May 12 @ 7:30pm | Mandeville Auditorium, UCSD

One of the most critically hailed comedians of his generation takes the stage for a night of comedy and conversation. Emmy and Tony Award winning Alex Edelman is best known for solo shows blurring the line between his stand-up comedy roots and narrative-driven storytelling. His Tony Award winning Just for Us, played more than 500 performances worldwide before premiering as an HBO original comedy special, earning him a place on the Time 100 list and an Emmy award. Alex plays Adam Cooper on the comedy series The Paper.

May 17 @ 3:30pm  | Coastal Roots Farm

Regenerate! Eco-Performance Fest features food, drink, music, community and 4 original immersive pieces co-produced by Coastal Roots Farm. Dan Schifrin’s play At Rise unpacks Jewish mysticism. Back to the Garden is a dance about Eden and exile by Livya Howard-Yashar. Michelle Shofet weaves an ecological ritual in the food forest and mountain bard Heavy Meadow shares improvised earth songs. Performed outdoors on a beautiful farm and commissioned by the Jewish Climate Artists for California Incubator.

May 24 @ 1:00pm & 3:30pm  | The Lawrence Family JCC

Created and directed by David Chait, a theatrical spectacle weaving music, dance and storytelling into a world of magic and suspense. In a long-ago shtetl, Sorela’s husband mysteriously disappears. The entire community comes to help but after searching unsuccessfully loses hope. But not Sorela. With love and faith she preserves the whisper of possibility. Recommended for audiences ages 10 and over.

June 3 @ 7:30pm | The Lawrence Family JCC

Written by Ali Viterbi with Sarah Price Keating, Rebecca Myers, and Todd Salovey

Directed by Ali Viterbi and Todd Salovey

JFest’s signature performance honors 6 incredible San Diego Jewish women. An inspiring and uplifting celebration with stories, songs, images, and inspiration. 

This year’s honorees are: Ruth Broudy, Rhona Fink, Kira Finkenberg, Sharyn Goodson, Karen Parry, and Debby Stauber

June 8 @ 7:30pm  | Congregation Beth Israel

Ohad is coming to San Diego! Renowned singer Ohad Moskowitz, raised in Belgium and now residing in Israel, has performed on the world’s most prestigious stages. A heartfelt and electrifying singer of original, Chassidic, and traditional Jewish music. Ohad has released seven albums and his performances have garnered millions of views. 

The program also features acclaimed vocalist, Colin Schachat, celebrated for his wide-ranging repertoire and performances with the most iconic orchestras and singers.

June 10 @ 6:00pm  | Congregation Adat Yeshurun

Southern California has the largest population of South African Jews in America. This program features a full-course catered kosher meal of South African Jewish specialties and a performance by South African-born Chazzan and Baritone Singer, Colin Schachat. 

Schachat’s unique voice and versatility has enabled him to perform and record a broad popular repertoire. He has performed at Buckingham Palace with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside legendary tenor Jose Carreras, and in Italy and Israel with Andrea Bocelli.

June 11 @ 7:30pm  | The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

Join Broadway star Patrick Page, best known as Hades in Hadestown and Grammy-nominated singer Perla Batalla for an evening dedicated to the music and life of Leonard Cohen. This isn’t just a tribute; it is a personal look at the songwriter’s legacy by two artists with world-class credentials and deep personal connections to the work.

Backed by a dynamic live band, Page and Batalla share personal stories and perform definitive versions of classics like Hallelujah, Bird on a Wire, I’m Your Man, and So Long, Marianne. Don’t miss this premiere event before it embarks on a global tour.

June 14 @ 2:00pm | The Hive at Leichtag Commons

Written by Ali Viterbi with Sarah Price Keating, Rebecca Myers, and Todd Salovey

Directed by Ali Viterbi and Todd Salovey

JFest’s signature performance honors 6 incredible San Diego Jewish women. An inspiring and uplifting celebration with stories, songs, images, and inspiration. 

This year’s honorees are: Ruth Broudy, Rhona Fink, Kira Finkenberg, Sharyn Goodson, Karen Parry, and Debby Stauber

June 18 @ 7:30pm  | Congregation Beth Israel

What does San Diego’s unique Jewish prayer music sound like? Nusach San Diego is a musical evening rooted in Rabbi/Cantor Jeremy Gimbel’s original research on prayers and tunes that influence San Diego’s Jewish culture. This evening traces the historical progression of Jewish sacred music from ancient melodies to modern chazzanut, and spans the breadth of our local musical landscape — from Kumeyaay Bird Songs, to rhythmic Baja Californian beats, to laid back surfer grooves.

June 22 @ 7:30pm  | First Unitarian Universalist Church of
San Diego

Three of Southern California’s most celebrated vocalists, Mara Kaye, Elizabeth Schwartz and Whitney Shay - all of whom tour internationally -
in a program celebrating the most influential Jewish composers of jazz and swing tunes in American history. Expect sultry ballads, rousing anthems and spectacular voices lifted in harmony.

Also featuring Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi with Fred Benedetti, Tripp Sprague, Luke Little, and Elizabeth Schwartz.

July 13 & 14 @ 7:30pm | New Village Arts

Book & lyrics by Ali Viterbi 
Music & lyrics by Toby Singer 

In 1940s Budapest, two Jewish figures rose to prominence. One was Hannah Senesh. The second was Rudolf Kastner. Yet of the two, Senesh is the only to enter the Jewish people’s pantheon of heroes. History remembers Kastner as a villain, while it lauds Senesh as one of its greatest heroes. But really: when we look back into the dark, what story will we tell? So asks the opening lyric of Budapest, Budapest, which tells the unknown story of Rudolf Kastner and asks: What is the cost of redemption? What does it mean to be a hero?