(PITTSFIELD, Mass.)  – Shaker Shalom: A Gala Celebration and Concert, a joint fundraising event intended to explore the shared customs from the Shaker tradition and from Judaism, with proceeds equally benefiting Hancock Shaker Village and Congregation Knesset Israel, will take place on Sunday, August 12, 2012, at 5:30 pm at Hancock Shaker Village. It will include cocktails and an elegant Shaker-inspired kosher picnic created by Chef Michael Roller, followed by a Shaker-Jewish fusion concert by clarinet virtuoso Paul Green and his Neshoma Klezmer Ensemble and auction in the Round Stone Barn.

Concert-only tickets are $36; gala tickets range from $150 to $1,000. Tickets may be purchased by calling Hancock Shaker Village at 413.443.0188 or online.

In conjunction with this event, Hancock Shaker Village will also present “Shalom: Weaving Threads of Peace Mixed Media Assemblages by Wendy Rabinowitz” in the Poultry House Gallery. This exhibition will run from Saturday, August 4, 2012, through Sunday, August 26, 2012. Pittsfield-based artist Wendy Rabinowitz relates the Shaker ideals of peace with Jewish ideals of Shalom in her artwork that combines weaving and textile arts with other visual arts, graphics, and the written word, resulting in mixed media assemblages. The exhibition is free to HSV members and included with general admission to the historical museum.

Hancock Shaker Village, the Shaker “City of Peace,” brings the Shaker story to life and preserves it for future generations. The Village portrays principled living, as embodied in the faith-based values of the Shakers – equality, community, sustainability, and responsible land stewardship of their resources — values that resonate today.

Congregation Knesset Israel is a warm and welcoming egalitarian synagogue community serving the entire Berkshire region. Founded in 1893, Knesset Israel is committed to participatory prayer, life-long Jewish learning, Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World), and sharing the joys and challenges of life.