Launched in 2017, the ish Festival is back this year, exploring the spectrum of Jewish and Israeli arts and cultural traditions through art, food and music for all ages via the theme “to welcome the stranger.”The goal is to deepen the understanding of what it means to be human.
There will be both traditional and contemporary, secular and religious, Jewish and non-Jewish vendors, events and artisans participating in the fest in Washington Park — a location selected for its proximity to the historic Plum Street Temple and Old Jewish Cemetery.
New this year is Jewish Cincinnati: A Walk Through History, a walking tour that features stops at four to six former and currently active sites of worship which correspond to photographs from J. Miles Wolf’s Jewish Cincinnati: A Photographic History, previously on view at the Skirball Museum; the images will be on display at the park during the fest.
According to organizers, “ish Festival is a non-political celebration of arts and cultural heritage. We aim to celebrate the diversity and difference of many identities, beliefs, cultural heritages and experiences.”
10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, ishfestival.com.
This article appears in Sep 11-18, 2019.