July / august 2006:

Hot weird trend: jews at the ren fest



Rebecca Levin - Professional Wench | In fairness, I must confess,” says Rebecca Levin, her strong, melodic voice betraying just the faintest hint of embarrassment. “There really weren’t a lot of Jews in old England.”

Still, if you want to see at least one representing for the tribe, throw on a corset and hotfoot it to the Georgia Renaissance Festival. Despite growing up in an Orthodox household, Levin, an Atlanta resident and professional actress who doubles as the Shakespeare Tavern’s development director, isn’t one to let bodices and bawdy humor ruin a good time. Or, for that matter, prevent her from appearing as her unlikely alter-ego, saucy minstrel Rosemary Quench, who sings at the event’s resident pub as part of folk trio Three Quarter Ale (www.threequarterale.com).

Not that Levin’s fictional double (nee Rachel, a name the character reputedly abandoned when her Jewish parents fled Spain for Britain to avoid persecution) has much in common with the woman herself. A graduate of Yeshiva Atlanta boasting a BFA in Musical Theater and a Masters in Media and Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design, she’s both a passionate and active contributor to the local Jewish community. A member of Beth Jacob synagogue, this talented performer, who got her start doing teen theater at the JCC, hasn’t just helped organize ventures such as Zimrah, an Orthodox Jewish girls’ choir. She also directs original musicals for the Emory-area Temima High School for Girls and helps reinforce classical themes taught by the Torah.

“The arts are how I relate to the rest of the world,” Levin explains. “It’s my way of reaching out to positively impact people’s lives.” Even if that means, as she sheepishly admits, singing Christmas carols every December to frazzled airport travelers desperately in need of a little holiday cheer.

Giving something back to others and performing are her twin passions. She just wishes it were easier to reconcile the two. After all, in showbiz, the biggest nights of the week are Thursday through Sunday: Not exactly primetime for a devout Jew. Nevertheless, the part-time tavern wench insists there’s a way to bridge the gap between both worlds.

“I’d recommend aspiring actors get a degree and professional training,” she explains. “Then seek out a Jewish context within which to build a career. It’s simply a matter of finding an audience in your own community.”

We’ll hoist a flagon of ale to that.

Simon Helman - Boot Maker | It’s a good thing Simon Helman works at the Renaissance Festival because we’re not sure what other jobs the Israeli transplant could do with his hairy looks. Actually, back in the holy land this gregarious fellow was an industrial designer for footwear, something that runs in his family. Like his father, grandfather, and ancestors before him, Helman is a high-end boot maker. “And my son is a trial attorney, so that’s the end of it,” Helman laughs on a recent Sunday morning at the festival where he sells Medieval style handmade boots for a pretty penny. He’s not alone there. His wife, Susan, sells fused glassware in a nearby booth. Together they host a Passover Seder in the boots shop at the Renaissance Festival for other Jews on the fairgrounds as well as anyone else who wants to partake in some kosher grub. And that son, the attorney? To make extra cash, he gets in costume and joins them on the weekends to continue the family tradition.


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