Earlier this month, the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival hosted a three-day new play festival in Balboa Park as the first taste of its 2025 season. Next month, the main course will arrive with eight more events countywide.
Performers at this year’s festival, which begins May 21, include comedian Alex Edelman, singers Perla Batalla and Lily Henley, tributes to Leonard Cohen and Jewish Broadway composers, and the annual Klezmer Summit and Women of Valor presentations.
Known as JFest, the festival is now in its 32nd year. The festival was created in 1993 by artistic director Todd Salovey under the auspices of San Diego Repertory Theatre in downtown San Diego.
After the Rep closed permanently in 2022, Salovey, with producing director Becca Myers, reimagined the festival as a roving entity that would be presented at multiple locations. That format has thrived, so JFest is returning in May with a lineup of shows that will be presented in eight different venues from Bay Park to La Jolla Carlsbad to Escondido.
This year’s festival will includes comedy, several concerts, theater events and a discussion on education .
Salovey said this year’s festival was designed with the idea of finding joy in difficult times.
“Great art awakens hope, inspires empathy, and builds pride,” he said, in a statement. “Art helps us face challenges, inspires resilience, and brings joy. We have great shows this year. I am so proud and excited for JFest’s 32nd season.”
Myers said this year’s festival will feature shows that celebrate Jewish traditions and customs.
“It showcases history, music and storytelling that honor our rich history and highlight today’s Jewish community’s dynamic, ever-evolving spirit,” she said. “It’s a celebration of how our past inspires new ways of thinking, creating, and connecting.”
The festival runs May 21 through June 30. Tickets are now on sale at sdjfest.org.
‘Lily Henley: An Evening of Sephardic Songs’
The award-winning fiddler and singer will perform songs that fuse Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish and Persian music. She’ll be accompanied by Duncan Wickel on vocals, cello and guitar. 7:30 p.m. May 21. Enigma Amphitheatre, Bay Park, San Diego. $25 ($36 includes pre-show desserts)
‘The Future of University Education’ featuring Peter Salovey and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik
Former Yale president and professor of psychology Peter Salovey s Rabbi Soloveichik of Yeshiva University for a conversation moderated by UCSD physics professor Brian Keating. The program is co-sponsored by Yale Club of San Diego and UCSD Jewish Studies. 7:30 pm May 27. Natural Sciences Building Auditorium, 9500 Gilman Drive, UCSD, La Jolla. $30 ($50 with preshow meet and greet)
The 16th Women of Valor
A theatrical evening of stories, songs, images and inspiration honors six San Diego Jewish women: Tina Beranbaum, Becky Cherlin, Silvana Christy, Dr. Laurie Greenberg, Lori Kaye and Rabbi Yael Ridberg. The plays, which will be performed in two locations, are written by Ali Viterbi with Sarah Price Keating, Rebecca Myers and Todd Salovey (who also directs). 7:30 p.m. June 5 at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. $25-$54. Also at 2 p.m. June 8 at The Hive at Leichtag Commons, 441 Saxony Rd, Encinitas. $25.
The Jewish Community of Syria Through the Generations
This immersive experience co-sponsored by Congregation Adat Yeshurun, will explore Syrian Jewish culture through food, music, stories and history. Educators Rachel Tawil Abraham, Mickey Abraham and Haia R’nana Bchiri, as well as musicians Fouad Sawa and Danny Myers, will perform the program. 7:30 p.m. June 10. Congregation Adat Yeshurun, 8625 La Jolla Scenic Drive North, La Jolla.$75, includes a gourmet kosher dinner
Klezmer Summit: ‘Brothers in Harmony’
This annual celebration of Jewish music led by acclaimed klezmer musician and composer Yale Strom will explore the weaving of Eastern European Jewish music with jazz, classical and Roma forms. The concert will begin with Strom’s cantata “Uncle Albert and Brother Franz,” performed by San Diego Pro Arte Voices, under director Patrick Walders. That will be followed by Strom’s Hot Pstromi band. Featured musicians include Tripp Sprague, Fred Benedetti, Tyler Kreutel, Luke Little and Elizabeth Schwartz, plus 7-string guitarist Vadim Koplakov. 7 p.m. June 8. First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 298 W. Arbor Dr., San Diego. $30.
Alex Edelman: ‘What Are you Going To Do’
This Boston-born standup comedian won a Tony Award for his 2024 Broadway show “Just for Us,” about his experience going undercover to a meeting of white nationalists in Queens, New York. When “Just for Us” moved to HBO, it also won an Emmy Award. Edelman is booked for two shows, but the first one on June 16 is already sold out. Ticket are still available for 7:30 p.m. June 17. Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family JCC, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. $40, $60 and $80 (top ticket price includes pre-show meet and greet with Edelman)
‘The House of Cohen — A Tribute to Leonard Cohen’
Singer-songwriter Perla Batalla will perform this tribute show to the life, music and poetry of her friend, mentor and longtime collaborator. Cohen, who died in 2016 at age 82, was a Canadian singer-songwriter and author who is best known for his song “Hallelujah.” 7:30 p.m. June 18. New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $40-$45.
‘There’s a Place for Us – A Celebration of Jewish Broadway Composers’
In partnership with CCAE Theatricals, this new musical revue will feature songs by the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim from musicals including “West Side Story,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “South Pacific.” 6 p.m. June 29 at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido; and at 7:30 p.m. June 30 at Garfield Theatre, Lawrence Family JCC, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. $25-$50.
