A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH CULTURE
Shalom Festival draws crowd to Congress Park
SARATOGA SPRINGS >>
It was a bright and beautiful day for Saratoga Springs’ annual Shalom Festival, part of Saratoga’s Jewish Cultural Festival, in Congress Park on Sunday.
Festival-goers came out Sunday afternoon to enjoy free music and juggling acts, food and vendors offering wares from jewelry to books. The event took place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and was sponsored by Saratoga Chabad.
Yoel Sharabi, known for Modern Israeli, Classic Yemenite and Chassidic melodies, was the musical act for the afternoon. For further entertainment, Larry Rundle, known as “The Incredible Larry,” performed various juggling acts throughout the day. Rundle has been performing for 20 years.
“It’s fun doing what I do,” he said. “I’ll do a couple shows. The Jewish community usually comes and then more and more people will start showing up to check it out. As it gets busier, more kids will come by and try out some of the stuff I have out here. I’ll do a workship thing.”
This was jewelry designer Gabriella YardaiDavidson’s second time attending the Shalom Festi-
val as a vendor. She said she enjoys attending because it’s not as expensive to set up for this particular festival, but she also enjoys the atmosphere.
“I remember how good it was last year. I loved it. It was a very, very pleasant atmosphere with the music and dancing,” she said of why she came back this year. “Even if I didn’t do spectacularly, I did make some money.”
Joe Adler, another vendor at the festival, owns Jewish Book Maven in Albany. His specialty is in Judaica, but he sells a variety of books. He said he’s been to the festival at least eight times.
“I do fairly well. It’s worth it to drive up from Albany,” he said. “It’s spirited, it’s diversified. People from all over come. I had someone pay me in Canadian money last year.”
The Shalom Festival was preceded by an August 21 discussion with author Sigmund Tobias, author of “Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai.” Both events are part of this year’s Jewish Cultural Festival, which aims to promote Jewish culture throughout Saratoga Springs and the surrounding region.