The Fulton Public Library http://fultonpubliclibrary.info, winner of 2005 & 2006 National Endowment for the Humanities / American Library Association “We the People” Bookshelves on Freedom and Becoming American, and in cooperation with the Safe Haven Museum and Education Center <http://www.oswegohaven.org> will present the last pair in a series of musical presentations entitled: “FREEDOM SONG!”

The pair of events are scheduled for Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at 1:30 pm in Fulton, NY at the David E. Vayner Branch Library of the Fulton Public Library, 365 West First Street (in the CYO Building) and at 7:00 pm in Oswego, NY at Safe Haven, 2 East Seventh Street (on the grounds of Fort Ontario).

The concerts, performed by 11 year-old Reyna and her father, Binyumen Schaechter are entitled “From Kinehora to Kuni-Ayland: Snapshots of the History of Jewish Life in North America (1654-2005).” A musical revue in Yiddish and English with translations provided.

Both presentations will be followed by a time for discussion with the performers when light refreshments will be served. These events are intended for multigenerational audiences and home-schoolers are especially invited to attend with their educators. Admission is free.

These programs are presented in collaboration with the Safe Haven Museum and Education Center in honor of the 982 mostly Jewish refugees from Europe who were given haven at the decommissioned Fort Ontario from August 1944 through February, 1946, and the Oswego community which welcomed them. Currently on display at the David E. Vayner Branch Library is a small traveling exhibit about Safe Haven which will remain on view through October 20, 2006. At the Carnegie Main Library, 160 South First Street in Fulton, there is a display of circulating materials covering various topics related to Judaism, Yiddish and the Holocaust.

REYNA SCHAECHTER has performed in Carnegie Hall with Neil Sedaka, Lincoln Center and Merkin Concert Hall. Her solo work has been praised by Betty Comden, Sandy Duncan and Kitty Carlisle Hart. One of the Pripetshik Singers , Reyna stars in the exciting new film, Pripetshik Sings Yiddish! and was recently featured with Broadway star Mike Burstyn in the off-Broadway hit On Second Avenue. Last October, at age 10, Reyna was performed in a staged Yiddish reading with English super-titles of Bronx Express: A Local Comedy by Osip Dimov, Directed by Motl Didne at the famed Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre.

BINYUMEN SCHAECHTER’S credits include 5 off-Broadway shows, 5 cast albums, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs including the recently released Zingt! A Celebration of Yiddish Choral Music sung by the Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus and conducted by Schaechter. In its review of Ben’s musical Double Identity, The New York Times wrote “Among [the shows’] assets… is the ear-catching score by Ben Schaechter, whose wide-ranging gifts have buoyed recent hit revues like That’s Life! and Too Jewish?