Adorned with art and seasoned with the sounds of klezmer, a double portion of challah and a dash of chutzpah, Palo Alto’s California Avenue became a Jewish thoroughfare Sunday afternoon, Sept. 17.
Drawing several thousand participants, the seventh annual “To Life!” Jewish street festival came to life with dancers, singers, comics and musicians on three stages, craftspeople up and down the avenue, falafel and kebabs, and kids spinning talents in multiple directions.
Some sowed nasturtium seeds, some created beaded Judaica pins and Star of David wall hangings; others slid on inflatables, made shofars, and competed in the third annual Jewish American Idol contest, where everybody got a prize and the name of the game was respect — and kvelling.
“For the kids, this is the real deal,” said Larry Stein of Cupertino, whose 9-year-old daughter Jessica was a finalist in the contest. “Parents get a lot of nachas. Kids get to be a big shot. It’s a good excuse to bring out the camcorder. She’s a little kid with a lot of voice — not that I’m biased.”
Many little kids sang with big voices, including 7-year-old Alyssa Feigelson of Belmont, who won the young division prize. Singing Debbie Friedman’s “Alef Bet Song” with panache and perfectly accented Hebrew, she unscrolled the letters as she invited the audience to sing along. Her mother credited Alyssa’s pronunciation to her education at Foster City’s Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School.
Another kid with a big voice was the spirited El Loeb, 11, who tied for second prize, with Nate Pergamut, in the junior division and took third in the grand finals. El got audience members stompin’ and clappin’ to the Jewish-country song “R U ReD 4 Shabbat?,” written by Congregation Beth Am’s Rabbi Josh Zweiback. A student at Palo Alto’s Terman Middle School, El recently recorded the song on a CD for the rabbi.
“Look at her go!” Zweiback said as El competed in the finals. “She’s a great performer.”
Another winner with a Beth Am connection was Lauren Hart, 15, an occasional soloist at the Los Altos Hills synagogue. A student at Palo Alto’s Gunn High School, Hart won first prize in the upper division and grand prize with “Out Here on My Own” from “Fame.”
Demonstrating grace under fire, Tamar Leveson, 10, of San Jose took first in the junior division and won second prize in the grand finals with George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” showing incredible poise despite a glitch in the sound system.
Why did she choose the “Porgy and Bess” showpiece, a challenge for even seasoned sopranos?
“Because I’ve known it for a long time — at least five years,” Tamar said. “My dad sings it to me. When I found out that the guy who wrote it was Jewish, I wanted to do it.”
All songs in the contest had a Jewish connection, explained emcee Shannon Guggenheim, whose organization co-sponsors the contest and produces the annual “MeshugaNutcracker” Chanukah spoof.
Throughout the fair, participants were making — and remaking — Jewish connections. Santa Rosa artist Nina Bonos said she looked forward to greeting old friends, among them Laurel Cyrluk of Los Gatos. After making a connection at last year’s event, the two created a watercolor collage for the 45th anniversary of Cyrluk’s in-laws, using the original cardboard ketubah as a centerpiece. “We had the most fun,” said Bonos. “It was not just something that I created. We created it together.”
Now, she said, “I feel I’m part of the family.”
Bonos, who designed the 2001 logo for the street festival, emphasized that the Palo Alto fair puts its primary focus on Jewish art.
“This is an art show that grew,” she said. “This festival really takes care of the artists.”
Stephanie Brown, who has been directing the festival for the last three years and is a fabric painter herself, would agree. The event, presented by the Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center with multiple community sponsors, puts its primary focus on art and entertainment.
The event brings in more than 100 artists and craftspeople from throughout the country as well as from Israel. This year the ALSJCC and the fair helped launch a new artists’ guild, Judaic Artists of the Bay Area (JABA), showcasing their work in a California Avenue tent. Barbara Mortkowitz, a South Bay interior designer, coordinated the exhibit.
Among the works were a black-and-white photograph of the Aquarian Minyan founders, exquisite hand-painted silks, vibrantly colored stools and a 6-foot-tall menorah holder made of alder, but also available in mahogany or the wood of one’s choice, according to artist Jan Hooker.
Nearby, exhibitor Ellen Bob, co-owner of Palo Alto’s bob and bob book and Judaica store, said she bumped into a customer who had moved to the region in June and “wondered where the Jewish community was.” On Sunday, he told her, “Now I know where the Jewish community is. That’s what this is all about.”
Of course, you don’t have to be Jewish. While there were a number of men wearing kippahs and tzitzit, and women in long skirts with head coverings, also spotted were women in saris and plenty of folks in clothing one could only describe as Sunday casual.
“It’s a cultural fair — no politics,” said Ronna Devincenzi of the California Avenue Area Development Association. “I’m not Jewish and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”