Jewish Fest: A Labor Day weekend tradition

Annual two-day celebration to include live music, food and plenty of culture

The 19th annual Jewish Fest will be held Sept. 4-5, offering residents the chance to come together.

LITCHFIELD >> The 19th annual Jewish Fest will be held Sept. 4-5 in Litchfield, offering, according to Rabbi Joseph Eisenbach, a chance for local residents to come together, enjoy themselves and learn about the Jewish faith.

“It’s an event that brings people of all backgrounds together, and over the years we’ve hosted tens of thousands that have come through, and connected, bonded, inspired, and moved on to be better and kinder members in the community,” said Eisenbach.

Activites include a “fullsized Noah’s Ark,” with live animals; musicians and live music, including a performance by 8th Day, a Hassidic pop-rock band which has garnered millions of hits on YouTube videos of their songs, Eisenbach said. Other performers scheduled to play include New England Kletzmer Ensemble, acrobats and other entertainers.

8th Day, co-founded by brothers Shmuel and Bentzi Marcus, is one of the most sought after music acts these days, according to their website. With their latest hit album “Inner Flame”, the group has now released six studio albums that have been top sellers on the Folk Music, Alternative Rock and Jewish Music charts. Their hit music video for “Ya’alili” has over 4 million views on YouTube. They followed that up with more fan favorites like “All You Got”, “Hooleh!”, and now their latest hit video “Celebrate.”

A craft festival, featuring the chance to make a “chanukah menorah, havdallah candle, Shofar, (or) yarmulka,” among other items, as described on the event’s brochure, and a variety of kosher food offerings, such as challah or matzah, are also planned to be available for those that come out to attend the event.

The festival, which is officially termed as the Jewish Music and Arts Festival, is organized by the Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest Connecticut, and was first held in 1997, according to Eisenbach.

Although people of many faiths and backgrounds attend, Eisenbach said, it presents the chance for Jewish visitors to learn about the faith.

“Beginning with the members of the Jewish faith, there’s a challenge where the fact is that most people are not affiliated with a temple, and I think them coming out to an event like this — where it’s not a temple, it’s not a synagogue, it’s out in White Memorial; it’s really (provided) an ability to learn about the heritage and the faith,” said Eisenbach.

The event is especially well-suited for children, Eisenbach said.

“For the kids, I think it is phenomenal, because the hands-on aspect of it is huge, and it really enables people to really see Noah’s Ark, see a challah, how do you make a matzah, how do you do this,” said Eisenbach. “It really connects them in the most amazing way.”

The festival will be held at White Memorial Conservation Center, located at 80 Whitehall Road in Litchfield. A complete schedule of events is available on the website set up for the affair — jewishfest.org.

“It promises to be a oneof-a-kind event, something like we’ve never done before, from the music to the ark, from the crafts to the food, it’s just going to be a fabulous time for the young and young at heart,” said Eisenbach.

Tickets are available to purchase at jewishfest.org, by calling 860-567-3609, or at the event, Eisenbach said.

“It’s an event that brings people of all backgrounds together.” — Rabbi Joseph Eisenbach