Shaare Emeth plans young adult Shabbat inspired by MTV’s heyday

Rabbi Rachel Bearman

By Eric Berger, Associate Editor

It’s been a while since the MTV show “Total Request Live” was a mainstay of after-school teenage life in America. Rabbi Rachel Bearman of Congregation Shaare Emeth would like to see that change — at least for one night. 

The Reform synagogue is planning Total Shabbat Live, a Friday night virtual experience aimed at helping people in their 20s and 30s celebrate Shabbat and relive their glory days with the music they listened to in the ‘90s and 2000s. 

“I have a deep and abiding love for ’90s and 2000s pop music, and I thought perhaps this was an opportunity to share that love with other people,” said Bearman, 35.

Why does Bearman have such love for NSYNC, Britney Spears and Oasis?

“It’s hard to explain because it’s like why does the sun shine? Because it’s wonderful,” she said.

The event, which will be take place on Zoom, is scheduled 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 9. While Shaare Emeth is organizing the Shabbat, it is open to the community. 

In addition to people from around the St. Louis Jewish community, Bearman would also like to welcome some special guests. She has begun scouring Cameo, a digital platform that allows you to purchase short videos from musicians, actors and other celebrities. Who might show up?

Bearman has not booked anything yet, but she revealed that she is considering former NSYNC members Lance Bass or Chris Kirkpatrick. 

To register, visit sestl.org/tsl

To help prepare for the event, Shaare Emeth staff also created a Spotify playlist (visit http://bit.ly/Total-Shabbat-Live).