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By L’CHAIM Staff
Now in its 32nd year, the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Fest (JFest) has something for everyone. Dynamic performances, captivating conversations, and unique cultural experiences that showcase the diversity of Jewish heritage through music, theater, speakers, and art will run May 21 through June 30.
Critically acclaimed comedian Alex Edelman headlines this year’s festivities with his latest show What Are You Going To Do. Known for his Tony- and Emmy-winning work on Broadway, Edelman will perform two nights at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family JCC, June 16 (sold out) and 17.
“[Our headlining show this year is] really incredible because Alex Edelman depicts a contemporary Jewish experience in stand-up comedy and theatrical storytelling language,” Todd Salovey, founding artistic director of JFest said. “He captures so exquisitely what it is to be Jewish now in the world that we live in, and does it in a one-of-a-kind, kinetic style.”
Though based out of the JCC in La Jolla, the festival will host programs at venues across San Diego, including UCSD, Congregation Adat Yeshurun, the Leichtag Commons in Escondido, Enigma Theatre in Bay Park and the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.
“Doing programs with partners is one of our models for being successful and one of the things that’s always been best about JFest is recognizing that people feel comfortable with attending different venues, and that where the venue is has an impact on who comes to it,” Salovey said.
“We like to make our work accessible, we like we like to be embedded in the different communities of San Diego [so] that we can bring JFest to new audiences and to be able to do some really unique programs,” he added. “For our first 29 years, we were a program of San Diego Repertory Theater (The Rep) and The Rep birthed the festival and supported the festival programs for 29 years and was just was an amazing testament to how committed The Rep was to being the voice of the multiple communities of San Diego,” Salovey said. “We loved being part of The Rep, but when [it] closed its doors in 2022, we were fortunate enough to be fiscally sponsored by the Lawrence Family JCC, where we have been for the past three years.”
The festival opens on May 21 with Lily Henley: An Evening of Sephardic Songs
at Enigma Amphitheatre in Bay Park. The award-winning fiddler fuses Ladino and Hebrew with touches of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian into her song writing.
Other musical performances at the festival include the Klezmer Summit, JFest’s yearly celebration featuring Yale Strom’s original cantata and band Hot Pstromi. Later in the festival, Grammy-nominated singer and touring band member with the legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen, Perla Batalla returns, and Jewish Broadway Composers will be celebrated in a new musical revue.
There’s a Place for Us–A Celebration of Jewish Broadway Composers will take place June 29 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido and June 30 at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family JCC.
The musical revue will honor Jewish composers and lyricists who shaped the American musical theater, from George Gershwin and Irving Berlin to Leonard Bernstein, John Kander, Fred Ebb and Stephen Schwartz.
The 16th Women of Valor will be presented at two performances: June 5 at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family JCC; and June 8 at The Hive at Leichtag Commons. Written by Ali Viterbi with Sarah Price Keating, Rebecca Myers, and Todd Salovey and directed by Todd Salovey the program will honor Tina Berenbaum, Becky Cherlin Baird, Silvana Christie, Dr. Laurie Greenberg, Lori Kaye (z”l), Rabbi Yael Ridberg.
“Women of Valor encompasses so much of who we are [at JFest],” Salovey said. “First of all, it celebrates six incredible women each year who have made significant and meaningful contributions to the San Diego community and the San Diego Jewish community in many different ways⎯as artists, visionaries, people in education or people in medicine, as spiritual leaders⎯and it really encompasses the idea of what valor is in the Jewish community.”
More than 100 women have been honored as part of the program, which features an original piece of new theater each year.
“In the 16 years of doing [this program], I’ve learned so much from every single woman we profile,” Salovey said. “We talk about fighting antisemitism, but we can’t define ourselves by being the victims of hatred. We are Jews today because we believe that being Jewish is important, and is a vital and a brilliant part of our lives.
“JFest is a celebration of why the Jewish people should continue; of what we bring to the world, and we do that through telling our stories, by sharing our accomplishments and by bringing joy,” he said.
The Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival runs May 21-June 30. Tickets range from $25 to $80 and can be purchased online at www.sdjfest.org.
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