Santa Cruz Jewish Cultural Festival

Come for the Food stay for the Music!
Schmooze among the Brews

Join the Fun…….Delights for all ages!

Fiddlers on the Roof and nonstop entertainment on the outdoor stage. Lower East Side Deli direct to the Temple Beth El kitchen. Freshly made, authentic falafel, pita bread, hummus and tahini. Bubbe’s Matza Ball Soup—with a vegan option. Sephardic sweets and Coffee. And, the “BAR” mitzvah will serve up wine and beer.

Shop the “shuk” where local and Bay Area artists offer their original work and wares. Booth spaces are available. Contact Mark Abadi Prof, [email protected], or at the TBE office.)

Teaming up with a local non-profit Project Pollinate: Santa Cruz, our Family Village will combine hands-on learning about our eco-sensitive environment with a safe and supervised play area for kids. Activities will include singing, story telling, face-painting, all-day play dough table, a water slide and bounce house.

A fantastic line up of musicians from the Main Stage will bring World Jewish Beats to move our spirits and feet. Already confirmed in the line up are:
• TBE Rock Shabbat Band – Leads off with its “only possible from Santa Cruz” combination of Jewish spirit wrapped in delicious Rock and Jazz modes.
• Eliyahu Sills and Qadim Ensemble w/ Naser Musa, Hamid Saeidi, Eliyahu Sils, Faisal – World class musicians who blend sacred and folkloric musical traditions of the Near East.
• Aliza Hava with Dror Sinai –Activist artist with a mission to fix a broken world from deep within her Jewish soul teams up with our very own divinely vocal and rhythimically dynamic Dror Sinai.
• The Klezmakers with Alan Rappoport – A full and rich melodic ensemble whose heartfelt sound echoes the Old World of Eastern European Yiddish life while making today’s audiences get up and dance.

Talks, Tours & Pop-Up Museum

In the sanctuary, catch fascinating, fun-filled 18-minute Chai Talks, TED Talk style. (Chai means “life” and its Hebrew spelling also represents the number 18.) In between talks, docents will offer guided tours of the sanctuary art and symbols and there will be opportunities to “Meet the Rabbi” – to ask those questions (and offer those answers!) you’ve been saving up all year.

We’re planning a Pop-Up Jewish Museum in the Library to display Judaica highlighting the richness and diversity of our own Santa Cruz Jewish Community. We are asking congregants to loan us interesting or old Chanukiahs, Menorahs, Shabbat candlesticks, Havdalah Sets, Seder Plates, Tablecloths and other Jewish Ritual items from your family collection. We would love pieces with attached (brief!) stories. If you have something you would like displayed, please let Rose Ashford or Gaby Litsky know by contacting TBE office (831 479 3444).

Community Hall

This year, for the first time, we’re featuring the Community Hall, a place where all of our TBE activities and committees will have the opportunity to share their projects and programs. ( Contact Sheila Baumgarten via the TBE office for more information.)

Volunteering

Our efforts to create this countywide Cultural Festival succeed only with your help. There are so many ways you can come together, have fun and share in the beauty of our culture with others. Please consider helping out either before or on the day itself. Please get in touch with [email protected]

SPONSORING
We thank the following sponsor who’ve pledged their support (as of April 1):
• The Wedeen Hammer Group at Morgan Stanley
• Schoolhouse Chai
• Karon Properties
• Gail Michaelis-Ow and George Ow Jr.
• Leland and Marian Zeidler
• Bob Katz and Leola Lapides

Please join them in supporting our Cultural Festival through generous donations and sponsorship. See the TBE website www.tbeaptos.org or call

Make sure you come early—and bring your friends—to this wonderful day of culture, food, music, education and fun for the entire family!

Please share this event wit your family and friends