There won’t be any camels, sand or belly dancers this year at Israel’s birthday festivities, but there will be a 40-foot dragon for children to crawl through, a top Israeli rock star and shorter lines for falafel.
The Bay Area will celebrate Israel’s 51 years of statehood from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at “Israel in the Gardens.” The free community event will take place at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.
With nearly five hours of entertainment on the main stage, as well as Judaica artisans, children’s activities and kosher food on the menu, the day will be an exhilarating one, asserts Gideon Boaz, festival coordinator. More than 5,000 people are expected to attend.
Returning for the second year in a row to headline the children’s entertainment is Craig Taubman, an award-winning singer-songwriter. He will play a one-hour concert, starting at 12:45 p.m. on the main stage.
Taubman is known in Jewish communities for combining soft rock with Jewish stories and prayers, as well as for original and traditional songs that celebrate the birth of the Jewish homeland. He sings in Hebrew, Yiddish and English.
Craig ‘N Co., a group that includes Taubman and other musicians, has recorded albums for Disney Records and has performed for television shows, movies and the cable station Nickelodeon.
Hedva Amrani, an Israeli-born singer with an international reputation, will perform at 2 p.m. She sings songs of her Yemenite heritage and others in Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew and Arabic, as well as Broadway show tunes.
David Broza, an Israeli-born rocker, will take the stage at 3:15 p.m. His appearance is his first in the Bay Area since a serious car accident in Israel last summer. It also marks the second time he has celebrated Israel’s birthday at Yerba Buena Gardens. He played to enthusiastic crowds at the festival in 1996.
Often compared to Bruce Springsteen, Broza blends music with the work of contemporary American poets. He has performed internationally, recording numerous albums.
Finding Judaica items at the festival won’t be difficult. Bay Area artists will showcase mezuzot, menorot, tzedakah boxes, seder plates, Shabbat candlesticks and other such items. Several stores and importers will also be on hand, selling items made in Israel.
At the “teen only” area, designed to resemble a Bedouin village, a DJ will spin dance tunes. Non-permanent henna tattooing will be available from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Jewish youth groups will present projects they’ve worked on.
Younger children will also have their own area with plenty of activities and entertainment. Monkey Thump, a Mission District puppet troupe, will put on an interactive show with colorful kid-size monkey puppets and a klezmer band.
Another puppeteer, Joan Sutton will tell stories with puppets, and storyteller Diana Schmiana will sing and tell Jewish folk tales.
Children can create their own instruments and Judaica pieces, and paint and draw at four arts and crafts tables. And if the kids just want to run and jump around, they’ll have a “bouncy castle” and a dragon to crawl through.
With at least four vendors serving falafel this year, no one should leave the festival hungry. Other selections include Israeli salads, chicken kabobs, bourekas, pierogis, pizza, knishes, hotdogs and popcorn. All meat dishes will be kosher, and the rest of the food will be vegetarian.
The daylong event is sponsored by the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Israel Center, the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, the Consulate General of Israel and the S.F.-based Bureau of Jewish Education.
Daniel Grossman, president of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said: “There’s been a momentum of connection with Israel and the Bay Area community. There are groups in the community that meet to speak Hebrew together, others that gather for Israeli-themed parties and numerous teens groups going on trips to Israel…We’re in the middle of an election season in Israel, but the nature of the momentum that’s been building here is not political — it’s a connection to Israel, its land and its people.”
In the federation’s booths, attendees can learn about Gift of Israel, the savings plan for teen trips to Israel; get the scoop on places to visit in Israel in Lonny Darwin’s new “1999 Insiders Guide”; hang out with the Young Adult Division; and find out about local resources from Jewish Community Information & Referral volunteers.
Mike Jacobs, chairman of the Israel Center, said the event offers “an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the marvelous achievements of our people in building a state out of the ashes of World War II. Fifty-one years later, all of us have a lot to be proud of.”