“What is Tribefest?” the woman on the elevator asked me as she quizzically examined my conference name tag. “Ummm, it’s a young Jewish leadership conference” I replied uncertainly. “What’s that all about?” the man seated across the poker table from me asked upon glancing at my badge. “Well, you see, it’s a celebration of Jewish music, art and culture” I stammered. “Sounds like an excuse to go to throw a big party” the man laughed in reply.
The truth is that “Tribefest,” officially billed as “an entertaining, interactive and educational celebration for more than 1,500 Jewish young adults (ages 22-45) from across North America” over the course of three days in Las Vegas, was all of those things … and more. Designed to attract young Jews to the Federation, the conference was created with my generation’s multi-tasking, iPhone-addicted tendencies in mind. In other words, the idea was seemingly to throw as much programming at attendees as possible with the hope that something would connect.
Thus the opening event included speeches from perhaps the most eclectic group of Jews ever assembled, including: a beat-poet, a congresswoman, an Israeli counterterrorist and former child actress. This “opening ceremony” was immediately preceded by nine (nine!) simultaneous breakout sessions which one could choose to attend covering topics as diverse as: interfaith families, Israeli entrepreneurship, Jews in American politics and a film about unconventional Judaism titled “Punk Jews.” Just as the “Sin City” marketing campaign implies — it really was possible to create your own adventure.
And for someone with a short attention span such as myself — someone who has bounced from city to city (New Orleans to Chicago and back home to KC) and from career to career (from business and accounting to medical school) — I found this to be a good thing. Upon arrival I was most excited about hearing from author Ben Mezerich (author of the book upon which the Oscar-nominated film “The Social Network” was based) and NFL team owners Mark Wilf (Minnesota Vikings) and Jonathan Kraft (New England Patriots). Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, my attention quickly drifted elsewhere. I wandered into a session titled “Adapting to Israeli Culture: An Inside Look From the Heart of Tel Aviv” which inspired me to inquire about the Federation’s “National Young Leadership” trip to Israel this summer. I found myself chatting with young entrepreneurs as they excitedly discussed their attempts to launch companies to rival Groupon and JDate. And I found myself mesmerized by the talent of Israeli “hip-hop violinist” Miri Ben-Ari as she performed a short set at an evening entertainment event.
All of which was fun and interesting but I, along with many other attendees, was still confused about what the event’s unifying message was. At least I was before listening to the dynamic and poignant speech delivered by Alina Gerlovin Spaulding which recounted how contributions to the Federation enabled her family’s emigration from an oppressive Eastern European nation to the United States. Gerlovin Spaulding spoke movingly about how her father — a former USSR Olympic hopeful — was near-death after a career-ending injury until the Federation stepped in with financial assistance and preserved his life and a future for his family. It underscored the fact that yes, although we all traveled to Las Vegas partly (or mostly) to have a good time, we were also there to take part in something bigger and more important. We were there to, in some way — any way — make a connection with an organization that can literally save lives. Mission accomplished, Tribefest.
Greg Herman traveled with six other young adults from Kansas City to the Jewish Federation of North America’s Tribefest, which took place March 6-8 in Las Vegas.
