The Bay Area group Red Hot Chachkas plays klezmer fusion music. "Chachkas" is a Yiddish word referring to knickknacks or trinkets. But klezmer actually has great significance.

The band's violinist, Julie Egger, who made her first journey to Eastern Europe last summer, says, "What it taught me was that klezmer music, more than anything, is going to get us to heal ourselves from the Holocaust. A lot of people think the Jewish faith is gone from there, why go back? But you've got to remember that there was a culture and a life before Hitler. And if we don't remember that, then Hitler won.

"Playing klezmer music, getting people to love it and feel connected to it, helps us to remember this amazing life that was before the Holocaust. It's important to remember that life, because, if you're Jewish, we're all from that life. And there's lots of joy in this music."

Red Hot Chachkas' repertoire includes original numbers, as well as traditional tunes. They're also adept at improvising.

"Our originals almost always have some sense of klezmer, whether it's the scale or the rhythm or other elements. But the music unfolds organically, as we work on it, to a place where it has all kinds of influences, from all over the world, depending on what we are excited about at that moment," Eggers says.

"Beats Without Borders," the group's most recent album, further expands the parameters. The band, which performs at Palo Alto's Oshman Family JCC on Sunday, has been honing its craft for the past 14 years.

Egger says, "When we first got together, I didn't know what I was doing, either as a bandleader or as a musician. So it's just developed over the years. The band members have changed. And the better and more creative we become as musicians, the more it evolves.

"In any field, the more you do it, the better you get. You know that 'Outliers' book? (By Malcolm Gladwell.) Ten thousand hours for success? I've never calculated it, but I'm sure we're close to that," she says, laughing.

The band has been landing bigger gigs, including the Ashkenaz Festival in Canada. In May, the band is to be part of a big festival in Atlanta.

The band also still plays in intimate settings, such as bar mitzvahs and weddings. "They're fun to do. And that's your income. Festivals and concerts are not. It's wonderful to play a concert where everyone's listening. But another aspect of being a musician is making a living. So you have to find the balance."

Egger was raised in New York. Her mother played piano and her sisters also played instruments. "I began playing violin at 7. I remember in third grade, they brought the orchestra out for an assembly, to see if we wanted to play music. In New York, back when I grew up, instrumental music was very, very strong, not like it is today, especially in California. We had five full-time music teachers in our high school. You don't see that anywhere anymore.

"I knew the moment I saw it -- the violin -- that I'd play it the rest of my life. There was no pondering or decision. I just knew this was my instrument. I guess I was born to play the violin. It's always been in my blood. Like I have brown eyes ... I'm a violin player."

She studied classical music. "That's not something I was drawn to, but, as a violin player, that's all that was taught. I liked playing classical, but being in an orchestra is always about competition, in the violin section, who sits where. In professional orchestras, the farther up you are, the better you get paid. I never liked that sense of competition. So I never was drawn to becoming a professional classical violin player. I never felt I was good enough for that.

"As a kid, I grew up in a socialist, Yiddishkeit household. We went to Yiddish school. We heard klezmer music, but it wasn't called 'klezmer' back then. It was just Jewish music. It didn't change its name until the 1970s. It was in the house, but I didn't think about playing it. My music was one thing and my Yiddish culture was a separate thing."

It wasn't until 1998, when Egger attended KlezKamp West in Petaluma, that the two came together for the first time for her.

"When I found klezmer, it was an epiphany for me. My heartfelt Judaism and my heartfelt music all of a sudden were married. It was like, 'Oh, my God, this is what I'm supposed to do!' This music touches my Jewish roots strongly."

It took her a while to adapt, in terms of technique. "Physically, you have to study and play until you become more authentic. Classical is more about being clear, correct and precise. Klezmer is freer. In an orchestra's violin section, everyone has to play every single note exactly the same. There's no individuality. In klezmer, that's not true."

While visiting Eastern Europe, Egger met Jewish classical musicians. They weren't familiar with the klezmer style. "These guys, who are really good classical players, actually asked me to give them a lesson. They said, 'Your music is a neshoma,' which is the soul. It's the soul of the Jewish people. And they were blown away by it. This music goes back to the 1400s."

You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy klezmer. "It's great music, full of life. Whether we play it as fusion or straight traditional, there's a lot of beauty to it.

"Music touches our bodies. It's not an intellectual thing," says Egger. "It's an intuitive, emotional thing. And that's all music, not just klezmer. So music is going to touch you differently, in places that you didn't realize where there. Different music touches you differently, depending on your connection to it."

Egger, 55, is married to Alan Weiler, who's in computer software, and resides in West Marin. Their daughters, Hannah and Sarah, are now in college, so Egger can pursue her music full time. She plays in groups and solo, jazz, classical and, of course, klezmer. She's part of The Convergents string trio, which plays entirely improvised music. Egger will perform in Europe this summer, prior to an East Coast tour.

Eggar teaches violin. "When you really play music, you're becoming the music. That's my goal for my more advanced students, to help them reach that, to teach them how to play music, not just notes. I'd rather hear someone play 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' amazingly beautifully than some concerto technically."

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What: Red Hot Chachkas
Where: Oshman Family JCC, Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Way,
Palo Alto
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $15-$25; 650-223-8692;
Artist Website: