Baltimore Jews Celebrate Israel’s 69th Birthday

Atara Goodman, 9, of Pikesville, wears painted Israeli flags on her face during a a Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration. (Photo by Steve Ruark)
Despite blustery winds and sporadic rainfall, more than 400 people showed up at Pikesville’s Beth Tfiloh Congregation on May 1 for the community-wide Yom Ha’atzmaut, or Israel Independence Day, celebration.
Preceding the festivities was a brief Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day) service in the Dahan Sanctuary. (The community-wide Yom HaZikaron commemoration was held on April 30 at Beth Tfiloh.)
Activities to celebrate Israel’s 69th birthday included a musical maariv (evening prayer) service led by Brian Singer, Beth Tfiloh’s lower school music teacher and religious school coordinator; children’s programs and snacks; an Israel festival that featured Israeli music and dancing, Israeli culinary delights (falafel, Israeli salad), music and a map cake; a mini-shuk featuring Israeli products and artwork; and kids’ activities that included a moon bounce, games, face-painting, arts and crafts. (A planned bonfire at the conclusion of the two-hour gathering was cancelled due to the weather.)
The gathering was sponsored by the congregation, the Baltimore/Mid-Atlantic chapter of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, Beth Tfiloh’s brotherhood and sisterhood, Pariser’s Bakery, and the Louise D. and Morton J. Macks Center for Jewish Education.
“It was very spirited,” said Joan Feldman, Beth Tfiloh’s director of communications. “Despite the weather, we really got the spirit going. It was a lot of fun.”
Photos by Steve Ruark
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