Weekly Unscrolled Torah Portion: Shof’tim
“I believe in prophets because I have met one…Mississippian legend Otha Turner, one of the last purveyors of the fading blues fife tradition, favorite sayings, one has always stayed with me—a phrase he would always offer to his family and friends when they were faced with a difficult life decision: ‘Don’t nothing make a fail but a try!’ Its meaning was clear to me: Trying to do something is not enough. You simply must do it. Given the obstacles we are faced with in life, the only way to meet them is head-on. Happiness, community, and justice must be pursued with conviction and determination….I have tried to heed Otha’s words and teach them to my children.”
David Katznelson is the CEO of Reboot. A Grammy nominated music producer, in his 30+ years in the music industry, he worked in high school for Bill Graham Presents, as a college radio DJ, as vice president of A&R at Warner Bros., and as the head of the independent label group, The Birdman Recording Group, Inc. Katznelson served as the chair of Reboot’s board of directors since 2012 and he is also one of the first members of the Reboot network, and has been an active member of the community from Reboot’s inception. He is a co-founder of two of Reboot’s most successful initiatives – The Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation and the Dawn Festival, a Shavuot celebration in San Francisco.