From Punk Rock to Tarot: Exploring Jewish Identity at the 2026 Jewish Arts & Bookfest

The Magnes is still echoing with the excitement of welcoming over 300 attendees, presenters, and volunteers from across the Bay Area to the second annual Jewish Arts & Bookfest! Kicking off Jewish American Heritage Month on May 3, the day was filled with creative energy, laughter, and thoughtful discourse aimed at uplifting Jewish stories and celebrating the diversity of the Jewish American community.

On the Mainstage

Shared in episode 253 of the Berkeley Talks podcast, the keynote session explored how the 1980s and ’90s West Coast punk rock scene offers a vital blueprint for countering antisemitism and the current climate of polarization. We’ve Been Here Before filmmaker Jacob Kornbluth and activists Eric K. Ward and Dion Garcia explained how marginalized youth successfully organized grassroots networks to reclaim their subculture from neo-Nazi infiltration. Warning that similar divisive tactics and conspiracy theories have entered mainstream political discourse today, the speakers emphasized that the path forward requires looking past ideological purity. True resistance to racism and bigotry, they concluded, lies in a shared commitment to finding “strange allies” across different backgrounds to strengthen the foundation of an inclusive democracy.

The mainstage opened with Stav Appel’s riveting presentation suggesting that the veiled depiction of Hebrew letters, Judaic rituals, and Torah stories in 17th Century French tarot cards may have served as a tool for clandestine Jewish education during the Inquisition. Other mainstage sessions showcased the breadth of modern Jewish identity. Authors Zeeva Bukai, Shelly Sanders, and Susan Blumberg-Kason discussed their recent books and the vital importance of keeping Jewish storytelling alive. Later, filmmaker Emily Cohen Ibañez and author Sonia Daccarett explored their Latin- and Arab-Jewish identities in a conversation moderated by UC Berkeley Professor Estelle Tarica, discussing what it means to live between established cultural landscapes. Rounding out the mainstage, comedian Samson Koletkar (aka Mahatma Moses) brought laugh-out-loud humor to the cross-section of religion, identity, and East Bay demographics.

Enjoy recordings from the mainstage here and on the Magnes Youtube channel.

Festival Rooms and Activities

The Magnes’s Seminar Room became a vibrant space for study, focusing on text and imagery. The room’s first panel featured Tyler Kliem, Tamara Helfer, and Benjamin Lerman exploring the translation of Yiddish literature and symbols. The subsequent two sessions featured Julian Voloj and Lisa Brown, who each discussed how Jewish identity impacts their own work and the graphic novel, comic book, and children’s picture book genres. To close out the space, Matthew Zapruder, Ariel Resnikoff, and Judy Halebsky shared their poetry and reflected on their experiences as Jewish writers today.

Audiences filled the Helzel Study Room to capacity throughout the day to hear from a varied lineup of creative voices. Filmmaker Yoav Potash joined Deborah Kaufman to discuss the artistry and politics of his groundbreaking film, Among Neighbors. Following them, authors Daniela Gerson, Sasha Visilyuk, and Masha Rumer shared the Soviet Jewish stories they uncovered while researching their recent books. History came alive through a dramatic reading by Laura Sheppard of the Yiddish Theater Ensemble, bringing attendees into the Parisian salons of the Stein family. For the final session, artists Robin L. Bernstein, Mirka Knaster, and Andrée Singer Thompson discussed how visual and fiber art can become a personal act of memorialization.

The JCC East Bay, LABA Bay Area, and Olamim brought multigenerational, hands-on programming, including artmaking, to the Conference Room. The first two programs invited children to practice the traditional art of papercutting with LABA fellow Molly Almeida, and explore portrait photography honoring B’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God) with LABA fellow Hillary Goidell. In the final session, Olamim founder Ariela Ronay-Jinich shared creative ways for families to craft books that bring their personal histories to life.

Upstairs, the Festival Shuk [Marketplace] bustled with book signings, a pop-up shop from Berkeley’s Afikomen Judaica, and 16 other local community groups, artists, vendors and authors—including Ayin Press, Jewtina y Co., Ben Yehuda Press, Hila Amram, and Nina Bonos Judaica. Between sessions, crowds formed around the Magnes’s new senior curator, Dr. Alissa Schapiro, as she discussed objects on display. And just outside the museum’s doors, a steady line formed at the Hummus Bodega food truck as festival-goers satisfied their appetites with kosher Middle Eastern bites.

Special Thanks

Presented by the Magnes in partnership with J. The Jewish News of Northern California, JCC East Bay, New Lehrhaus, and the Jewish Community Library, the 2026 festival welcomed distinguished guests including UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons and Berkeley City Councilmember Igor Tregub. The event was made possible through the generous support of donors Denah Bookstein, Bonnie Burt, Vallery Feldman, Anne and N.C. Germanacos, Fran Quittel (in honor of Rabbi Stuart and Vicky Kelman), and the Helen & Albert Colen Endowment of the Magnes Museum Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

An event of this scale would not have been possible without the dedication of the planning committee, whose vision and hard work brought the festival to life. Deepest thanks also go to the event staff and team of volunteers who worked behind the scenes to ensure the event ran smoothly. This energy, time, and shared commitment made the 2026 Jewish Arts & Bookfest a resounding success.

Be sure to save the date for the next Jewish Arts & Bookfest on Sunday, May 2, 2027!