Hundreds of people gathered in the Cook Country Forest Preserves in Morton Grove on Sunday, June 12 to celebrate Jewish life, music, art, and food. The event is the longest-running Jewish festival in the United States and the forest preserve was packed with people of all ages celebrating their cultural and religious heritage.
As part of the festival, organizer and founder Michael Lorge invited members of the Ukrainian community to address the crowd and perform Ukrainian music in “A Moment for Ukraine.” The Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago, Serhiy Koledov, spoke to the crowd and thanked the festivals organizers and the many organizations and nonprofits that have helped Ukraine. He also noted Ukraine’s continuing need for medicine, medical equipment, ambulances, and other forms of aid. “We fight for freedom.” Koledov told the crowd.
The musical portion of the program was introduced by Skokie mayor George Van Dusen but not before he took a moment to reflect on the gravity of the situation in Ukraine. Van Dusen noted, “While we could easily become diverted, it is of urgency in this moment that we not take our aim off our support for our fellow democrats (small “d”) in the Ukraine. They’re fighting for their preservation, for their history, for their sovereignty.”
Van Dusen then introduced Ukrainian-born Cantor Pavel Roytman, Ukrainian singer Sofi Fraser, and Alex Koffman who leads the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. Roytman, who has performed all over the world, is very active in the Jewish musical community and currently serves as Cantor at Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah in Wilmette. Fraser is the winner of several national awards and is also very active in the Ukrainian musical community. The trio sang songs in Ukrainian and Hebrew and encouraged the crowd to learn a song of peace in the Ukrainian language. Attendees were encouraged to support relief efforts in Ukraine by donating through a QR code in the festival’s program. This portion of the festival was sponsored by the SB Wolf Family Foundation.
The festival’s program quoted Elie Wiesel, the Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor who wrote, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim…Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must–at that moment–become the center of the universe.”
The core principle of the festival is one of unity between different segments of the Jewish community. The organizers stress that the Jewish community “should, and must come together regardless of differences” – a message more important than ever for people throughout America and the world.
