Temple Israel Plans Celebration Of Jewish Music, Art, Food, Ritual

Popular Jewish foods, live music, children’s activities, exploration of Jewish life, and a lively open-air market will all be part of Temple’s Israel’s fourth annual Jewish Cultural Festival on Sunday, June 8 from noon until 6:30 p.m. The festival — free and open to the public — will take place on the grounds of Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Drive, just across the river from Fifth-Third Field near downtown Dayton.
“Thousands have turned out in past years to enjoy the tastes, sights and sounds of Judaism,” said festival chair Sara Faust, “and we’re thrilled to welcome the community to our building and grounds for an engaging day of exploration and entertainment.” Temple Israel is the largest and oldest Jewish congregation in the Miami Valley.

A Jewish culinary journey of the world. 
Popular Miami Valley restaurants C’est Tout, El Meson, Pasha Grill, and Smokin’ Bar-B-Que will prepare traditional Jewish foods of France, Latin America, the Middle East, and the southern U.S. regions. Visitors can mix and match dishes to sample flavors from around the globe, all for sale from the different restaurants. Homemade baked goods including challah, Passover wine cookies, and honey cake are also available to purchase.

Non-stop entertainment starring Jewish music of all kinds.
The Cincinnati Klezmer Project returns with the lively sounds of Eastern European Jewish folk music. Tim Pritchard and the Boxcar Suite will rock the festival with a selection of music by contemporary Jewish artists and songwriters. Other local music favorites will grace the stage with folk and Broadway tunes. Always a favorite, The Shimmy Cats will dance in the Israeli folk style.

Jewish craft beers to quench the thirst and lift the spirit. 
What could be better…for the adults…than a cold beer on a hot afternoon? Try some of the best Jewish or kosher beer from domestic and foreign brewers. Kids and non-beer drinkers will enjoy several flavors of Dr. Brown’s Sodas, a long-time staple of delicatessens.

Children’s games, activities to entertain and educate. 
Learning about Judaism will be fun and engaging for the youngest festival goers. Children may create candlesticks for Shabbat, sample some delicious challah bread, color Hebrew letters and symbols, sing and dance, and play other games.

A diverse educational program.
A series of interactive presentations in Temple’s sanctuary will highlight history of storytelling, Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust, answers about Jewish life, and the importance of interfaith dialogues. The international traveling exhibit, Lawyers Without Rights, which details the story of persecution of Jewish lawyers in Nazi Germany, is open to the public. Visit the festival’s Mitzvah Alley to learn about easy ways to incorporate “green” projects and programs into your life to help improve our community and lessen our impact on the environment.

A lively open-air market. 
Tents and booths evoking the feel of Israeli markets will offer a mix of Judaica, crafts and artwork by Jewish and non-Jewish artisans.

Temple Israel is grateful to the community partners who support the Jewish Cultural Festival, including the Levin FamilyFoundation. In addition to groups and organizations listed above who are participating, Temple thanks all of our presenting partners and sponsors.

For more information about the Jewish Cultural Festival, visit www.tidayton.org, email [email protected] or call 937-496-0050. Temple Israel, founded in 1850, offers religious, cultural, educational, social and social action programs that build on the legacy of those who have come before with innovations guaranteed to create a fulfilling and vibrant future for the congregation.