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“What piece of Jewish culture from the last quarter-century — movie, TV show, book, album, etc. — brings you joy, and why?”

That’s the question we asked 30 Bay Area artists and tastemakers this summer, in the hope of providing some diversion from the heaviness of news from Israel, campuses and the campaign trail. Answers arrived from musicians, writers, journalists, museum curators and more. Their answers were, as expected, all over the map. Novels, music, movies, TV shows, visual art and graphic novels all made the cut, from the Coen Brothers movie “A Serious Man” to Shale Wagman’s solo dance piece “Expression of Identity.”

We also asked you, our readers, to weigh in. Here are some of your responses. Proving that everything is recursive, one of you recommended a work by one of the creatives who weighed in on the original version of the question. If you have more to say, let us know by emailing [email protected].

Yamma Ensemble

The first song I heard by Yamma Ensemble was “Song of Solomon.” The musicianship, use of Middle Eastern instruments and the deep emotion conveyed in the ensemble’s arrangements have won me over. Listen also to “Rivers of Love” and the Ladino “Sien Drachmas.” Find the group at yammaensemble.com or youtube.com/@Yammaensemble.

Diane Schoenfeld
Berkeley

‘The Golem of Brooklyn’

Adam Mansbach’s novel, “The Golem of Brooklyn,” made me laugh out loud. Perfectly insane contemporary Jewish take on the legend of the golem.

Carole Priven
San Francisco

‘The Hanukkah Sessions’

“The Hanukkah Sessions,” a series of performances for each day of the holiday by Dave Grohl, the lead singer of the Foo Fighters, brought me joy. He did it for a few years, 2020 through 2022, when he stopped, sadly. He did it with his bandmate, Greg Kurstin, who is also Jewish.

All of them are on YouTube — one for each night of Chanukah for a few years. The final year featured performances with Jack Black, Pink and more. I so enjoyed them!

Gina Martel
Sacramento

Sefaria.org

My choice is sort of retro, but sincere: the website Sefaria.org. I mean, c’mon! The near-entirety (and growing) corpus of traditional Jewish texts? In your hand or on your desktop? For free? We’re living in a golden age of Jewish learning here!

Neal Ross Attinson
Sonoma

‘The Chanukah Song’

Adam Sandler’s “The Chanukah Song” originated in 1994, but it’s been updated several times since then, incorporating the pop culture references of the moment. It brings me joy because it makes me feel a connection between American pop culture and Jewish identity instead of holding the two separate and incapable of conversation. 

Jewish holidays celebrate triumphs over past challenges, times when we remember that joy can be found again after sorrow. Sandler’s song makes me feel that belonging can be found again after exclusion.

Rachelle Tunik
Oakland

John Zorn

I frequently travel to another realm in my art studio by creating art while listening to music. My favorite Jewish musician is John Zorn, an eclectic American composer, conductor, saxophonist, and producer who often fuses Jewish musical scales and rhythms with jazz. My art studio buzzes with palpable energy almost daily as Zorn’s music grounds me, helps me know who I am and inspires me to visually express my own Jewish roots. Like Zorn’s music, my vibrant watercolor and mixed-media paintings present contemporary interpretations of Jewish themes, enriching the dialogue about Jewish heritage in the modern world. Find him on YouTube or Facebook.

Nina Bonos
Sonoma County

Kosha Dillz

The Jewish hip hop artist Kosha Dillz brings me a lot of Jewish joy with his strong and humorous lyrics. A rare Jewish artist not afraid to speak out for the tribe, he celebrates our culture in songs like “Schmoozin’” and fights back for us with others like “Watermelon/Avatiach.” Find him at koshadillzworld.com or youtube.com/@koshadillztv.

Adam Swig
San Francisco