LINC GesherCity Coordinator (a young adult outreach program of the Baltimore Jewish community)

Isaac & Ishmael, Jews and Muslims: Are we our brother’s keeper?
Stories about Jennifer’s visit to a Muslim school after September 11, 2001.
Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side?
Life looks better on the other side of the fence. But is it?

And We Listened: Germans and Jews Today
What does it mean to compassionately listen? Witness the experience through Jennifer’s dramatic telling. In September 2002, she was a member of a group of 34 Jewish-Americans and non-Jewish Germans who spent ten days listening to each other and to several other speakers who lived during WWII, including a Holocaust survivor who recently moved back to Berlin, and a former SS soldier.
The listening begins in Lebensgarten, an eco-village near Bremen, Germany that was once a Nazi munitions factory. It continues as the group travels to Berlin, and to the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Back in Lebensgarten, participants realize that listening to each other means listening from within.

Performance Possibilities

Would you like to commission Jennifer to craft a story for your synagogue or organization? Jennifer creates performances for annual meetings and special programs, such as Women’s Seders and events that honor members of your organization. She will work with you to design a memorable and powerful performance!

Jennifer brought our Women’s Department alive at our annual meeting, honoring the work that we have done over the years through the eyes and experiences of five women. As a result of her extensive research, she was able to articulate the broad scope of our programming and warmth through these women’s experiences and personalities. The power of these stories told a beautiful tale and honored the valuable work we engage in each and every day.”
Robin S. Levenston, former Vice President, Women’s Department,
THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore