The Jewlicious Adventure

[by Larry Forman]

“Hey guys, what’s going on? Where are you headed next?” I asked some people seated at a nearby table as I was walking past them. “Not much, we are going to go to prayer on the Capstan Deck, you wanna come?” “I’m in!” I replied.

I had never met these people before in my life. That is precisely how just about every encounter begins at Jewlicious. The friendly atmosphere, coupled with free and open-minded people, makes the event what it is – Awesome! There is no disrespect; there is no hate; and there is no condescendence of any kind – only love – beautiful, intoxicating, and addicting love. Am Yisrael Chai at its finest.

Jewlicious can be analogized to a mini-Israel, as I like to call it. After having lived in Israel for 10 years, this is the closest I ever come to getting a reminiscence of my happy and fulfilling childhood. Three days is more than enough to recharge one’s spiritual batteries and they will last for the remaining 362 days until the next Jewlicious. Yes, that is precisely the indication of how powerful, amazing, and magical the event truly is.

The Jewlicious crew feeds us about five times a day. They provide enough activities that there is never a dull moment from the brink of dawn until midnight or later. There were also improvisational exercises with Marcus J. Freed, which incorporated scenes from the Torah. And this year Rabbi Yonah even gave an interview to Mayim Bialik from the hit T.V. show “The Big Bang Theory!”

We had Moshe Kasher and Todd Barry doing stand-up comedy Saturday night, followed by a crazy all-night-long concert on the same stage. There was even karaoke at 2 in the morning, where we sang popular tunes on the jukebox. With tons of other events omitted for length purposes, it is amazing how fast three days can fly by.

None of this would ever be possible if not for the contributions from readers like you and your support for the annual Federation Campaign. The young Jewish progeny of Louisville, as well as individuals from JCC and JCL groups like BBYO, YAD, and Hillel all depend on you and your donations to help them receive a proper Jewish upbringing and to strengthen their Jewish roots.

Not everyone is as fortunate as I to have lived in Israel, but there is no reason why we cannot make it a reality here in the city of Louisville, in the Bluegrass State. Jewlicious, and many other events, are precisely the kinds of experiences that awaken the hibernating craving for the Jewish culture that every Jew is born with.

Thank you all very much and God bless. Baruch Ha’Shem.

Editor’s note: Jewlicious was held in Long Beach, CA, from February 24-26. Forman was the only Louisvillian to participate in this year’s conference, but in past years, the local delegation has included several people.

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