Magnes to host its first-ever Jewish Arts and Bookfest

The University of California, Berkeley’s Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life and event partners New Lehrhaus, J. The Jewish News of Northern California, and the Jewish Community Library are thrilled to announce the upcoming Jewish Arts & Bookfest in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.

Set to take place on Sunday, May 4, 2025, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, the festival will bring together over 30 authors and artists for panel discussions, workshops, readings, teen programs, and performances that showcase the Jewish experience through art, culture, and storytelling.

In the museum’s tradition of incubating Jewish cultural events, Magnes Executive Director Hannah Weisman shared, “The Jewish Arts & Bookfest creates an exciting opportunity to bring the Bay Area community together. With the Magnes’s expansive collections reflecting centuries of Jewish culture and history, the museum is the perfect place to convene the authors, artists, makers, and thinkers engaged in cultural production today.”

“The Jewish Arts & Bookfest creates an exciting opportunity to bring the Bay Area community together. With the Magnes’s expansive collections reflecting centuries of Jewish culture and history, the museum is the perfect place to convene the authors, artists, makers, and thinkers engaged in cultural production today.” — Hannah Weisman, Magnes Executive Director

The program will feature speakers that include bestselling author Daniel Handler (A.K.A. Lemony Snicket), author and screenwriter Adam Mansbach, poet Marcia Falk, graphic novelist Josh Tuininga, anthropologist Mira Amiras, and Jeff Morgan of Covenant Wines, with presentations on topics ranging from Jewish motherhood to war and peace, and Jewish culture in the current moment to futurism and fantasy.

With something for the whole family, hands-on activities will include an all-ages mosaic arts project, workshops on memoir comics and zines for ages 12 and up, and curator-led programming and exhibition-based activities that explore the Magnes’s diverse collection. Performances will include a dramatic reading by the Yiddish Theatre Ensemble and music by Chance Reiniesch. 

“As an adult Jewish learning organization with the motto “learn to live – live to learn,” New Lehrhaus is excited to co-present the Jewish Arts & Bookfest,“ shared Executive Director Rachel Biale. “The event will be an extraordinary opportunity to learn with all your faculties: intellectual, emotional, visual, and even culinary. All while sharing the joy of learning with our broad and diverse community.”

Located at 2121 Allston Way just steps away from the Downtown Berkeley BART station, the day will include multiple sessions and presentation spaces. Check out the full line-up and schedule to discover all that the festival has to offer.

Tickets for the Arts & Bookfest are now available online. Entrance to the festival is $20 for adults and $5 for students, youth (up to age 17), and Museums for All patrons. Tickets will be sold at the door to capacity by cash or check only.

This event is supported by Fran Quittel in loving memory of her sister, Helen Katz-Lazer, and “Sista” Judy Becker, her beloved cousin. It is co-sponsored by Ayin Press, Berkeley USD, laba Bay Area, and Reboot with media sponsors Berkeley Center for Jewish Studies, Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law & Israel Studies, Gather Bay, JCC East Bay, JSEI, Klez California, and Limmud North America.

For more information about the Jewish Arts and Bookfest please visit magnes.berkeley.edu/jewishartsbookfest and join us on instagram at www.instagram.com/jewishartsbookfest.