Yom Ha’atzmaut
โIn Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.โ
David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973)
Yom Haโatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, marks the anniversary of the establishment of the modern state of Israel. David Ben-Gurion, her first Prime Minster, publicly read the Declaration of Independence of Israel on May 14, 1948. The anniversary of this date is Yom Haโatzmaut and we celebrate it on the fifth day of Iyar, this year on Wednesday, April 29.
Israel founded Yom HaZikaron, Israelโs Remembrance Day preceding Yom Haโatzmaut, as a way to memorialize the soldiers who died while fighting in the War of Independence and to remember civilian victims of terrorism.
Check out this very informative but very cool and captivating short video to learn all about these two important days on our calendar. The lively narrative and inventive visuals pack a lot of history and celebration.
Register for the Reform Movement Transitional Ceremony online event on April 28 at 7:00 pm to celebrate Israelโs 72nd Independence Day. Join this virtual observance that will mark the transition between sadness and joy as we move from Yom HaZikaron, Israelโs day of mourning for its fallen, to Yom Haatzmaut, the celebration of its independence.
Read on for more info and resources about Israel…
…including this video featuring our Religious School Shinshinim.
Calendar of Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzmaut Events
[ai1ec tag_name="yom ha'atzmaut, independence, israel, yom hazikaron, jafi- uja community shaliach" events_limit="7"]
What is the National Emblem of Israel?
What does the emblem of Israel mean? The menorah, featured in the center, was used in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem to represent universal enlightenment. The olive branches were deemed the expression of the Jewish peopleโs love of peace. Together they signify: “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 60).โ
After the destruction of the Temple, the Romans took the menorah to Rome. There is a stone relief in the Triumphal Arch of Titus that depicts the Romans parading it through the streets as a symbol of Jewish defeat. Overruling objections, the design was adopted as an important metaphor for the rebirth of Israel. The menorah would stand as testimony to the eternal survival of the Jewish people. Thus it was embraced as the national emblem in 1949.
The result is the ultimate symbol of modern Israel. Three simple elements: menorah, olive branches, and the dream of a contemporary Jewish state.
Recipes
Classic Hummus
Whatโs the first thing you think of when someone asks you, want to have some Israeli food? Did you answer, hummus? If you make it yourself, youโll find out how easy it is to do. So letโs celebrate Israelโs independence with this fave Israeli nosh! But donโt forget to have some fresh, warm pita bread to go with it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups canned chickpeas
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp salt
- ยผ tsp cumin
- 3 Tbsps tahini paste
- 2 garlic cloves, mashed
- 2-3 Tbsps oil
- Parsley (for garnish)
Directions
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender; mix until chickpeas are smooth.
- Refrigerate hummus in a covered container.
- Serve well-chilled, with chopped parsley on top. You can reserve ยผ cup unmashed chickpeas to sprinkle on top and add more garlic, too.
- Now youโre all set to serve it with that delish warm pita!
Falafel
Falafel is sold on street corners in every city and town in Israel. Some call it the “Israeli hamburger.” Its popularity can be attributed in no small part to the Yemenite Jews who have brought a particularly tasty version onto the culinary scene. Students living on a meager budget consume full-portion falafels in whole pitas on the sidewalks as their noon “dinner.”
Ingredients:ย
- 16 ounces canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs or fine bulgur
- 1 tsp ground coriander or cumin
- 1 tsp dried hot peppers
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- vegetable oil (for frying)
Directions:ย
- Combine chickpeas with onion. Add parsley, lightly beaten egg and spices.
- Mix in blender. Add breadcrumbs until mixture forms a small ball without sticking to your hands.
- Form chickpea mixture into small balls about the size of a quarter (one inch in diameter).
- Flatten patties slightly and fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Drain falafel balls on paper towels.
- Serve individually with toothpicks as an hors d’oeuvre or as a sandwich filling with chopped tomato, cucumber, radish, lettuce, onion, hummus and/or tehina inside pita bread.
Will there be a Celebrate Israel Parade this year?
There will be no Celebrate Israel Parade this year, but there is the memory of last yearโs theme: Only in IsraelโRak BโYisrael. We canโt march together this year but we can celebrate Israelโs goals and gains. From creation to the present and all its accomplishments in between. Israel is always in our hearts. She is our hope.
Where in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.
Where ancient villages stand beside ultra-modern cities.
Where a 2,000-year-old language was resurrected for modern speech.
Where exiles from the four corners of the world have come home.
Where skill and chutzpah together make the impossible come true.
Where barren deserts are transformed into flourishing fields.
Where diverse cultures produce a fusion of global cuisine.
Where pioneers build new frontiers in science and technology.
Where water can be produced from thin air.
Where those with incurable diseases are cured.
Where if you will it, it is no dream.
Only in Israel!โRak BโYisrael!
Justin Callis (he/him), our Cantorial Intern, is a fourth-year student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. He is the recipient of the Reuben Peretz Abelson Prize for dedication to Yiddish Song, the Temple Israel of Boston Cantorial Prize, and the Lee Gura Memorial Prize for Aptitude in Synagogue Choral Music.
Sarah Adams, viola, performs locally with the New York Chamber Ensemble, theย Claring Chamber Players, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, the Friends of Mozart, and the Saratoga Chamber Players.
Violinist Michael Roth is a native of Scarsdale, NY and received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, continuing his studies with Marilyn McDonald. At Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher’s Association Competition. He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.ย Mr. Roth is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and has appeared in chamber music and as a soloist with the company, most recently in the debut of “Slice Too Sharp”, a ballet of Biber and Vivaldi violin concerti, and “After the Rain”, violin music of Arvo Part. In addition he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years and often appeared as soloist there, as well as at the Caramoor and Bard Music Festivals. He has played and toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Soloists.
Known for his sweet and โsumptuousโ (New York Times) tone, American-born Doori Na took up violin at the age of four and began his studies with Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He quickly made his first performance with orchestra at age seven with the Peninsula Youth Symphony as the first prize winner of the concerto competition. Thereafter Mr. Na went on to win top prizes in The Sound of Music Festival, The Korea Times Youth Music Competition, the Chinese Music Teacherโs Association, The Menuhin Dowling Young Artist Competition, The Junior Bach Festival, VOCE of the Music Teacherโs Association of California, and The Pacific Musical Society. Receiving full scholarships to private high school Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, he moved to Los Angeles to study with renown violin teacher, Robert Lipsett, at The Colburn Music School. There he appeared as soloist with the Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and Torrance Symphony. During that time, the summer of 2004 was Mr. Naโs first time at the Perlman Music Program where his expression and musical identity were greatly influenced. He has been a part of the program ever since and participated in many of their special residencies in Florida, Vermont, New York, and Israel.
Alan Goodis is a touring Jewish musician playing over 150 events a year. Born and raised in Toronto, Alan is a proud product of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute. Noted for his dedication to building relationships and community through music, Alan tours throughout the US to serve as an Artist-In-Residence and performer at Temples, Youth Conventions and Jewish summer camps.
Julie Silver is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence, and her megawatt smile for over 25 years.
Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 15 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, Lโtakein, Bโtzelem Elo-him, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.
Naomi Less is an internationally celebrated singer/songwriter, ritualist and educator. Beloved for her warm smile and inviting presence, communities celebrate her imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz! Her original music is sung in worship communities worldwide. Naomi serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader and Associate Director of Lab/Shul and is a leader in amplifying women’s voices through her work at Songleader Boot Camp and her Jewish Women Rock show on Jewish Rock Radio. Naomiadvocates for people struggling with fertility journeys as a performance artist and speaker for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges. Fun fact: Naomi and her husband wrote the song shine/Yivarech’cha, a Friday night blessing, specifically composed for URJ Crane Lake Camp, sung every Friday night in the dining hall.
Her destiny became obvious to Joanie Leedsโ parents when, at the tender age of 2, Joanie grabbed the performerโs mic at a party and belted out the entire songโTomorrowโ from Annie. Jaws dropped! No one could remember ever hearing a big voice like that coming from one so tiny and certainly no one would have thought she would one day earn a GRAMMYยฎ Award for her original music.
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, Elana Arian is one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music. Elanaโs music is part of Jewish life across the globe, and her compositions are sung in spiritual communities, summer camps, and synagogues from Louisville to London, from Chicago to the CzechRepublic, and everywhere in between. Elana just released her fourth album of original music, The Other Side of Fear, and her compositions have been published in countless Transcontinental Music collections. Elana serves proudly on the faculty of Hava Nashira (Oconomowoc, WI), the Wexner Heritage Foundation (Aspen, CO), Shirei Chagiga (London, England), and as an instructor at the Hebrew Union College in New York, where she teaches in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Elana has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. She lives in New York with her wife, Julia, and their two daughters, Maya and Acadia.
Known for his unique, engaging, and deeply soulful approach, Noah Aronson is considered one of the most sought after Jewish musicians in North America, making over 65 community appearances each year.
There is a reason why Time Magazine has listed Michelle in their Top Ten list of Jewish rock stars.
Kol BโSeder has been composing and performing contemporary Jewish music since the early1970s. Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper met as college students; over the past 50years they have released numerous CDs and songbooks. With Debbie Friedman (z”l) and others, they forged a new musical sound for American Jewish camps, schools and synagogues. Their songs, such as “Shalom Rav,โ โModeh Ani,โ and “Lo Alecha,” have become traditionalJewish melodies around the world. They are delighted to be inaugurating their fiftieth anniversary celebration by appearing in support of URJ camps, where they first composed and incubated many of their early songs.
Rabbi Mira Weller (she/her) received her ordination at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in May 2022. She studied Culture and Politics at Georgetown Universityโs School of Foreign Service and received her Masterโs in Jewish Education at the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR. She is the proud recipient of awards for her studies in rabbinic literature, her work in Jewish education, and she was granted the Myrtle Lorch Pfaelzer-Monroe Pfaelzer Award for an Outstanding Female Rabbinical School Student (2022). Rabbi Mira speaks Hebrew and Spanish (so please practice with her!). She has a passion for uncovering new possibilities in the great wealth of our tradition and for making music inspired by Judaismโs many cultures. Her guilty pleasures include cupcakes, classical music, and philosophy.
New York bassist Roger Wagner enjoys a long and diverse career. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral bassist, Mr. Wagner has appeared on many of the world’s great concert stages.
Sarah Adams 
Leonard Bernstein described 
Praised by the New York Times as โirresistible in both music and performance.โ flutist, 
Margaret Kampmeier, 
Michael Roth
Our initiative for young children and their grown-ups provides a slate of offerings including Shabbat and holiday celebrations, music, classroom readiness programs, and new parent experiences. During the pandemic, we have leaned on $1m of seed funding for Sholom Sprouts established through this campaign as we offer age-appropriate virtual programs for our families with young children, who are the future of our community. We look forward to welcoming our littlest members and their grown-ups back to our new fifth floor, as well as hiring a Program Assistant to increase the capacity of Sholom Sprouts to grow. This program provides a crucial entry-point to the congregation and membership for young families.
