For more than a century, Bay Area Jews have supported the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation and its mission to strengthen the community and improve the world.
On April 10, the federation is saying, simply, “Thanks.”
The daylong FedFest 100, which is open to those who have donated to the federation or its endowment fund, will include a profusion of free events designed to stimulate, provoke or simply entertain. They will include a session on bicycle-powered milkshake-making with Hazon, a Jewish environmental group; a discussion on whether Jews are “social animals” with New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks; and an award presentation to former Secretary of State George Shultz for his work in freeing Soviet Jews, along with many other lectures, musical performances and family activities.
The event will take place April 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF, William J. Rutter Center, 1675 Owens St., San Francisco. Advance reservations (suggested donation is $36) are requested at www.jewishfed.org/event/fedfest. A vegetarian buffet lunch ($25 for adults and $10 for children) will be provided for those who register in advance for a meal.
“This is a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished together as a community in the last 100 years, to celebrate our rich history and generous culture of giving, and to come together to shape our Jewish future for the next 100 years,” said Susan Mall, director of FedFest.
Mall and her team have called on the best and brightest of Jewish minds locally, nationally and internationally to interest, inform and amuse JCF donors. Among them are Dan Meridor, the deputy prime minister of Israel; Pulitzer Prize–winning author Michael Chabon; Avraham Infeld, educator and president emeritus of Hillel International; and KQED’s Forum host Michael Krasny.
Highlighting the day is the keynote address at 3 p.m. by Brooks, who will discuss how people have related to one another in the last century, a topic covered in his latest book “The Social Animal.”
The rest of FedFest is divided into hourlong “bites” with several choices of topic for every hour. For adults, these include Jewish history, filmmaking, the Middle East, teens and sex, philanthropy, Jewish identity, Jews in entertainment, the history of chutzpah and a concert by a quartet from the San Francisco Symphony.
For the younger generation, there will be art, singing, pingpong and stories by the PJ Library. In addition, throughout the day attendees will have a chance to create a family time capsule and put their personal artistic
touch on a giant community tzedakah box, which will be on display in community agencies after FedFest.
Some sessions will look to the past, such as one with KRON-TV critic Jan Wahl, who will review Jewish comedy from 1910 — the year of the federation’s founding — to the present. Other sessions will explore the Jewish community of the future: One will feature kids with nontraditional backgrounds, and another will provide tips for new ways to bring Judaism into the home.
“There will be an abundance of riches,” Mall said.
FedFest also will shine a light on the federation and increase public awareness of what the organization does to ensure a connected and enriched Jewish community. There will be an archival exhibit organized for the centennial, and a variety of videos will stream throughout the day.
While FedFest celebrates the past 100 years, it also will look forward, starting with the festival site — which, Mall said, is in itself distinctive.
“We wanted to be somewhere new, somewhere we hadn’t been before,” she said.
The 5-year-old conference center features an environmentally friendly design and cutting-edge technology. It’s also likely that most attendees won’t have spent much time in Mission Bay, a newly developed section of San Francisco — so exploring the new environs “will be an adventure, part of the fun of the day,” Mall said.
For information or to register for FedFest, visit www.jewishfed.org/event/fedfest.