Boulder Jewish Festival showcases Jewish culture, community through …

The constant downpour of rain Sunday was not going to stop people from having fun at the Boulder Jewish Festival.

The festival, on Pearl Street Mall, has been happening annually since 1995 and is a display of the Jewish culture in the Front Range area. Although the rain did not stop, the mood at the festival was never dampened.

Boulder Jewish Community Center Executive Director Jonathan Lev said that the JCC has always been involved in organizing the festival, but a few years ago the JCC Arts, Culture and Education program helped to host the festival.

“The whole point of this event is to bring Jewish culture and community to all Boulder County, and beyond,” Lev said.

He noted that he hopes people appreciate all the different aspects of Jewish culture, including food, events, games and music. He hopes that people learn about all the events the JCC hosts, even those who just happen to be walking by. He said that the festival has been going on for more than 25 years, and it is a celebration. He hopes that the Jewish community can connect at the festival.

Lev noted that Sunday was a “splash.” He joked that instead of hoping people stay dry, that they stay wet, as it means people have been walking around and getting to know all the different events and vendors at the festival.

Cheryl Fellows was part of the festival committee from 1999 to 2015. She said that the festival is funded by the Boulder Human Relations Fund and was founded by Cathy Adler and Susan Kramer. She and Lev noted that the festival is one of the longest running Jewish festivals to take place, excluding the pandemic lockdowns. She said that the longevity is thanks to the many volunteers who help the events.

“It’s a wonderful showcase of Jewish diversity in the community, rain or shine,” Fellows said.

Fellows said that she hopes the festival reconnects people, as the pandemic was an era of isolation. She noted that the rain helped with that as it invited people to step closer into tents, to shelter from the rain, and speak to people. She said that the rain did not dampen the enthusiasm for the festival.

The festival also had a variety of live performances, with Gili Yalo headlining the music lineup. Yalo combines Ethiopian music with soul, funk, jazz and psychedelic music.

“We hope to give you the sun under this rain,” Yalo said during his performance.

The constant downpour did not prevent attendants from dancing along with Yalo; people simply brought their umbrellas along with them to dance. It did not take long for a crowd to form around Yalo, as they were captivated by his charisma and stage presence.