From the Artistic Director

JFest turns 33 this year, and this is our very first year as an independent nonprofit! I want to thank the SD REP for bringing us into being and producing JFest for 30 years, and the JCC for being our fiscal sponsor for the past 3 years. I want to thank all our donors, sponsors, and community partners for being so generous and making sure the Festival has resources and support. And I want to thank you our audience very very much for being my inspiration.

You are the reason that I get so excited about our programs year after year. When I was first asked by Sam Woodhouse and Douglas Jacobs if I wanted to lead the Jewish Arts Festival, I said, “I don’t really do that.” But I tried the first year. And I was so enthralled by the buzz I felt in the lobby before and after our shows. The pride. The community. The schmoozing. The discovery. The remembrances. The Uplift. That I came back for more. And more. And now 3 decades + three years more!

I hope you enjoy this year’s Festival. I hope you will find it’s our strongest and most interesting Festival yet.

I have many ideas for what JFest will grow and blossom to be. We want to do more education, collaborate with more partners, bring more headliners, present full productions of plays, and birth more work that travels the globe. We also want JFest to serve you. I hope you’ll share YOUR ideas about how JFest can best serve our San Diego Community. If you have thoughts, please let me know: todd@sdjfest.org I’d love to hear from you.

JFest entertains and inspires. We ask BIG QUESTIONS. We invite community. And we celebrate art, artists, and the power of art to uplift. It’s such a thrill after 33 years to be our own independent nonprofit. We look forward to offering more programs and creating an even larger “sukkah” to invite audiences to join us in.