Jewish Renewal Through the Arts

It all started when…

David Shneyer wanted to share his love of Jewish music, history and art. But in the 1970’s this brand of Jewish joy was mainly found in summer camp for kids. Congregational Judaism was dominated by cantorial music and JCC’s were basically gyms.

In 1973, David, along with doctor and illustrator, Stuart Copans and singer-educator Sue Roemer, created the Jewish Folk Arts Society. Its mission was to foster the development of Jewish arts in the Washington, DC area. And in 1977, the organization sponsored the first Washington Jewish Folk Arts Festival. The bi-annual festival ran for almost 30 years.

The Washington Jewish Folk Arts Festivals were held in public venues and thousands of individuals celebrated Judaism through music, dance, visual arts, storytelling and delicious Kosher food. The festival served as a model for Jewish arts festivals in public spaces around the country.

Forty-five years later, many of the artists who met through these festivals remain friends and are still connecting through Jewish arts. This film will share the stories of the festival’s musical groups, visual artists, and dancers and explore their influence on infusing Jewish joy into today’s synagogues and JCC’s.

Outcomes

• Create an entertaining film for a general audience so they may gain a deeper understanding of Judaism and Jewish practice.

• Provide a historical narrative that explains the motivation for renewing Jewish life through the arts.

• Stimulate future generations to explore and actively express their Jewish identity through the arts.

• Spark conversation about how to make cultural identity personally meaningful.

How you can help

Your tax-deductible donation can help make this film a reality. We are grateful for any amount and your name will be in the credits! Our goal is to raise $35,000 to create this film and take it into the initial stages of distribution.