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I am so excited about this new community initiative. In the heart of the Pacific Northwest, on the Willamette River and where the city skyline meets the industrial history of the waterfront, a new tradition will take root -- a day-long Jewish festival.

The Portland Jewish Festival is coming Sunday, August 30!

This is not merely a gathering for people of all ages -- it is a profound cultural statement. The Portland Jewish Festival marks a public celebration of Jewish resilience, creativity, and community. In a city with a relatively small Jewish population, this festival creates a shared cultural space, showing how a smaller community can produce something ambitious, joyful, and meaningful for the entire metro area. We are doing this to be “loud and proud” as Jews in Portland, claiming our space, celebrating our heritage, and inviting everyone, within and beyond our community, to share in our joy.

Thousands will experience Jewish life through music, dance, food, and cultural events for all ages. We have an incredible line-up of international and local musical acts, including the hip-hop electrifying energy of Kosha Dillz and the deeply spiritual, chart-topping anthems of Nissim Black, an African American Hasidic musician whose life and music embody the beautiful complexity of the global Jewish diaspora. Alicia Jo Rabins and her band, Girls in Trouble, will bring indie-folk brilliance, singing the hidden stories of biblical women into the modern era. And, Carpathian-Pacific Express klezmer band will weave the irresistible melodies of Eastern Europe through the crowd. More musicians will be announced soon. Together, these artists declare that Jewish culture is dynamic, evolving, and vibrantly alive.

Beyond the main stage, the festival serves as a vital incubator for community and the next generation, with dynamic programming, including family-friendly activities. The inclusion of dedicated kids’ activities ensures that our children experience their heritage as a living celebration. Through arts, crafts, storytelling, and play, the youth of Portland’s Jewish community will forge positive, joyful associations with their identity.

Naturally, no Jewish festival would be complete without plenty of food. The festival will feature an array of Jewish culinary delights including corned beef and pastrami, falafel, sweet delights, and more. It will be delicious! If interested in being a food/beer vendor, please click here.

We will also host a bustling marketplace for Jewish artists to sell their crafts and highlight the beauty of our culture. Plus, we will have dozens of organizational booths showcasing the breadth of Portland’s Jewish life -- synagogues, social justice initiatives, educational institutions, summer camps, service agencies, and more. For the wider Portland community, it provides an educational opportunity to see the diverse ways in which Jewish values of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and chesed (loving-kindness) are enacted locally every single day. If interested in an organizational booth or to sell products, please click here.

The choice of Zidell Yards on the Waterfront is deeply intentional and historically resonant. Once a shipyard built by an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, Zidell Yards has long been a symbol of Portland’s industrious spirit and transformation. That vision comes alive at this venue as we transform it into a waterfront crossroads where east and west Portland, Jews and non-Jews, gather. By placing our festival in this highly visible location, we are stepping out of the confines of our Jewish institutions. The location and the festival itself signals that the Jewish community is an integral, visible, and enduring thread in the cultural fabric of Portland.

Our Community Study was clear – find ways to bridge the gaps between east and west Portland. Make programs affordable. And break down barriers to have an incredible Jewish experience.

Ultimately, the driving force behind this all-day festival is the unapologetic assertion of Jewish joy. We are celebrating by bringing Jewish culture to life in the heart of Portland, affirming Jews are integral to Oregon and American life.

This festival is a declaration that despite the rising tide of antisemitism, the Jewish community in Portland will not shrink, assimilate into the background, or exist only in the shadows. By filling the waterfront with the sounds of Jewish music and dance, the aroma of our favorite foods, the smiles and laughter of our children, and the showcasing of our Jewish organizations, we are embracing our identity with open arms.

To say that I am excited would be an understatement! YOU and the entire Greater Portland metro area are invited to see Jewish culture and life in its full, beautiful, and vibrant authenticity, proving that we are an indispensable light in this city.

Join us! Do not miss out! Buy your tickets now! With our generous sponsors we are making tickets as affordable as possible. (If interested in being a sponsor for the event -- click here.) We will update you more about the festival in the weeks ahead!

Shabbat shalom and good luck to the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs!

Jewish Festival Organizational Partners (list in formation):

 ADL Pacific Northwest – Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture – Beit Haverim – BB360 – Chabad SW Portland – Congregation Ahavath Achim – Congregation Beth Israel – Congregation Kesser Israel – Congregation Neveh Shalom – Congregation Shaarie Torah – Eastside Jewish Commons – Greater Portland Hillel – Israel Bonds – Jewish Family and Child Service – Jewish Federation of Greater Portland – Jewish National Fund USA – Maayan Torah Day School – Mittleman Jewish Community Center – NCSY – Oregon Jewish Community Foundation – Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education – P’nai Or of Portland – Portland Jewish Academy – Robison Foundation for Jewish Elders – The Gan Preschool