By Allison Saft
Marketing Coordinator, Jewlicious Festival
I could not be more “stokedâ€, as they say around these parts (actually, I haven’t heard anyone use this term yet) about our upcoming Jewlicious Festival this March 8-10 on The Queen Mary in Long Beach; it’s Facebook official we will all be pleased to learn. It’s the 9th one, so it is obviously a big deal and it’s still going full steam ahead, like a ship, or is that for trains? And the ship won’t be moving, so scratch that entirely.
I have come here from across the country, a little town called Philadelphia, which was once the original place to be, but that title seems to have been dramatically usurped by my current location, Los Angeles, the city of fallen Pennsylvanians. Jokes, mostly. So what would literally cause me to drop everything, cheesesteak included, which wasn’t easy because it was next level tasty, to come work for this hugely innovative and gloriously successful festival?
Honestly, I listened to the band camp music clips and I was like “soldâ€. But ever honest-er-ly, I had never seen or heard of anything like this before and I was more than intrigued to get heavily involved in its activist, intelligent, fun loving, expressive, unifying vibes asap (or ASAFT, as I refer to it).
The very notion that such an event could exist, that people of all beliefs and backgrounds could come together as an understanding collective to experience the broadest and most engaging dose of Jewish culture possible, was too tempting to keep me nestled under the Rocky steps any longer.
What I have found thus far: dedicated people, incredible line-ups, an ideal location, never-ending inspiration, and an idea of active participation in one’s surroundings, mental capacity, creative interests, history, and future. I can’t say for sure what will happen on this fest of destiny, but I do know I could not be more excited to see how all the fascination, warmth, outreach, passion, and fun unfolds. Oh and Shmuley Boteach will be speaking, which may be my biggest treat of all, as I watched him solve a lifetime of people’s problems in 23 minutes or less during each episode of Shalom in the Home way back when.
There really is something special going on here, climatically surmounting on this great ship, and I know I want to catch every wave, (again, may be waveless due to the lack of sailing) and I sincerely hope you will all join me. See yous on the Long Beach present future friends of CalifornIA and beyond!
- A Pesach Story: How Jesus and a Donut Sent me to Israel - 4/14/2022
- The Queen’s Gornisht - 4/20/2021
- Introducing Nicole Raviv. - 11/14/2020