The 20th Jewish Folk Arts Festival – the Mid-Atlantic's largest celebration of Jewish art, music and culture-celebrates the talent and diversity of Jewish performing and visual arts in the Washington, Baltimore and Virginia region.

The Festival kicks off with a pre-Festival Chanukah Concert Dedicated to Human Rights Saturday night, December 6 at 8:00 PM at Temple Beth Ami Congregation, 14330 Travilah Road in Rockville, MD. The concert features the storyteller Noa Baum; The Fabrangen Fiddlers: Rabbi David Shneyer, Alan Oresky, Frank Sparber, Theo Stone, Larry Robinson and Debi Roemer; Jessi Roemer and members of Ezuz; Cantor Larry Eschler and Cantorial Soloist Joshana Erenberg. Call 301-349-2799 or email admin@am-kolel.org to reserve seats. A portion of proceeds will support Immigrant Rights organizations and Physicians for Human Rights - Israel. Concert ticket for General Admission is $25; Senior (62+): $15; Youth: $10. Call 301-349-2799 for group discounts.

The 20th Jewish Folk Arts Festival will take place Sunday, December 7 at the Universities of Shady Grove Conference Center at 9630 Gudelsky Drive in Rockville, MD, from 12:00 – 6:15 PM.

Performers at the Festival include The Kol Chayim Orchestra, Mikey and the Temple Shalom Youth Choir, Klezcentricity, Kolot HaLev Choir, Aaron Shneyer and the Brothers Yares New Klezmer Quintet. Gesher Jewish Day School Music Ensembles, Music Pilgrim Trio, Machaya, SONiA (of disappear fear), Ein Lanu Z’man and Lox n’ Vodka. 30 artists will exhibit their wares. 17 workshops will be offered.

Arts and crafts activities for children, a Youth Lounge (organized by Camp Moshava Habonim Dror), Challah Tasting Contest and the Klez Café with international kosher food are part of the festival.

Workshops Shirley Waxman (Creating New Purpose to Things Inherited); Rabbi David Shneyer (Shlomo Carlebach); Hazzan Ramon Tasat and Izabella Tabarovsky (melodies of the Russian Jews); Sheilah Kaufman (Jews and Chocolate); Rabbi David Ebenbach (art and creativity in Torah); Norman Shore (Stories of women, Hanukkah and heroism); Aviva Kempner (The Rosenwald Schools- excerpt of her most recent documentary); Ellie Moses Schuchman (Jewish music with little ones); Tom Timberg (Jews of Nigeria); Rabbi Mark Novak (the music and mindfulness of Jewish Renewal); Teddy Klaus (Creating Instant Choirs); Hazzan Rachel Hersh Epstein (The Old Will be Renewed: Contemporary Israeli T'filah); Frieda Enoch (Yiddish songs); Jonathan Tucker (slam poetry), Lucy Steinitz and Bernd Kiekebusch (Songs from Ethiopia’s Beta Avraham Jewish Community), Susan Barocas (Kugel!) and Merrill Leffler (honoring the work of poet Herman Taub zt”l), Israeli Dancing for Children, Adults and Beginners with Ben Hole, Sharon Gelboin-Katz and Ethan Halpern.

Exhibit Hall The Exhibit Hall will feature 30 Judaic artists and their crafts, which will be for sale. This is a unique opportunity to shop for a wide variety of Judaica just prior to Chanukah. Jewelry will be offered by Abby Joy Jewelry, DM Jewelry, Bobbi Premack Gorban and Audrey Jones. Artists working in both glass and jewelry are Jamie Agins Art Glass; Di*Va Beaded Bracelets, Glass & More and Dor L’Dor – Kabbalah Inspired Designs. Several crafters work solely in glass: Stained Glass Designs and Tamsglass.

Art designed to be displayed on walls include serigraphs and water colors by Avrum I. Ashery and mixed media paintings by Natrasand. Photography artists Hals Photo Studio and Streams of Light Photography will also exhibit. Fabric artists will be represented by Judybeth Greene, Lorelei Judaic Designs, Peasant Weaver and Shirley Waxman. There will be pottery and ceramics created by Sharon Braverman, Chaya Tile Works & Pottery, Goldin Ceramics and Roni Polisar.

A number of artists work in more than one medium: Heitzi Arts (ceramics; fabric, jewelry), Rona K/Original Artwork (mixed media painting and fabric), Diane Tuckman (fabric, photography and cards) and Robert Weinstein (digital prints and ceramic figurines). Books and music will be offered by Barry Louis Polisar, Poetica Magazine and the Am Kolel Bookstore. There will even be artisan chocolate created by Dear Coco Chocolate.

Festival admission is $10 (general) and $5 (seniors and students); preschoolers are free. The maximum fee for a family is $40.

The Festival is sponsored by the Am Kolel Jewish Renewal Center, an independent community organization devoted to Jewish life and outreach in the Jewish and general communities. The event is made possible with support from The Sue Roemer Endowment Fund, in partnership with in partnership with Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation Bethsda, MD), Beth El (Winchester, VA), Bethesda Jewish Congregation (MD), Beth Sholom Congregation (Frederick, MD), Camp Moshava Habonim Dror (Street, MD), Congregation Bet Mishpachah (Washington, DC), Experiential Education Jewish Cultural Arts (Washington, DC), Fabrangen (Washington, DC), The Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, The Jewish Food Experience (Serving Northern Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia),The Jewish Study Center (Washington, DC), Kehila Chadasha (Bethesda, MD), Kol Ami Northern Virginia Reconstructionist Community (Arlington, VA), Minyan Oneg Shabbat (Washington DC), Shirat HaNefesh (Chevy Chase, MD), Temple Beth Ami (Rockville, MD), Temple B’nai Shalom (Fairfax Station, VA), Temple Emanuel (Kensington, MD), Temple Micah (Washington, DC) Temple Shalom (Silver Spring, MD), Tifereth Israel (Washington, DC) and Washington Hebrew Congregation (Washington, DC).

For more information, contact 301-349-2799 or visit www.jewishfolkartsfestival.com. Like us on Facebook: Jewish Folk Arts Festival