33rd annual Shalom Yall Jewish Food Festival held in Savannah’s Monterey Square

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The 33rd annual Shalom Yall Jewish Food Festival took place Sunday in Savannah’s Monterey Square.

Congregation Mickve Israel hosted the event that was back to it’s full size for the first time since 2019. Mickve Israel’s Rabbi says they expected 5,000-10,000 people to come out and enjoy all kinds of historically Jewish foods.

He says the war in Israel has made the last few months a difficult time for the community, making coming together to celebrate today all the more important.

“I think more people will come out to support us than usual because of what’s going on. I think people are coming to say hey we don’t appreciate the hate, the anti-anything, we’re going to show our support and come out and enjoy and we do the same thing going to other people’s festivals,” Rabbi Robert Haas said.

Rabbi Haas confirmed they had a heavier police presence at the festival than normal because of the raised tensions that have come with the war, but says they’ve always taken strong safety measures at the event.

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