| Grant Recipient: | JConnect Inc. |
|---|---|
| Program: | Jewlicious Journeys Project |
| Grant Purpose: |
Create an annual cycle of 4 festivals in music, culture and service (Camp Jewlicious; TikkunFest; Jewlicious Music; Arts, and Cultural Festival; and LA Sephardic Jewish Music Festival) that will enable thousands of young adults to connect to their Jewish identity through Jewish immersion experiences that showcase young Jewish filmmakers, musicians and artists. |
| Award: | $200,000 |
| Website: | http://www.jconnectla.com |
| Beneficiary: | College/Young Adults |
| Field of Interest: | Jewish Continuity |
Jewlicious was founded in 2005 by Yonah and Rachel Bookstein as a 150-person conference and online blog to engage Long Beach college students and young professionals in a celebration of Jewish culture, art and music. It merged with JConnect in 2009, which was founded in 2002 by Cheston Mizel to promote community, unity and Jewish connectivity for Jews in their 20s and 30s through local activities such as Shabbat Tent and Jewish Film Competition.
The Jewlicious Journeys Project (JJP) creates a cycle of 4 year-round festivals to provide thousands of participants with Jewish immersion experiences while showcasing young filmmakers, musicians and artists. Its annual three-day Jewlicious Music, Arts, and Cultural Festival attracts over 1,000 young Jews of all denominations from 20 states and 60 college campuses. JJP is producing the following cycle of festivals throughout the year to engage participants in Jewish in music, culture, service and more:
- Camp Jewlicious (CJ): Camping, Music and Grassroots Organizing Festival trains young Jews in the latest grassroots organizing techniques at a Jewish summer camp in August.
- TikkunFest: Tikkun Olam Harvest Festival, in collaboration with the Jewish Federation and Jewish justice organizations, engages participants in service, volunteerism (housing, food pantries, etc.) and music in November.
- Jewlicious Festival: Music, Arts, and Cultural Festival, co-created by younger Jews, ages 18-26, will double the number of participants to 2,000 for this winter's concert and present Jewish artists, musicians, speakers, comics, and filmmakers.
- LA Sephardic Jewish Music Festival, modeled on NYC’s Sephardic Music Festival, is comprised of concerts, film screenings, and workshops co-created with Israeli, Persian and NextGen organizations over one week in May.