By Dikla Tuchman, Jewish Sound Correspondent
On Sunday, August 31, South Seattle’s newly formed Eruv Cooperative hosted SPARK, an outdoor Jewish music festival in Seward Park.
Hundreds of community members and Jewish music appreciators piled into Seward Park Amphitheater to enjoy artists like singer-songwriter Ari Lesser, local Seattle-based recording artist Nissim, and headlining popular Israeli-American rock band, Moshav.
With the holiday weekend and threat of rain on Sunday, SPARK organizers were unsure what the turnout would look like. Festival organizer Adam Simon said they were hoping for 200 to 500 attendees, and he was pleased to report the festival saw about 450 attendees, with a range of ages and Jewish backgrounds.
Games, bouncy houses, hamster balls, face paining, arts and crafts, and ice cream were big attractors for kids and families, along with kosher Israeli cuisine by local food truck Falafel Salam. The event was sponsored by all five of South End’s Orthodox synagogues, and each had a booth inviting attendees to find out more about their congregations.
“We think the family-festival vibe we created Sunday has universal appeal and that word will spread year after year to more Jewish families who are seeking good live music and a fun, non-denominational experience,” said Simon. “This event in particular really has the ability to transcend the Orthodox community in a unique way.” While the Cooperative is comprised of active members of Seward Park’s Orthodox synagogues, the festival included broad performance artists and activities for families of any denomination.
“Although we all have synagogues that we belong to and love, the Jewish community is so much bigger than each one of our ‘interest groups,’” said Simon. “SPARK is intended to expand the walls of our Seward Park community.”
Simon was excited to see a wide range of affiliations and people coming from as far as Portland and Vancouver to join what he called “a very memorable day of fun and music in the forest!”
Simon hopes to build on this year’s success with a bigger SPARK next year.