Much of my recent Jewschool absence can be accounted for by the upcoming national tour of my band, The Shondes.

The Shondes released The Red Sea earlier this year, and are very excited to come to a city near you. The tour itinerary is below - please be in touch if we’re coming to your neck of the woods or pass along to your rocknroll-loving friends across the country!

For more updated info and dates being added, visit: www.myspace.com/theshondes. [Details below the fold.]

The Shondes’ Fall Tour 2008:

Aug 28
Washington, DC
The Black Cat

Aug 29
Philadelphia, PA
Tritone

Aug 30
Morgantown, WV
424 Clark Street

Aug 31
Pittsburgh, PA
Garfield Artworks

Sep 3
Ann Arbor, MI
TC’s Speakeasy

Sep 4
Lexington, KY
The Void

Sep 5 2008 8:00P
Louisville, KY
Headliners

Sep 6
Milwaukee, WI
Mad Planet

Sep 7
St. Louis, MO
The Off-Broadway

Sep 10
Chicago, IL
The Bottom Lounge

Sep 11
Des Moines, IA
Vaudeville Mews

Sep 14
Minneapolis, MN
The Triple Rock

Sep 17
Eugene, OR
TBA

Sep 18
Portland, OR
Towne Lounge

Sep 19
Seattle, WA
The High Dive

Sep 20
Olympia, WA
The Track House

Sep 24
San Francisco, CA
The Hotel Utah

Sep 25
Los Angeles, CA
The Silverlake Lounge

Sep 27
Santa Barbara, CA
Muddy Waters

Oct 1
Tucson, AZ
TBA

Oct 3
Santa Fe, NM
TBA

Oct 5
Austin, TX
Emo’s

Oct 7
New Orleans, LA
The Dragon’s Den

Oct 10
Athens, GA
Little Kings Shuffle Club

Oct 11
Atlanta, GA
WonderRoot

Oct 16
Miami, Florida
Churchill’s Pub

Oct 18
Chapel Hill, NC
The Nightlight

Oct 23
New York, NYC
The Knitting Factory

Oct 31
Portland, Maine
TBA

The Democratic National Convention will include an interfaith service, bringing together leaders from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities. There will be four rabbis present for the service:
Rabbi David Saperstein, of the RAC, will be reciting an invocation, as noted in the previous post on Jewschool by KRG.
Rabbi Marc Shneier, founder of the Foundation of Ethnic Understanding
Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, a DC area Reform rabbi
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

I’m just saying, we make up about 2.5% of the population of the US, and of that 2.5%, what percentage goes to synagogue or relates to someone they call “rabbi”? It’s got to be small. I don’t know how many people are going to be addressing this interfaith event that is commencing the Democratic National Convention, but isn’t it a bit Jew heavy? And is it even representative of your average American Jew? I don’t know what I think about this. Others have thoughts?