Something for Everyone: This Year's OC Jewish Arts Festival

For more than 31 years, the OC Jewish Arts Festival at the Merage JCC has brought Orange County together for a season of storytelling, music, film, and connection. Past festivals have welcomed names like Matisyahu, Idan Raichel, David Broza, Tovah Feldshuh, Ed Asner, Joe Mantegna, and Michael Solomonov, and this year's lineup carries that tradition forward with a headliner list as diverse as our community itself: a celebrity baker, a viral home cook, a veteran journalist and author, and a combat-veteran-turned-painter.

Whether you're coming for the strudel, the stories, or the strokes of a paintbrush, there's a seat with your name on it. Here's a closer look at the four headliners anchoring this year's festival.

Duff Goldman: Storytelling and Strudel

Sunday, November 8 at 4 p.m.

Food Network star Duff Goldman, best known for Ace of Cakes and his shop Charm City Cakes, and now a mentor on the Baking Championship franchise, is joining us for an afternoon that's equal parts kitchen and memoir. Duff will guide the community through making his great-grandmother's apple strudel while sharing the story of his family's journey to America. Expect a live Q&A, a strudel tasting, and a recipe to take home and treasure.

This program is funded by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County's Weissman Arts Fund.

Cooking Demo with Sivan's Kitchen

Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m.

With nearly two million Instagram followers, Sivan has built a following on making cooking joyful and approachable; from comforting soups to showstopping desserts, all inspired by her family's baking legacy and created alongside her husband, Avi. Join us for dinner featuring recipes straight from Sivan's Kitchen, followed by an interactive cooking demo packed with bold flavors and real kitchen hacks, plus a Q&A and a take-home recipe booklet.

Bianna Golodryga: Don't Feed the Lion: Raising Courageous Kids

Sunday, November 15 at 4 p.m. In partnership with Rose Project

CNN Anchor and Senior Global Affairs Analyst Bianna Golodryga joins us to discuss Don't Feed the Lion, the middle-grade novel she co-wrote with Israeli Channel 12 anchor Yonit Levi. Written as the book they wished existed for their own kids, it gives young readers a way to understand antisemitism and bullying and find the courage to speak up. This moderated conversation and Q&A is a meaningful one for parents and children alike. And as an added bonus, the ticket includes a copy of the book.

Color in Motion: Paint Alongside Albert Levi

Sunday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m.  In partnership with Jewish National Fund-USA

Israeli artist Albert Levi turned to painting as a way to process his experiences as a commander in the IDF's elite Maglan unit, including combat tours in Gaza and northern Israel before, during, and after October 7th. What began as a personal healing process has become a body of work exhibited and collected internationally, known for its bold movement and emotional depth. Join Albert for an interactive live painting demonstration and create your own piece alongside him. You do not need any experience to join us and all supplies are included.

Our headliners are just the beginning. This year's festival also features:

• The Everything Pot — followed by a Q&A with writer-director Sherise Dorf (Nov. 1)
• CSP Presents We Are Here: A Concert of Remembrance, Education and Hope at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (Nov. 4)
• Candy Bar Magic with Duff Goldman, a special program for ages 8–13 (Nov. 8)
• We Will Dance Again — followed by a Q&A with director Yariv Mozer (Nov. 14)
• Steven J. Ross on The Secret War Against Hate in partnership with News & Views (Nov. 16)
• An Auschwitz Album Story — followed by a panel discussion in partnership with the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Studies at Chapman University (Nov. 16)
• Jill Santopolo on The Love We Found in partnership with Books & Bagels (Nov. 17)
• Mah Jongg Day and Annual Holiday Boutique featuring Michele Frizzell (Nov. 19)

This year’s festival feels especially meaningful because it’s more than a lineup, it’s a true labor of love, made possible by the generosity and partnership of so many organizations who believe in the power of arts and culture to bring our community together. We’re honored to be working alongside the Jewish National Fund-USA, Rose Project, the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County’s Weissman Arts Fund, CSP, the Jewish Book Council and more, each of whom helped shape a program that reflects the full breadth of Jewish life, from healing and resilience to creativity and joy.

To every partner, patron, and presenter who helped bring this year’s festival to life, thank you. It’s because of you that we’re able to offer our community a season of programming this rich, this varied, and this deeply personal.

From film to fiction, comedy to courage, cooking to canvas, this year’s festival truly has something for every member of the family and every corner of our community. We can’t wait to see you there.

Where: Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County

When: November 1-22

Explore the full lineup and register now →