PRE-REGISTRATION for CELEBRATE ISRAEL IS OVER.  PLEASE REGISTER AT THE DOOR, THIS SUNDAY, MAY 7th.  Thank you!

   Sunday, May 7, the Ann Arbor Jewish community will gather at the Jewish Community Center to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the State of Israel with a community-wide festival called, Celebrate Israel!  This year’s celebration marks the second collaborative effort of nearly twenty Ann Arbor Jewish organizations under the leadership of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County.  Co-Chaired by  Eileen Freed and Anat Hodish, the planning committee is comprised of representatives from Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan, Ann Arbor Chabad, Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah, Beth Israel Congregation, Brit Tzedek V’Shalom, Jewish Cultural Society, Hadassah, Hebrew Day School, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services, Keshet Ann Arbor, ORT, Temple Beth Emeth, Young Judaea, Habonim Dror, Huron High School Jewish Student Union, Pioneer High School Jewish Student Union, EMU Hillel, and the Israeli Community of Ann Arbor.

   Celebrate Israel will be held, rain or shine, from 1:00 to 4:30 in the afternoon and will include live entertainment with local talent such as the Hebrew Day School KlezKids, Temple Beth Emeth’s Adult and Children’s Choirs, the Jewish Musical Ensemble and more.  There will also be opportunities to join together in shira b’tzibur (a sing along with popular Israeli songs from yesterday and today) and rikudei am (Israeli dancing for the whole family).

   The festival features interactive booths with games and activities relating to Israel for all ages, many of which will relate to this year’s theme, “Israel Through the Decades”.  Festival-goers will have the chance to look at modern Israeli technological advancements, tie-dye Celebrate Israel t-shirts, participate in a scavenger hunt and obstacle course, and much more.

   Of course, no festival would be complete without food.  Phil Tewel of Jewel Kosher Catering will sell plenty of falafel, humus, and bourekas, and other Israeli treats will be available throughout the festival.  Participants will also have the chance to purchase Made-In-Israel products from Alicia Nelson of “Tradition!, Tradition!”.

   In the weeks leading up to Celebrate Israel, members of the sponsoring organizations are working to complete a giant mural depicting “Israel Throughout the Decades” (1948-2006).  The mural will serve as a symbol of the great things that the Ann Arbor Jewish community can do when it works together, and will add to the atmosphere at the event.