Gerri performed regularly through the early 1990s, then took a breather, and has recently returned to singing on a more limited basis. Her memory for words is prodigious but, just in case, she keeps all of her lyrics on neatly organized 3X5 cards. One of her musical specialties was the ?Bar Mitzvah Ceremony,? a slice of Jewish cultural history that fell out of favor some time around thirty-five years ago? but, until then, you couldn't have a party without it. It had nothing to do with the actual religious ritual of the Bar or Bas Mitzvah, but usually took place just before the Bar Mitzvah dinner was served - it was a chance for the photographer to get a photo of each family member - and a good shot of the Bar Mitzvah boy in a tallis (ritual prayer shawl). For the musicians, it was an opportunity to play a bit of classic Yiddish theatre and folk repertoire. Here's how Gerri's version of the ceremony worked: First, the ushers walked in to the tune of Bar mitzvah kinder ("Bar Mitzvah Children") - the boys carried pretend Torahs (made by Gerri's mother), and the girls carried candles. Next, the parents would walk in, accompanied by the Yiddish theatre tune Koved es avikha ("Honor thy Father"). Then the siblings would enter carrying the yarmulke and tallis, to the tune of Dos talesl ("The Tallis"), a theatre song made popular by Boris Tomashevsky. Then the grandparents would come in and the band would play Ver hot azoy eynikl? ("Who Has Such a Grandson"), based on the folksong "Ver hot azoy yingele?, ("Who Has Such a Boy"). Then the boy himself would walk down the aisle to Der nayer yid ("The New Jew"), and Gerri would conclude her ceremony with a song for the mother ("Mother Love") composed by Abe Alemar, a popular local Yiddish emcee. Quite a production, and not a dry eye in the house!

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