The Tree of Life Congregation, celebrating 114 years in the Midlands, invites the community to attend The Big Nosh: Columbia’s First Annual Jewish Food and Cultural Festival. The event will take place on Sunday, April 25, 11 am to 7 pm at the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue located at 6719 North Trenholm Road in the Forest Acres area.

The Big Nosh celebrates “everything Jewish” and venerates the rich cultural diversity of Columbia and local community.

All are welcome to enjoy this fun, family– friendly festival where you can “make challah, bite a knish, blow a shofar, and dance the hora.”

Festival organizers aim to reinforce and expand on the old adage “You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy a bagel.”

The Big Nosh combines a large–scale Jewish food festival with ongoing live entertainment, art, fundraising, education, games and prizes, and a multitude of additional, interactive activities that revelers of all ages can enjoy.

The Big Nosh Bazaar presents a unique shopping experience for attendees to take advantage of.

From brisket to bagels to stuffed cabbage to kugel, The Big Nosh offers a veritable “Jewish Food Court” for all in Columbia to nosh in or take out throughout the day.

The festival takes its name from the Yiddish word “nosher” (which translates to “nosh” when used conversationally in English), meaning to snack, graze, eat lightly, or try different dishes.

Attendees can explore Jewish culture, literature, customs, and history through an assortment of discussions, classes, and workshops.

Admission to The Big Nosh is free and everyone is welcome. The Tree of Life will be collecting donations of canned or dry food for the Harvest Hope Food Bank.

In the interest of providing ample parking to all event attendees, a free “park and ride” service will be available to transport guests both to and from The Big Nosh Festival site. Guests can leave their cars in the parking lots at either Dent Middle School (6950 North Trenholm Road, 29206) or The Comedy House (2768 Decker Boulevard, 29206) to take advantage of the free, return shuttle return service that will be operating from 10:30 am–7:30 pm, throughout the duration of the event.

For more information call 787-2182 or online visit bignosh.org or tolsc.org.