J-West is coming up and it looks like the best ever! This two-day conference for Secular, Humanistic and Cultural Jews is held annually on the west coast and this year it’ll be in our own back yard , at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Hayward on August 4-5. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Bread and Roses strike, the conference is highlighting workshops on culture and social justice.
There are some fantastic workshops planned. Here’s a partial list:
• Yiddish Theater in the 1930s: A Participatory Workshop with Puppets
• Jews in the Movie Industry
• LGBT and Jewish Identity
• African Refugees in Israel
• What DO we Believe?
• Our Radical Jewish Heritage: The Lives and Work of Selina Solomons and Yetta Stromberg
• Jewish Women Writers
• Jews in the Comics and Superhero Business
• Yiddish Dance (who knew there was Klezmer HipHop?)
• How Ageism Affects Us All – No Matter Our Age
• Unions: Past, Present and Future
• Philosophers’ Café
In addition to the workshops, there’ll be the Famous All-Age Talent Show (no talent required), singing, lots of talking, and a chance to meet like-minded people.
The registration packet can be found at http://j-west.net/registration/. You’ll be surprised how affordable this amazingweekend (with meals and hotel) can be.
