Jewish Arts & Bookfest
In the Magnes tradition of incubating Jewish cultural events such as the SF Jewish Film Festival and the Jewish Music Festival, the museum will host a Jewish Arts & Bookfest in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month in May 2025.
In person at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA
Tickets on sale soon!
Submissions for the 2025 Jewish Arts & Bookfest are now open!
We welcome your interest in offering a program as part of the Jewish Arts & Bookfest! We are seeking a diverse array of presentations by authors and artists whose work engages Jewish heritage and culture. Program slots will be 50 minutes. All applications will be reviewed by the Arts & Bookfest planning committee to create the most dynamic day of programming possible.
Keynote
Bestselling Author, Screenwriter, Playwright, and Musician.
Daniel Handler is the author of seven novels, including Why We Broke Up, We Are Pirates, All The Dirty Parts and Bottle Grove. His new book on writing And Then? And Then? What Else? has been described as “fully captivating” by Kirkus and “dazzling” by Booklist.
As Lemony Snicket, he is responsible for numerous books for children, including the thirteen-volume A Series of Unfortunate Events, the four-volume All the Wrong Questions, and The Dark, which won the Charlotte Zolotow Award.
Photo by Meredith Heuer.
Featured Presentation
Inspired by a true story, the national award winning graphic novel, We Are Not Strangers follows a Jewish immigrant’s efforts to help his Japanese neighbors while they are unjustly incarcerated during World War II.
Through a visually rich presentation, Josh Tuininga will share his creative process and research, weaving together narratives of Jewish and Japanese communities united by resilience and allyship during the turbulence of wartime. This program is presented in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Tuininga will also be joined by guest speaker Shizue Seigel.
Perfect for all ages including teens!
Exhibitors
Afikomen Judaica and Bookshop
Located in Berkeley, California, Afikomen specializes in being an inclusive, welcoming space wherever you are on your Jewish journey. You will find this openness, deep spirituality and intellectual curiosity reflected in their diverse range of ritual items, merchandise, books and gifts for holidays, life-cycle events, celebrations and personal interest.
Visit Afikomen in Berkeley, or shop online.
Jewish Lives: Biographies that Illumninate the Jewish Experience
A partnership of Yale University Press and the Leon D. Black Foundation, Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity.
Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences.
Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
Learn more about the Jewish Lives series and podcast.
Tables at the exhibitor fair will be $100. For more information, please reach out to magnesprograms@berkeley.edu.
Activities
Time Capsules Treasure Hunt
Learn more about some of the special objects in the collection-based exhibition, Time Capsules: Exploring the Permanent Collection, through this engaging, all-ages treasure hunt activity.
In Plain Sight Crossword Puzzle
Learn more about Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage as seen in the current exhibition, In Plain Sight: Jewish Arts and Lives, as you complete an engaging crossword puzzle.
Jewish American Heritage Month
This May marks the 19th annual celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, an opportunity for all Americans to connect with the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience.
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