Festivals and crowds of people I don’t know have never really been my ‘thing’. On top of that, people kept telling me the Queen Mary is haunted – which is also not really my ‘thing’. However, after going to my second Jewlicious Festival, I find myself wondering how much it would cost to fly back to Long Beach and attend next year’s Jewlicious Festival.  And this only a little bit has to do with the fact that I did not encounter any ghosts while staying aboard the beautiful and not at all haunted Queen Mary.

As a senior at Cal State Long Beach, I have long been aware that there was an infamous gathering of Jewish youth and professionals that happened annually in our city. I’ve heard stories upon stories of amazing and sometimes unreal-sounding experiences that range from getting zero sleep for three days-straight to having a life-changing epiphany while in a heated discussion with a Rabbi at 2am (I’m sure you’re seeing a pattern here…). Now, as I mentioned before, I was never really interested in not sleeping and getting in arguments with Rabbis and so I stayed away for a few years, which is something I now mildly regret.

This past weekend was my first time back at Jewlicious Festival  in a few years and certainly my first time attending on the Queen Mary. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely nervous and even stressed about it. Who will I meet? Will my friends be there? Are people going to be nice? Are they just trying to convert me and get me to be more religious? What If I don’t want to pray all the time? As I checked into my room on Friday, these and many other questions were running through my head. The biggest, though, was ‘What in the world did I just get myself into?’. Lucky for me though, I had gotten myself into something very good indeed.

Not only is everyone a little nervous on Friday, as it turns out, but everyone wants to make a friend, too. So as I wandered around the boat, hopelessly lost and still pretty sure I may see a ghost, people reached out and talked to me. I ended up looking for rooms and going to talks with new friend after new friend and absolutely everyone I passed in the hallways said “Hello.” Just like that, a community of Jewlicious Festival-goers had been built. And we hadn’t even had dinner yet.

As a camp counselor, I couldn’t help but think Jewlicious Festival is like camp for young adults. Other than the fact that we are fed and entertained all day, camp is the only other place I have ever been with a community this intense in this short of a time. It doesn’t matter what we had been doing with our lives up until this point, because simply by arriving we all had something huge in common and to bond over.

Every Jewlicious Festival event, crowd and experience is different. The talks you attend and the activities you do will change every year and be different for every person. But there are a few things I feel happen at every Jewlicious Festival regardless of who you are and what you’re doing.  First, is that food will be provided every hour of every day.  Second, is that Rockstar will be provided every hour of every day. Third, you will walk away with a new friend, whether or not you are trying to make new friends. Going through an eye-opening and new experience is one of the strongest bonds humans can have and, just by being on that boat for the weekend, you automatically have things in common with people around you. Fourth, you will learn something new. I learned about myself and my comfort levels in making new friends, but others shared with me their life lessons that included things like their future job career and new hobbies. Fifth, and finally, you will do something new. And that, is not an opportunity that comes around very often.

Friday began with an open art area and a café that allowed the attendees to explore the boat and grab a bite to eat while meeting each other and getting acquainted. The night really began during the sunset yoga sessions followed by multiple services offered to match any religious level. After the Shabbat feast and some much needed peer bonding (food has a way of doing that, especially in Jewish culture), we all headed into the evening’s main attraction: TED-style talks. The talks revolved around edgy and current topics like entrepreneurship, Jewish lust and erotica and even social media. Going on at the same time as the TED talks were a talk on business stuff by Elia and one on tattoos and Judaism by Rabbi Drew Kaplan. The night culminated in a talk by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on “Kosher Lust” and other dating advice. Though some of the talks led to shocking and occasionally uncomfortable places, they were all the more interesting and insightful for having done so.

Shabbat continued on Saturday with more yoga, meditation and services of all kinds. Rabbi Drew also led a discussion on the four cups of wine at the Passover Seder. The main event of the morning was a more than moving visit from Megan & Grace Phelps, two ex-congregants of the Westboro Baptist church. These two amazing girls candidly spoke on their emotional and spiritual journey from leaving their family to arriving at Jewlicious Festival. Candice Lebowitz, a CSULB student, said that “they are inspiring because they said to stick to your beliefs and to not let others take control over your life, they have that incentive to fight for what we believe in.”

   After lunch, a few more talks were offered concerning relationships, mentorships and puppy ownership to fit any interest a Jewlicious Festival attendee may have. Just before dinner, the second major talk of the day occurred with Rob Eshman, publisher and Editor In-Chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal and Consul General David Siegal. The two men chatted about diversity and current affairs in Israel, the negatives and positives. We then gathered for a beautiful musical Havdallah service by candlelight and filled with singing and dancing.  Dinner was served with a series of hilarious screen shorts by Jessie Kahnweiler called “Dude, Where’s My Chutzpah?”. The night was capped by a boat-rocking concert with the famous Rami Jaffee playing with Jonny Kaplan and the Lazy Stars and an epic dance party. Zach Katona, another CSULB student, summed up the night very well, by saying “no matter what music is playing, the people at Jewlicious Festival know how to have fun and get down.”

Sunday began with a morning service out on the deck in the sunshine and a bagel brunch. Rabbi Drew led a discussion on Jewish wisdom about sleep, which was particularly appropriate, since we everbody hadn’t gotten enough sleep during the weekend.  Everyone took advantage of the wonderful weather and hung out outside for mimosas and some talks regarding medical marijuana and how to stay involved in festivities like Jewlicious. Sunday ended with a lively and fun Samba carnival with dancers on stilts, drums and of course lots of audience participation.

The weekend was a roaring success for all those who attended and spoke. Young Jewish adults from all over were able to come together and enjoy not only each other’s company, but explore their own Jewishness and learn from Jewish leaders and mentors. Everyone who was in attendance took home something vital, whether it be a new friend or a new outlook on their own Jewish identity.

Even if they tell yoou that your mother is locked up in jail in that area code – don’t do it! Call her on her cell first!

Note: Tip of the hat to Hebrew Academy for alerting us to this. they actually recieved a call from 809 scammers, but being smart they didn’t call back.

Additional information on these area codes can be found from ATT at:
http://www.consumer.att.com/consumertips/areacode.html

Jewlicious 2.0 Last T-Shirts and Sweatshirt hoodies are on
sale now on eBay. These sweet shirts are already classics. and make sure to bid today, or you will not be t a chance to eat them…

Vote as if the machines will count correctly.
Vote as if your vote were the deciding one.
Vote as if you believe that we can each make a difference.
Vote as if the Senate had asked you over for a coffee to get your opinion.

Vote like you mean it.
Brought to you by
the Beach Hillel Non-Partisan JVoters Brigade

CSULB’s University Players and the CSULB Department of Music are excited to present Stephen Sondheim’s modern masterpiece, Into the Woods. This fairytale musical, directed by department chair and world-renowned Sondheim expert Joanne Gordon , in the Studio Theatre on Friday, October 27, 2006 at 8:00pm and runs through November 9th.

Once upon a time…a simple fairy tale fused the charm of bedtime stories with sober revelations of our innermost fears and desires. Now, in this revolutionary rethinking of a contemporary classic, Joanne Gordon creatively mingles orchestra, performers, and audience, compelling us once again to journey Into the Woods.

Get your WAY discounted ticket at the box office by using the secret code “hillel” and using the special Hillel handshake. Oh… if you don’t know the secret handshake, just tell them you would like the $5 discounted ticket for Hillel students. And thank Professor Gordon after the show!

Note: CSULB Department of Theatre Arts Present:
Into the Woods October 27 through November 9

Random Facts About Jews (According to Mel Gibson)

Now that we’ve established that Mel Gibson has long had an interest in Judaism and is capable of enlightening us with previously unknown facts such as “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world”, we thought we’d see what else he knows about God’s chosen people, which is how we discovered the following list of Random Facts About Jews (According to Mel Gibson).

* Jews have secretly been trying to make candy and ice cream illegal.
* Jews don’t worship Jesus even though He’s God and they’re supposed to.
* Jews made that dude cut off Braveheart’s wang at the end of the movie.
* Jews made Lance Bass gay.
* Jews created Arrested Development just so they could piss us off by cancelling it.

* Jews don’t believe in Christmas. What kind of people don’t even believe in Christmas!?!

Note: Hat tip to Esther, Queen of Media, and Jewlicious.com
* This is satire.

According to a hospital in Netanya, this woman had rocket shrapnel in her chest, which was inches from her heart. However, they were caught… in her breast implants.

Yes, breast implants.

I don’t know if this goes into support of the plastic surgery that tends to run rampant in the Jewish community. But who would have thought breast implants could produce miracles? According to the doctors at the hospital, if she didn’t have them, she would have never survived.

Well, um… ookay. All right, carry on!

Among those prized soundbites, they included, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” and asking his arresting officer, James Mee, “Are you a Jew?”

Now, the world is examining Gibson’s star-power: can he make a comeback? Will his Mayan adventure/epic/supposed waste of time still make the big bucks at the box office? Is Mel Gibson really anti-Semitic? (umm, well, let’s see here… you didn’t get much help a couple years go when you released “Passion of the Christ”).

The controvery just goes from there.