Kerem Shalom to host Celebration of Israel
By
Lincoln Journal
At midnight on May 14, 1948, the Provisional Government of Israel proclaimed a new State of Israel. On that same date, the United States, in the person of President Truman, recognized the provisional Jewish government as de facto authority of the Jewish state (de jure recognition was extended on Jan. 31, 1949).
Now, 57 years later, there is much to celebrate. Much to wish for. But did you know....
That tiny Israel developed the first cell phone?
Has more museums per capita than any other country?
Developed the technology for AOL Instant Messenger?
Is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees (in an area considered mainly desert)?
Developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer?
Developed the first ingestible video camera so small it fits inside a pill and is used to view our innards for cancer and digestive disorders?
Fifty-seven years after the birth of the State of Israel, Kerem Shalom of Concord, Acton-Concord chapter of Hadassah, and the Jewish Community Relations Council inaugurate the first annual Celebration of Israel - a weekend-long celebration in honor of the ancestral, biblical country important to many, and whose accomplishments and controversial history keep it on the front pages of newspapers throughout the world.
The Celebration of Israel starts Friday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Kerem Shalom, 659 Elm St., Concord. Elan Divon, a graduate student at Harvard and co-director of Peace Camp Canada, will talk about the summer program for Israeli and Arab teens held in Canada where campers discuss the situation in the Middle East and learn about each others' lives. The program fosters an understanding of the "other," while planting seeds of understanding and peaceful co-existence.
Celebration of Israel goes strictly musical Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m., at Kerem Shalom with Classics to Klezmer features Rosalie Gerut, who has numerous international credits; homegrown musicians Gefilte Fish and members of Boston's own Klezmer Conservatory Band. Come ready to cheer the toe-tapping renditions of Jewish jazz and be moved by the stirring music of those who created the State of Israel - and songs of yesteryear that tug at the heartstrings. Tickets are $15.
Sunday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Celebration of Israel will pull out all the stops with a number of family activities. Nimrod Hurvitz, senior lecturer at Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and chairperson of the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy will talk about Israeli-Palestinian relations in light of recent elections. Hurvitz is an active participant in the recent track-two talks with Palestinians.
Participants can also take a stroll through a Middle Eastern Bazaar and eat falafel; take home Israeli bargains such as organic olive oil, Medjool dates, spices like Za'atar and soft Israeli cotton children's clothing; treat themselves to jewelry, ceramics and artwork made in Israel; meet those involved with Hadassah Hospital, Mogen Dovid Adom and N'eve Shalom (a town where Jews and Arabs live and work together to make peace); Talk to Lihi Zabari from Young Judea about programs and trips for teenagers interested in Israel; and meet Nancy Treitel, who rode 265 miles to raise money for the Arava Institute, which works with Israelis and Arabs for peace and to preserve the environment in Israel.
Other activities include exploring technology and science and medicine by talking to Israeli companies; folk-dancing. Krav Maga demonstrations, and arts and crafts for little ones.
Cost is $15 per family. There will be music, films, and more, all bringing the sounds and sights of Israel on her birthday to a historic town in Massachusetts. A Celebration of Israel celebrates Israeli's diverse accomplishments.
