London’s Jewish Fringe festival, Tsitsit, is back with a huge showcase of new work. But this isn’t quite the usual Fringe, "We’re more reflective this year,” explains Alastair Falk, the festival’s director. “There’s a seriousness in the writing. We’re seeing work that’s deeply thoughtful about what it means to be Jewish and Jewishness.”
As the arts sector grapples with the repercussions of the war in Gaza, souring antisemitism, and an increasingly polarised climate where Jewish and Israeli artists are facing exclusions, Tsitsit is determined to keep the creative spotlight on fresh Jewish perspectives.
Into its fourth year, this year’s Tsitsit programme is varied - true to its tagline, “If it’s Jewish enough for you, it’s Jewish enough for us” - but Falk acknowledges that Jewish artists today feel pressure. “There’s a sense of being squeezed out. You feel it’s harder to be seen.”
With fewer venues openly welcoming Jewish creatives, the Tsitsit team had to be strategic: “We’ve chosen our venues carefully, working only with people who are genuinely open to Jewish art.”
Tsitsit director, Alastair Falk, says Jewish artists have been "squeezed out" from some spaces
Unlike the Jewish Film Festival, which faced being “erased” from certain venues this year, Falk says, "We’ve not had any difficulty [booking venues], and all of the people we dealt with have been really good - that’s not to say I haven’t worried, we had a terrible experience last year.”
Tsitsit faced enormous obstacles in the wake of October 7. After the massacre, several events were called off. One venue insisted they drop the word “Jewish” from a show’s title and eventually the event was scrapped entirely.
This year, however, the programme is ready to go forward boycott-free and is being staged across London, “we’re north, south, east and west,” with shows at JW3, the Arts Depot in Finchley, the White Bear in Kennington, Dalston’s Actors East Theatre and Camden’s new Libra Theatre. “We are trying to get to different audiences this year with theatre with a broad appeal.”
Falk wants Tsitsit to “build back Jewish”. “It is a celebration of British Jewish identity.”
“We wanted to go beyond Israel and the Holocaust in our programming. Our aim from the beginning has been to showcase the broader British Jewish experience.”
Amongst the more thought-provoking pieces is The Mute Messiah, a play by Paul Kaiba based on a short story by Yiddish writer David Pinski, that looks at the UK benefits system - a timely theme wrapped in a distinctly Jewish context. Another piece, Joyfully Jewish, is a trio of new comedy plays showing each Sunday at the Libra Theatre.
A production Falk is particularly excited about is Tea with Jack, a celebration of the life and work of writer Jack Morris Rosenthal, featuring the beloved Maureen Lipman, part of a day of performances at JW3.
Falk and his team had hoped to bolster the Israeli presence in the lineup - a goal that’s proven elusive. “One of our aims was to be a platform for more Israeli theatre, and I don’t think we’re there yet,” he says. Travel complications have prevented some Israeli artists from joining, and funding remains tight. In the wake of October 7, many potential sponsors have redirected funds to Israel, making an already thin budget stretch even further. “We work on a tiny budget,” Falk adds. “The arts world is feeling the pinch, and it has been a tough time for Jews.”
While none of the works directly address the political tensions of Israel-Palestine, Falk says the festival isn’t about sidestepping the political; it’s about finding the right balance. “All art is political,” Falk points out, but organisers “deliberately encourage work that engages with a broader British Jewish experience.”
In the future, Falk has visions beyond London and is working to build relationships with other fringe festivals across the UK, allowing Tsitsit to act as an “enabler for artists to show Jewish work at a variety of festivals.” He hopes to become a “fringe of the fringe,” where Jewish artists would have platforms in fringe festivals from Durham to Devon. “There are so many fringes out there,” he says, “we can become a bridge”. It’s a strategic shift: while other arts organisations may sideline Jewish or Israeli content, Tsitsit is opening doors and creating space for Jewish stories.
But the question remains: will audiences come out to support? Falk is hopeful, even devising a cheeky slogan: “Do you have the matzo balls to support Jewish art?” He wants attendees to feel like they’re part of something bigger - supporting a vibrant Jewish arts scene that refuses to be quieted: “We’ve got a broader story to tell. This year, I hope people walk away seeing the British Jewish experience in new ways.”
“We want people to reconnect with Jews and Judaism beyond conflict and horror,” he says. It’s a plea as much as a goal, calling on audiences to value venues willing to support Jewish creatives. Tsitsit operates on a shoestring budget, so it is the audiences who support them who make the festival possible.
Tsitsit goers can expect to find “a connection to Jewish life they didn’t know about, discover a hidden corner of London, or support a small theatre venue that is happy to stage Jewish art.” As Falk sees it, now is the time for audiences to show up, not only for the performances but also for the venues giving space to Jewish stories.
