2022 Spring Program
Backstage Pass to Woodstock 
Sunday, May 1 @ 7:00 PM
DATELINE: August 15-18, 1969. Yasgur's Farm, Bethel NY
During a summer of social unrest and upheaval, more than 400,000 people converged at Yasgur's Farm in Bethel NY for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, billed as an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music. 32 acts performed outdoors including Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Sha Na Na.
The festival was both a pivotal moment in music history and a defining event for the counterculture generation. Max Yasgur, owner of the farm, reflected: “Nearly half a million people spent the 3 days with music and peace on their minds…If we join them, we can turn those adversities that are the problems of America today into a hope for a brighter and more peaceful future.”
DATELINE: May 1, 2022. 7 PM. ZOOM
Jewish Family Services of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties is thrilled to present…
BACKSTAGE PASS TO WOODSTOCK: The Music Festival that Changed the Soul of the Nation.
This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from people who were on stage and behind the scenes at Woodstock about their experiences, their reflections about the event, and its impact on their lives and the world, and also to learn a bit about the “Jewish” story behind the event.
Dr. Alan Cooper, currently distinguished professor of biblical studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, appeared on the Woodstock stage as lead singer with Sha Na Na for “At the Hop” which was the lead-in to Jimi Hendrix who closed the festival. He also appeared in the Woodstock movie, The Tonight Show, and The Merv Griffin Show.
Elliot Landy was the official photographer at Woodstock, and his photographs are on permanent exhibit at the Museum at Bethel Woods Center. They are also published in: Woodstock Vision: The Spirit of a Generation, Woodstock Dream, Dylan in Woodstock, and Woodstock 1969 the First Festival: 3 Days of Peace and Music.
Tickets for the online event are $36 per person.
As a complement to the program, JFS is holding a curated raffle of distinctive memorabilia, merchandise and experiences related to Woodstock and the area. Raffle tickets are one for $36, four for $100.