The Boulder Jewish Festival was created in 1995 by 2 women, Susan Kramer and Cathy Adler (of blessed memory). Both had been asked to work on an Israel Independence Day celebration for Congregation Bonai Shalom. (click title of post to read more)
Both came from cities that had Jewish festivals, and they asked, “Why not here?”
The first Boulder Jewish Festival was held that year at the Courthouse Lawn on Pearl Street Mall, concurrent with Israel Independence Day. The success of the first year was not dampened by the rain! Children on the mall were heard saying, “This is so cool, everyone here is Jewish.” Many people remarked that they didn’t realize there were so many Jews in Boulder. The sense of community was wonderful and a tradition was born.
For the next two years (1996 and 1997), the Boulder Jewish Festival was held on 13th Street and Central Park. In 1998 the event returned to the Courthouse Lawn and the 1300 block of Pearl Street. The number of participating groups and vendors grows each year, as has the number of guests. In 1999, for the 5th Anniversary of the Festival, local artist Dvora Kanegis designed a logo for the event, which debuted on fridge magnets that year. In 2003, recognizing that the event had outgrown the Courthouse Lawn area, the Festival spread to 2 additional blocks of the Pearl Street mall.
The Boulder Jewish Festival is now the largest single-day independent event held at the Courthouse Lawn & Pearl Street Mall site, the only Jewish Festival in Colorado, and one of the longest-running Jewish Festivals in the US. Our Fine Art and Judaica show is the largest independent art show on the Mall. Local non-profit groups are the heart of the event, on the Courthouse Lawn.
This event is entirely planned and produced by a dedicated team of volunteers who spend approximately 18 months planning each Festival. The event is a project of Menorah: Arts, Culture, Education, and we are grateful to our many sponsors for their support.
2009 is the 15th Anniversary of the Boulder Jewish Festival and we are proud to be included in the City of Boulder’s 150th Year Celebration.
