After more than three decades of bringing Jewish arts and culture to San Diego, the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival is stepping into a new chapter. In 2025, JFest became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, allowing us to expand our vision and bring Jewish artistic experiences to audiences across the region in new and exciting ways.

What began years ago as a single day of programming has grown into a vibrant, multi-week festival—and increasingly, a year-round cultural hub celebrating Jewish creativity, storytelling, and connection.

Audiences will gather for extraordinary performances and unforgettable conversations, including comedian and writer Alex Edelman at UC San Diego to open the Festival. We will once again celebrate the inspiring stories of local leaders through our beloved theatrical production Women of Valor. And we will welcome Patrick Page—Broadway’s iconic Hades from Hadestown along with Festival favorite Perla Batalla—in Looking for Leonard, a powerful exploration of the life and music of Leonard Cohen.  

At the same time, JFest continues to nurture new work and emerging voices. This summer we will present Budapest, Budapest, a new musical by Ali Viterbi and Toby Singer, as part of our commitment to developing the next generation of Jewish theatre.

San Diego is also home to extraordinary Jewish artists whose work is celebrated locally and world-wide including Yale Strom, Elizabeth Schwartz, Teatro Punto y Coma, Jeremy Gimbel and the Jewish Climate Artists for California Incubator. JFest performs at more than 12 beautiful and welcoming venues throughout San Diego and North County.  

JFest’s programs do more than entertain—they create spaces where audiences feel uplifted, connected, and proud of Jewish culture and storytelling. In fact, last year over 90% of attendees told us they left a JFest event feeling uplifted, a powerful reminder of how meaningful these shared artistic experiences can be.

Together, we are building a vibrant future for Jewish art in our community—one story, one performance, and one gathering at a time.

JFest’s Leadership Team:
Founding Artistic Director - Todd Salovey
Producing Director - Becca Myers 
Women of Valor Director - Ali Viterbi
Director of Philanthropy – Doug Oliphant
Director of Marketing - Daniella Spiegel
Director of  Public Relations – Alejandra Enciso
General Manager - Aaron Fischer
Managing Director Emeritus - Matt Graber

JFest’s Board of Directors:
Jeff Myers - President 
Julie Tedde - Treasurer
Beth Mitchell - Secretary
Becky Cherlin Baird - Officer
Monica Handler Penner -Officer
Sheila Lipinsky - Officer
Karen Parry - Officer
Jane Scher - Officer
Elizabeth Schwartz - Officer
Pepe Stepensky - Officer
Myla Wingard - Officer