Mama Doni
Our Next Show Is...
08//01/10 - Camp Louemma (Sussex, NJ) 2:00pm
Upcoming Shows...
- 08/05/10 - JCC of Northern Virginia (Fairfax, VA) 6:00pm
- 08/06/10 - Camp JCC at JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville, MD) 1:00pm
- 08/29/10 - Congregation Beth Israel (Houston, Texas) 10:15am
- 09/05/10 - Jewish Federation Sarasota-Manatee (Sarasota, Florida) 4:00pm
- 09/19/10 - Congregation Adath Israel (Middletown, CT) 2:00pm
- 09/26/10 - Congregation Beth Or (Maple Glen, PA) 1:30pm
- 10/03/10 - Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael (Springfield, NJ ) 1:00pm
- 10/24/10 - Museum of Jewish Heritage (New York, NY ) 2:30pm
- 11/21/10 - JCC of Worcester (Worcester, MA) 3:00pm
- 11/28/10 - Bergen Performing Arts Center (Englewood, NJ) 1:00pm and 4:00pm
- 12/02/10 - JCC of New Orleans (New Orleans, LA) 6:30pm
- 12/05/10 - Temple Israel (West Bloomfield, MI) 1:00pm
- 12/12/10 - United Jewish Communities of Metrowest New Jersey SUPER SUNDAY - UJC Metrowest (Whippany, NJ) 3:00pm
- 12/29/10 - Suffolk YJCC (Commack, NY) 11:00am
- 05/22/11 - JCC of Greater New Haven (Woodbridge, CT) 4:00pm
- 12/11/11 - JCC Rockland (West Nyack, NY) 4:00pm
Past Shows...
Jewish Community Centers & Y’s:
- Mid-Island YJCC - Plainview, NY
- Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford - JCC Swim and Tennis Club - West Hartford, CT
- JCC Manhattan - New York, NY
- JCC on The Hudson - Tarrytown, NY
- JCC Commack - Commack, NY
- Stamford JCC - Stamford, CT
- Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County - Newburgh, NY
- YMHA - Wayne, NJ
- JCC Albany - Albany, NY
- JCC Houston - Houston, TX
- JCC of Middlesex County - Edison, NJ
- Bergen County YJCC - Washington Township, NJ
- Katz JCC - Cherry Hill, NJ
- Rosenthal JCC - Camp Discovery - Croton-on-Hudson, NY
- Suffolk Y and JCC - Commack, NY
- Milton & Betty Katz JCC - Margate NJ
- Worcester JCC - Worcester, MA
- JCC of Bensonhurst - Brooklyn, NY
- JCC MetroWest - West Orange, NJ
- JCC of Kansas City - Kansas City, KA
- Mayerson JCC - Shalom Family - Cincinatti, OH
- JCC of Staten Island - Staten Island, NY
- JCC of Allentown - Allentown, PA
- JCC Wyoming Valley - Wilkes-Barre, PA
Museums, Festivals & Fairs
- The International Jewish Music Festival 2008 - Amsterdam, Holland
- REJOICE 2008– The South Brunswick Jewish Music festival - South Brunswick, NJ
- JCC Toledo - Hanukkah Palooza & Latkefest - Toledo, OH
- YM-YWHA of North Jersey’s Children’s Theater Series - Wayne, NJ
- The Jewish Museum of New York - New York, NY
- REJOICE 2009– The South Brunswick Jewish Music Festival, South Brunswick, NJ
- The International Jewish Music Festival 2009 - Amsterdam, Holland
- JCC Houston - Annual Jewish Book & Arts Fair - Houston, TX
- The Museum of Jewish Heritage - New York, NY
- Bucks County Jewish Festival - Yardley, PA
Synagogue Programming – Preschools, Religious Schools (K-5), Youth Groups
- Marlboro Jewish Center - Marlboro, NJ
- Pine Brook Jewish Center Nursery School - Montville, NJ
- Congregation Oheb Shalom - South Orange, NJ
- Adath Shalom - Morris Plains, NJ
- Temple B’nai Abraham - Livingston, NJ
- Shomrei Emunah - Montclair, NJ
- Temple Emanu-El - Closter, NJ
- Maplewood Jewish Center - Maplewood, NJ
- Kol Ami - White Plains, NY
- Temple Sha'arey Shalom - Springfield, NJ
- B’nai Tikvah - North Brunswick, NJ
- Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel - South Orange, NJ
- Westchester Jewish Center - Mamaroneck, NY
- Temple Beth El - Rochester, NY
- Temple B'Nai Or - Morristown, NJ
- Temple Beth Rishon - The Andrew Friedland Preschool, Wyckoff, NJ
- Adat Shalom - Los Angeles, CA
- The Shirley & Paul Pintel Nursery School of Fair Lawn Jewish Center - Fair Lawn, NJ
- Woodlands Community Temple - White Plains, NY
- Congregation Tikvat Israel - Rockville, MD
- Kol Ami - White Plains, NY
- Congregation Agudath Israel - Caldwell, NJ
- Temple Sha’arey Shalom - Springfield, NJ
- B’nai Keshet - Montclair, NJ
- Shir Ami - Newton, PA
- Congregation B ’nai Israel - Millburn, NJ
- Kaplan Preschool – United Synagogue of Hoboken - Hoboken, NJ
Camps & Day Schools
- Friedberg JCC - Summer Camp - Wheatley Heights, NY
- JCC of Staten Island - Lillian Schwartz Day Camp - Staten Island, NY
- Hillcrest Jewish Center - Summer Camp Program - Flushing, NY
- Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford - Camp Shalom - West Hartford, CT
- Central Queens YM-YWHA - Summer Camp Program - Wheatley Heights, NY
- Samuel Field Y - Summer Camp Program - Wheatley Heights, NY
- JCC Princeton Mercer Bucks - Abrams Day Camp - Lawrenceville, NJ
- JCC Bridgewater - Camp Ruach - Bridgewater, NJ
- Gesher Summer Camp - Livingston, NJ
- The Rosenthal JCC of Northern Westchester
- Camp Discovery - Croton-on-Hudson, NY - Solomon Schechter - Queens, NY
- Henry Kaufman Campgrounds - Wheatley Heights, NY
- Camp Louemma - Sussex, NJ
- Westchester Summer Day - Mamaroneck, NY
- Mid-Island Y-JCC - Oceanside, NY
- Friedberg JCC - Oceanside, NY
- The Rosenthal JCC of Northern Westchester - Camp Discovery - Croton-on-Hudson, NY
- Solomon Schechter School - West Orange, NJ
- Hebrew Academy of Morris County - Randolph, NJ
Benefits, Country Clubs & Senior Centers
- Benefit Concert for American Cancer Society - Relay For Life - Montville, NJ
- United Jewish Council of Greater Toledo - Sylvania, Ohio
- "Little Kids Rock" Concert - Montclair, NJ
- Parents Who Rock - Montclair, NJ
- Children's Winter Holiday Party - Orange Lawn Tennis Club - South Orange, NJ
- Help Haiti Heal Benefit Concert - NY, NY
- Miriam Apartments - Clifton, NJ
- Miriam Apartments II - Clifton, NJ
- Fox Hills Chaverim - Rockaway, NJ
Mama Doni in the News:
Click Here For Chanukah Fever CD Press & Reviews
| The New York Times | |
 |
EVENTS IN WESTCHESTER “Tarrytown J C C on the Hudson “Mama Doni and the Mama Doni Band Cut Loose at a Chocolate Passover Seder” |
| The New York Times | |
|
SOUNDS OF THE HOLIDAYS |
| The Star Ledger | |
 |
MAMA DONI WRITES AND PERFORMS JEWISH THEMED SONGS FOR KIDS “Doni Zasloff Thomas, a Montclair mother of two, writes and performs Jewish-themed songs for kids under the name Mama Doni. She wants her songs to be a celebration of Jewish culture and something that kids, their parents and their grandparents can enjoy. She performed recently at the Congregation B'Nai Tikvah in North Brunswick.” |
| The Star Ledger | |
|
MAMA DONI SINGS FUNKY CHANUKAH SONGS “Mama Doni is proud to have a schtick. And that schtick, she says, is to "Jewify" all forms of music - from country to reggae to holiday songs. The result is a kind of wacky Jewish indie-rock for kids.” |
| Time Out New York Kids | |
 |
MAMA DONI AND THE MAMA DONI BAND “The singer-songwriter breaks the mold of traditional Jewish music, bringing a blend of reggae, rock, folk, country, klezmer and "Jewgrass" to her shows...” |
| The Jewish Standard | |
 |
MAMA DONI'S ROCK BAND PERFORMING IN CLOSTER AND WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP “Mama Doni, a.k.a. Doni Zasloff Thomas of Montclair, and her Jewish indie-rock band for children, perform “funky music with a Jewish twist” at Temple Emanu-El in Closter on Saturday, during Purim festivities....” |
| The Jewish Standard | |
|
'JEWPERSTAR' MAMA DONI CELEBRATES PURIM WITH SONG AND HAMANTASCHEN “Doni Zasloff Thomas was meant to do this. She was born to get up on stage as Mama Doni, the zany yiddishe answer to Mother Goose.” |
| New York Post | |
 |
SKIPPING XMAS “Imagine if Weird Al were female and a big fan of family fun, and you just might get Mama Doni... whose tunes include "La Vida Dreidel.” |
| Jewish Week | |
 |
JEWISH WEEK “...The Mama Doni Band, above, seemed a perfect fit for a holiday concert and the group's performance at The Jewish Museum on Dec. 25 delighted the large multi-generational crowd consisting of babies to bubbies. The free live performance was part of the annual Family Celebration Day, sponsored by The Jewish Week, where six New York City-based Jewish museums hosted special family and educational activities...” |
| Kiwi Magazine | |
 |
MAMA DONI - "I LOVE PURIM" CD FREE DOWNLOAD “Mama Doni has four new hilarious songs about Purim. You didn’t think Purim was all that funny? Well, Mama Doni adds a twist to the holiday by delving into why the Hamantaschen cookie looks like a hat, why every girl dresses as Queen Esther on Purim and what a total jerk Haman was. So, if you need to brush up on your Purim knowledge, pop in this CD and get the Mama Doni version.” |
| Kiwi Magazine | |
|
KIWI MAGAZINE “...Despite all of the music styles Mama Doni imitates, she is part "Weird Al" Yankovic (for the hilarious and suprisingly insightful lyrics), part Sarah Silverman (but much cleaner and only the parts of the Sarah's show where she innocently sings her little heart out) and that adorable mom down the street who manages to wear bright red lipstick and a cute track suit to put out the recycling at 6am. Mama Doni — you had me at mazeltov.” |
| Kiwi Magazine | |
|
CHANUKAH FEVER CD BY MAMA DONI “Mama Doni has done it again with a playful collection of Chanukah songs that will have the kids playing air menorah. Mama Doni, whom I like to refer to as “D Jew Jazzy Mensch” (if I have to explain the reference to DJ Jazzy Jeff, you may be too young!) raps, rhymes, rocks and riffs with original lyrics about the applesauce v. sour cream dilemma (oy! the humanity!), the dilemma of a dusty, disregarded dreidel and a rapper’s redux called Funky Gold Menorah.” |
| New Jersey Jewish News | |
 |
THOUSANDS 'REJOICE' IN MUSIC AND CULTURE “Doni Zasloff Thomas of the Mama Doni Band leads her back-up shofar players at the annual Rejoice Music and Culture Festival on Sept. 13.” |
| The Daily Record | |
 |
BAND ROCKS 'PURIM BASH' - MAMA DONI BRINGS SOME INTERGENERATIONAL FUN TO TRADITIONAL JEWISH HOLIDAY “Some bands play the club scene. The Mama Doni Band rocks out the synagogue circuit. Temples, Jewish schools and the occasional retirement home are fitting venues for a kids' band that belts out songs such as "Oy Yoy Yodel," "Jewperheroes" and the timely "Purim Bash." "I'm trying to make a cultural Jewish statement," lead singer and songwriter Doni Zasloff-Thomas of Montclair said during a phone interview. "I'm celebrating the culture I grew up with and taking those moments of my childhood and celebrating them in a hip, cool way....” |
| OregonLive.com | |
 |
CD REVIEW: 'CHANUKAH FEVER: 13 MACCA-BEATS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY' “Play this CD while you're peeling dozens of potatoes for latkes (potato pancakes). And if you're decorating a tree and baking Christmas cookies, you'll like it, too.” |
| Pajama Mommy | |
 |
CHANUKAH FEVER: THE MAMA DONI BAND (THE WACKY JEWISH INDIE ROCK BAND FOR KIDS)!!! “KIWI magazine called Doni Zasloff Thomas, “Part Weird Al’ Yankovic (for the hilarious and surprisingly insightful lyrics), part Sarah Silverman (but much cleaner and only the parts of Sarah’s show where she innocently sings her little heart out), and that adorable mom down the street who manages to wear bright red lipstick and cute track suit to put out the recycling at 6 a.m.” |
| About.com | |
 |
FREE KIDS' MUSIC: CELEBRATE PURIM WITH MAMA DONI! “That's right, free kids' music, and just in time for Purim! Hot on the heels of her Chanukah CD, I Love Chanukah!, Mama Doni (Doni Zasloff Thomas) releases I Love Purim! this month. The four-song EP will be available for free download during the month of March on the Mama Doni website. You can also purchase the actual disk from CDBaby.com.” |
| Parents Who Rock.com | |
 |
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT! “Anyway you look at it, last Sunday's (February 22) Rockin' for Kids benefit show was a huge success--whether it's turnout (huge), money raised (lots and lots) and fun for kids (couldn't keep 'em from dancing,...Mama Doni and her band came on and played a wild, raucous set that got the kids following her around the auditorium and up on stage, pied piper-like.” |
| Kids Trends Weekly | |
 |
REVIEW OF "I LOVE HERRING (& OTHER FISH SHTICKS FOR KIDS)": “Your kids will love this funky music with a Jewish twist. Mama Doni "I Love Herring" is a little reggae, folk, country, klezmer and “Jewgrass” all woven together with Yiddish terms and a Jewish sensibility. This progressive music brings an unexpected and playful twist to Jewish culture, humor, and traditions.” |
| Midwest Book Review | |
 |
REVIEW OF "I LOVE PURIM!" “Unique, lively, and solid entertainment for children, "I Love Purim!" is comprised of four performances of 'funky music with a Jewish twist' by Doni Zasloff Thomas... each number is a take-off on the Jewish holiday of Purim as Mama Doni blends reggae, rock, folk, country, klezmer, and 'Jewgrass' into a production that weaves Yiddish and 'Jewish Hip' with solid musical entertainment values. The result is a rollicking, toe-tapping CD perfect for kids of all ages...” |
| Richmond Parents Monthly (VA) | |
|
REVIEW OF "I LOVE HERRING (& OTHER FISH SHTICKS FOR KIDS)": “The cover of Mama Doni’s “I Love Herring and Other Fish Schticks for Kids” is what made me run home and pop it into the CD player. The cover features Mama Doni, or Doni Zasloff Thomas, who could not be cuter. But like a kitschy Euro ad, the cover also includes an empty pickled herring jar and two fish sticks. I was immediately rewarded with a song about a “gefilte fish named Schlomo.” Each proceeding song proved more entertaining than the last and I found myself unconsciously boogying in the kitchen while I made lunch...In the spirit of Adam Sandler and his Chanukah song, Mama Doni sings about all things Jewish while being clever, not just glib. She has found a way to revel in and share bits of her heritage through humor and music, not only to her fellow Jews, but also to Gentiles like me...” |
| Out With the Kids | |
 |
FREE KID'S MUSIC - MAMA DONI'S "I LOVE PURIM!" “To celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, MAMA DONI is giving away her latest 4 song EP "I Love Purim!" to all takers, for the whole of March!” |
| Barista Kids | |
 |
MORE CONCERTS ROCK MONTCLAIR “Mama Doni was like the Pied Piper with a long line of kids following her around yelling, 'Oy vey!'” |
| News Times | |
 |
MAMA DONI TO PLAY PURIM CARNIVAL “Purim is one of the more joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar and Mama Doni, who performs songs such as "Kooky Cookie," "The Funky Gold Menorah" and "The Purim Bash," brings plenty of celebratory spirit with her music, which is written for children, but with parents (and grandparents) in mind.” |
| Connecticut Post | |
 |
MAMA DONI TO PLAY PURIM CARNIVAL “With a new four-song EP called "I Love Purim!," Mama Doni and her band are as appropriate an act as there is to headline the Stamford Jewish Community Center's Purim Carnival on Sunday...” |
| The Opinionated Parent.com | |
 |
MUSIC WEEK: MAMA DONI! “...Whether you're Jewish or not, there's no way you won't dig this CD. With tunes like Funky Gold Menorah, Jewperheroes & Fahklempt, it'll have your whole family bopping right along. If your children are Jewish they, in particular, would likely love learning about their religion & culture from such a hip & modern chick.” |
| The Record | |
 |
"JEWIFIED JINGLES FOR THE HOLIDAYS" “Amid all the "Silent Nights" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeers" twinkling on the radio, there's usually only the Dreidel Song and Adam Sandler's "It's Time for Hanukkah." Mama Doni would like to change all that. Doni Zasloff Thomas offers four more Hanukkah songs on her self-produced CD, "I Love Chanukah,"...she loves to mix different musical styles and joked that she's always finding new styles waiting to be "jewified.” |
| Jewish Woman International Magazine | |
 |
CATCHY TUNES “Step aside, "I Have a Little Dreidel." This year, there are some new Jewish songs on CD players and iPods, thanks to Mama Doni....” |
| About.com - Warren's Children's Music Blog | |
 |
DOWNLOAD MAMA DONI'S FREE HOLIDAYS EP, I LOVE CHANUKAH “Chanukah is rapidly approaching, and just in time comes free holiday music from Mama Doni! Even if you don't know the difference between a latke and a sufganiyot, you should download this fun Chanukah EP today!” |
| Baristanet | |
 |
CH-CH-CH-CHANUKAHH “...this Eveready Battery of a yiddishe mama from Montclair, Doni Zasloff Thomas...I'd love to see some kids go carol these songs door to door.” |
| Philadelphia Marriage Examiner - Holiday Hints | |
 |
MAMA DONI'S AMAZING HANUKKAH GIFT “Mama Doni is a wild woman of Jewish Music...performs internationally... bringing her signature brand of "funky music with a Jewish twist" to an ever-expanding fan base...” |
| Hilltown Families | |
 |
HILLTOWN FAMILIES “Get Wild & Crazy This Chanukah with Doni Zasloff Thomas...” |
| "I Love Chanukah" rated on About.com | |
 |
THE BEST HANUKAH MUSIC FOR KIDS |
| Singing in the Bathtub | |
 |
SINGING IN THE BATHTUB “When I put on Mama Doni I saw a lot of heads bobbing, especially to "Funky Gold Menorah." I even saw some air turntable spinning. "It rocks," or "It's funky" one 10 year old wrote. It reminds me of Hannah Montana (but you make better songs than Hannah Montana)," a 9 year old girl commented.” |
| Media Macaroni | |
 |
ROCKIN HANUKAH FUNTIME “On a recent weekend afternoon, the fam and I were kickin' it to Mama Doni's "I Love Herring (& Other Fish Shticks For Kids)" and no joke, at several moments throughout the CD we were all laughing out loud...listen as Mama Doni spreads around some challah-day spirit in her inimitable cross between Sheryl Crow and Tone Loc...” |
| A to Z Kids Stuff | |
 |
A to Z KIDS STUFF “...A variety of lyrics and tunes that are fun-filled and great to dance to. Energetic music with a Jewish twist with a mix of hip sounds. A great CD that is fun and entertaining with cleaver words and music.” |
| The Denver Westword | |
 |
THE DENVER WESTWORD “...Seven-year-olds will likely enjoy these novelty ditties, exemplified by a rap satire dubbed "The Funky Gold Menorah" and a modified samba with a Ricky Martin twist titled "La Vida Dreidel,"...” |
| Zooglobble.com | |
 |
ZOOGLOBBLE “...Mama Doni, on the other hand, takes a more comedic approach on her I Love Chanukah EP -- if you ever wondered what "Living La Vida Loca" would sound like mashed into a song celebrating Chanukah, "La Vida Dreidel" answers that question...” |
| Knoxville News-Sentinel | |
 |
KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL “...this little four-song collection has a rap, too, but it's far more fun. The snort-heavy "You Say Hanukkah (I Say Chanukah)" is funny for all ages.” |
| Staten Island Advance (NY) | |
 |
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE “...Wacky, high-energy music and participating in the show as they spin like a dreidel and dance with this shofar-blowing band...” |
| Union for Reform Judaism | |
 |
UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM |
| The Chosen Blog, Popjudaica.com | |
 |
POPJUDAICA.COM “Mama Doni's tunes are definitely upbeat and good for making sure your party stays up and alive, no matter the age of your partiers. Mama Doni's "The Funky Gold Menorah," is a trippy-fun tune!” |
| Berrie Sweet Picks | |
 |
BERRIE SWEET PICKS “...my little music lover danced and danced, a smile on her face the whole time.” |
