This will never happen again, ever. To help mend the rift, festival officials are making an exception to their rules by allowing Jewish groups to set up booths on the second day only. They are specifically seeking Jewish entertainers for the second day. They will set up signs on Yom Kippur noting the conflict, and they will help at least one nearby synagogue with alternative parking. The vote cemented the Lake Merritt festival's dates on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11 and 12, after more than a month of public debate and two months of quieter discussions.
Jewish reaction is mixed.
Some accept the apology. Others are too incensed at the apparent insensitivity to be pacified. As a citizen of Oakland, I'm insulted. As a Jew, I'm insulted. I absolutely never, never will have anything to do with it.