Last week, I launched Jew of the Week, which features a notable Jew with a cartoon! This week, the title goes to Adam Swig, founder and executive director of Value Culture, a nonprofit events organization based in San Francisco. Its mission is to produce and support artistic, educational, charitable, and spiritual events and programming to inspire individuals to give back to their communities
I connected with Swig last year to help him create graphics for Bark Mitzvah — a coming-of-age party for furry friends. He's so passionate, full of energy, and kind. He's also incredibly creative and inclusive.
I haven't been to his events yet, since most are based on the West Coast, but I always have FOMO because they look amazing.
In 2021, he built and moderated a popular global Jewish community on Clubhouse and led events, including a forum for Holocaust survivors to share their stories.
The reason he's this week's JOW is for successfully producing "Shabbottlerock" a Shabbat performance last Friday during a music festival called BottleRock in Napa Valley. He and Rapper Kosha Dillz led the crowd in Shabbat blessings, distributed challah, and rapped their own lyrics to "Big Poppa" by Notorious B.I.G. — “I love it when you eat my challah.”
Last month, Swig produced the Jewish Culture Festival at Golden Gate Park, a version of the Festival in Krakow.
Swig's other events recently include Matzachella (Passover Seders at the Coachella Festival), SxShabbat’s at SXSW Austin Texas, Oi Vey musical showcases, and in prior years Sundance Shabbat Schmoozin’, Guns and Moses (on the Guns and Roses Tour), Shabbat at the San Francisco Symphony, Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants Jewish Heritage Nights, pandemic virtual events celebrating Holocaust Survivors, a 60,000 person virtual seder, Black and Jewish relationship Shabbats, and the Afikomen NFT.
He keeps doing more and more! (I don't know how he does it all!) He said he can use any support — learn more here.
Send ideas for Jew of the Week to me, Danielle, at hi [at] danielleindoodles.com.