Glacier Jewish Community presents Nefesh Mountain band

The Glacier Jewish Community/B'nai Shalom is hosting the bluegrass, Americana-roots band Nefesh Mountain on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center in Whitefish. Tickets can be purchased on the platform zeffy, on the homepage of the congregation's website www.glacierjc.org, and at the door.

Nefesh Mountain has been hailed as one of the formative boundary-pushing groups in roots music. The band's creators and dynamic husband and wife team Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff have created a world and sound all their own — blurring the lines between Americana, bluegrass, folk, jazz and blues with a masterful hand as songwriters, instrumentalists and composers alike. Called “a master class in string music” by Rolling Stone, and “arguably some of the best bluegrass ever made” by American Songwriter, Nefesh Mountain is a New York-based progressive bluegrass band that bridges elements of American folks and Appalachian bluegrass with Celtic folk and Eastern European melodies.

During the pandemic Glacier Jewish Community hosted a live, virtual concert with Nefesh Mountain and the congregation is excited to introduce them live and in person to the Flathead Valley community.

The concert is also a celebration of the congregation’s eight years and their founding rabbi Francine Roston who is retiring from spiritual leadership at the end of the summer. Chair of Glacier Jewish Community’s steering committee Sally Ericsson reflects, “In the last eight years, Rabbi Francine built a strong Jewish community in the Valley reuniting two Jewish communities which engages all Jews equally, educates people of all ages, and honors that each person connects with Judaism in their own way. She developed strong ties with Flathead Valley religious and community leaders to build bridges and resilience.”

There have been different formations of Jewish community in the Flathead Valley since the eighties to help Jewish residents socialize and worship together. Glacier Jewish Community was founded in 2015 as a welcoming, egalitarian synagogue-without-walls that brings people together to share joyful, inspiring Jewish life and Jewish traditions. The congregation includes over 200 households and gathers in private households, community centers, the Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, coffee shops and breweries around the Flathead Valley.

Many co-sponsors join the Glacier Jewish Community to host the NeFesh Mountain band and celebrate the congregation’s vitality and Rabbi Francine’s leadership. Local congregations, including the Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Whitefish Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Mountain View Mennonite Church, are co-sponsors along with Jewish congregations around the state of Montana including Temple Emanu-El and the Montana Jewish Project in Helena. Event concessions from sponsoring businesses include baked goods from Bonelli’s Bistro in Kalispell and Jeremiah Johnson beer from Blackstar Brewery in Whitefish.

“Nefesh Mountain is the perfect musical group for our congregation to bring to the valley because their music bridges multiple styles of music and many communities — just as our congregation unites Jewish folks around the valley and works to build strong relationships with our non-Jewish neighbors. We all can appreciate the need for music that helps us celebrate life, supports us through the difficult times and expresses our joy and gratitude for the gift of life,” says Roston.

For more information, visit www.glacierrjc.org.