More than 100 Jewish communities throughout the world will celebrate Israel’s 30th anniversary in 273 festive events, it was announced by Avraham Schenker, chairman of the Zionist Executive Festivities Committees. Many of these festivities will be aided by the World Zionist Organization and the Foreign Ministry in cooperation with local Jewish organizations.
Teams of Israeli entertainers will begin leaving for the various communities within a few weeks. They include dancing groups, light entertainment, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and organizers of youth events and sound and light shows. Schenker said that although the WZO wanted to have its contribution felt in the various communities, it did not intend to dictate the character of the festivities, their framework or size.
Various communities have already received thousands of posters characterizing Israel. The WZO prepared mobile exhibitions on the subjects of Jerusalem and Israel, as well as a catalogue of documentary films which will be sent to the communities by order. A special documentary film traces the story of immigrants who arrived in Israel illegally in 1948, through to 1978. The film was produced by the writer Meyer Levin.
SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES OUTLINED
Other activities include the Zionist quiz, in the style of the traditional Bible quiz. Jewish students from 21 countries will participate. In addition, Israeli students have already sent some 100,000 letters to Jewish students abroad as part of the “Jewish Children’s Forest” project in the Galilee which is operated by the Jewish National Fund. Each Jewish child will be honored with three trees: one bearing the child’s name, one bearing the name of the child’s counter-part in Israel and the third in memory of a child killed in the Holocaust.
There will also be traditional summer projects in Israel for Jewish youths from abroad which will be devoted to anniversary festivities; an information-entertainment caravan will tour campuses in the U.S. during the summer; and a special prayer book for Independence Day which will include special prayers composed during the 30 years of the State.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
