-by CHAD BERNDTSON
For The Patriot Ledger

When Aaron Bisman and his partner at JDub Records, Jacob Harris, first put on Jewltide four years ago in Brooklyn, they saw it as an exciting alternative to holiday events marketed to Jews but as having no real cultural value: "Matzoh Balls," as Bisman calls them, high-priced singles events that were really quite drab.

"For Hanukkah, we wanted to make an event that was more than just a singles event - fun and a great night," Bisman said from JDub's New York offices last week. "We realized we had a great thing going, so we rallied the troops and took it to other cities."

This year, Jewltide expands nationally, with a varying cast of performers representing the cream of the JDub talent roster. While the capper event will still be in Brooklyn (now two nights instead of one), there are also Jewltide celebrations planned for Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Cambridge, at T.T. the Bear's next Thursday.

While the shows are certainly Jewish-themed, they're hardly exclusive - and the T.T.'s show will likely be the most rocking bill in the city that night. It kicks off just after 9 p.m. and headliners Golem are scheduled to go on around midnight.

Joining them on the bill are JDub labelmate Josh "SoCalled" Golgin, the Montreal-based vaudeville hip hopper, and the klezmer/Gypsy fusion crew Shtreiml, of which Golgin is a founding member and frequent guest.

The latest addition to the lineup is locally flavored: the LeeVees, the rocking Hanukkah-themed five-piece led by Guster's Adam Gardner and the Zambonis' Dave Schneider, and also featuring noted music scribe Michael Azerrad ("Our Band Could Be Your Life") on drums.

Platters of latkes, chocolate gelt and other delectables are promised - oil-rich foods will be abundant, given the history of the holiday - as are copies of HEEB magazine, a candle-lighting ceremony, and general merriment. "Letting go" is the theme, as both Bisman and Golem founder Annette Ezekiel explained it.

The big story on the roster is Golem, however, which has seen its stock rise in a short span.

Ezekiel, who sings and plays accordion, became interested in klezmer and Yiddish music despite her more modern rock and punk sensibilities, and sought a way to fuse it all. The golem is a creature in Jewish mythology - an animated being created from inanimate parts, which to Ezekiel is an apt metaphor for the 5-year-old band: rocking and tight, but hardly neat or tidy.

"I was really interested in this music and wanted to do something not as if it was going to be put in a museum, but with more of a rock sensibility," she said. "The music in itself is wild and crazy as it is, and I wanted to bring that out, not squash it."

Joining Ezekiel and singer Aaron Diskin are: violinist Alicia Jo Rabins, trombonist/guitarist Curtis Hasselbring, contrabassist Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, and drummer Tim Monaghan. Ezekiel describes them as a "mix of personalities," with shared rock, jazz, punk, experimental, and hardcore backgrounds.

"We have a terrible time classifying ourselves," Ezekiel said. "So we don't think like that. Instead, we feel what's in the music. We're crossing the boundaries, and trying to make this music feel contemporary and meaningful to people our age."

In a local twist, both Ezekiel and Diskin are graduates of Lexington High School. Another famously musical graduate of LHS, the Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer, is a friend of the band, and appears on the album's "Warsaw is Khelm."

"She had never done Yiddish or klezmer stuff before, but she picked it up so fast and had a good time, I think," Ezekiel said.

Palmer wasn't the only heavy hitter Golem attracted to their stable; appearing on "Golem Hora" are former Phish bassist Mike Gordon and legendary guitarist Lenny Kaye.

"He came in and really embraced the whole process. He is Jewish, but he told us, 'I haven't thought about my Jewish roots in so long.' He really made (the song) his own," Ezekiel said.

And on Gordon: "We know him through our violinist, because he's very into bluegrass, old-timey music and that whole scene now. We sent tracks to him and an engineer - it was great."

Ezekiel accurately describes Golem's progress this year as "on a roll." There'll be a lot more touring in the new year - the band has Europe as well as the South by Southwest music conference on its radar - and plans for a follow-up album.

JEWLTIDE BOSTON, FEATURING GOLEM, the LeeVees, SoCalled and SHTEIML.

At T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 9:15, Dec. 21. Tickets $10 ($12 day of show) available at the box office www.ticketweb.com. Show is 18-plus.