Groups combine forces to observe Israel’s 60th

Mega-event at JCC features food and fun for every age group

Miri Hasson

Israeli emissary Miri Hasson has helped pull together a virtual tour of her home country for the JCC’s giant birthday party for Israel on May 4.

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If you go

by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

April 24, 2008

For those not able to get to Israel to mark its 60th anniversary, the Jewish community of Central New Jersey is offering the next best thing.

On Sunday, May 4, the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey will throw a giant 60th birthday party for the country, with a program almost as long as a deli menu.

The five-hour event will offer tastes, sights, and sounds of Israel, as well as hands-on experiences for all ages.

The event is a collective effort of the organized Jewish community, including the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, Jewish National Fund, and all area synagogues and organizations.

“It really is a true Jewish community collaboration,” said Michael Goldstein, co-director of the JCC’s Camp Yachad and director of family services.

Goldstein is the main staff organizer of the event, helped by Miri Hasson, this year’s Israeli emissary to the Central Jewish community.

Dan Nichols

Rock star Dan Nichols will be performing at the JCC’s big birthday bash for Israel.

“We thought it would be tough to get everyone to sit around the table to plan this day,” Goldstein said. “But when it came down to it, I’ve been overwhelmed by how open and willing all our partners have been with their time and effort and energy.”

Now he and other organizers are looking for similar cooperation from volunteers to help staff the event, and help maintain safety and security at the Wilf Jewish Community Campus in Scotch Plains.

“If people will give just two hours of their time, that would be great,” Goldstein said. (Those interested in helping out can contact Goldstein or call 908-889-8800, ext. 218.)

Barak Herman, executive director of the JCC, said, “This is just a tremendous opportunity to bring the entire Jewish community together, and I can’t think of a more wonderful occasion for us to be celebrating.”

The day’s program includes food to buy and food to prepare, as well as wine tasting (and buying, of course).

Gil Hoffman, Israel correspondent for NJJN and a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, will discuss the current political situation in Israel.

There will be workshops in Israeli Defense Forces-style self-defense techniques and in conversational Hebrew and Yiddish. A Bedouin tent will be equipped with a wood-burning oven for baking pita bread.

Michelle Abraham

Younger children will get a special insight into the lives of their Israeli counterparts from educator and author Michelle Abraham.

Israeli rock musician Dan Nichols and his band E18hteen will perform, as well as a number of local groups. There will also be performances by the Temple Beth-El/Mekor Chayim teen dance troupe and the Congregation Beth Israel Youth Choir.

Youngsters will be able to get a taste of Israeli army training, explore what Israeli youth travel programs have to offer, or test their Ga-Ga (Israeli dodgeball) skills. They can take part in a “Swim for 60” swim-a-thon for Israel-based charities.

For younger kids, activities will range from arts and crafts to a “5 Senses of Israel” room, to an outdoor kibbutz experience with a chance to plant flowers and vegetables and pet some live animals. Michelle Shapiro Abraham, Temple Sholom religious school director and author of My Cousin Tamar Lives in Israel, will be presenting “A Day in the Life of a Preschooler in Israel.”

Virtual tours of Israel will be conducted in the spin class run by JCC fitness director Debbie Price (with a shifting projected panorama of Israeli landscapes as a backdrop), and in JCC pre-school classrooms, each of them turned into a celebration of a particular city in Israel.

Miri Hasson with sign for festivities

Israeli emissary Miri Hasson with sign

The Israel at 60 Birthday celebration will be held at the Wilf Jewish Community Campus on Sunday, May 4, 1-6 p.m. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children. Israeli food, wine, and wares will be on sale.

Other Israel@60 events:

  • Tuesday, April 29: Screening of The Impossible Spy at the JCC of Central NJ, 7:30 p.m., followed by a discussion with the producer, Harvey Chertok.
  • Thursday, May 1: Yom Hashoah commemoration at Kean University, 6:45 p.m.
  • Tuesday, May 6: Yom Hazikaron ceremony honoring Israel’s fallen and victims of terror, at the YM-YWHA of Union County, 8:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, May 6: Israeli cooking class with Miri Hasson, at the JCC, 7 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 8: Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration at the YM-YWHA of Union County, 5:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 8: A Diamond Celebration Concert with the Westfield Symphony Orchestra at Temple Emanu-El, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 1: Salute to Israel Parade in New York City, with buses leaving from Congregation Beth Israel and Temple Emanu-El at noon.

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