Press Release
JEWISH COMMUNITY HOSTS ISRAEL IN THE GARDENS
SUNDAY, JUNE 1, AT YERBA BUENA GARDENS IN SAN FRANCISCO
Northern California's Largest Annual Jewish Cultural Festival
Will Mark 60th Anniversary of Israel's Independence
On Sunday, June 1, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., close to 20,000 people will gather at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco for Israel in the Gardens, an annual event sponsored by the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation and the Israel Center of the Federation. Israel in the Gardens is a day for local Jews to celebrate their culture and to toast the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence and sixty years of cooperation between America and Israel. Like other local cultural festivals cherished by Bay Area citizens -- from Chinese New Year to Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day -- Israel in the Gardens invites the community at large to share in a closer view of one of the many cultures threading the colorful tapestry of life in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Admission to this family-friendly event is free and open to the public, who will find a garden of delights on the day's agenda.
The Northern California Jewish community -- nearly 450,000 strong, the third largest in the United States -- comprises an ethnically and racially diverse population of both recent emigrés and those with ancestral ties to Israel, Russia and the former Soviet Union, Morocco, South Africa, Argentina, Latin America, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and many others. The local Jewish population matches the diversity of San Francisco itself, with its multiplicity of languages, cosmopolitan outlook and dazzling array of international cuisine.
CEREMONIAL RELEASE of DOVES will take place at 1:00 p.m., when local dignitaries step to the mainstage to honor this significant element of the Bay Area population and participate in Israel in the Gardens' (IIG's) traditional release of white doves -- sixty this year -- symbolizing the universal desire for world peace.
MUSIC and DANCE will be front and center in the gardens. The day-long mainstage performances will be emceed by Russian emigrée Kira Soltanovich. A gifted stand-up comic and improv artist whose resumé includes appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Dr. Phil, The World Stands Up and others, Soltanovich is a series regular on Girls Behaving Badly and a currently recurring character on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Music headliner will be The Idan Raichel Project, an Israeli group that stirs worldwide excitement and whose ethnic diversity represents an Israel most people never see. (Band members include a Palestinian Arab Israeli, an Ethiopian, and an emigré from Suriname, while Raichel himself is a native Israeli with Ashkenazi roots.) Their repertory blends Ethiopian melodies, Hebrew psalms, Yemenite chants and Sephardic-North African Mediterranean sounds with cutting edge electronic production techniques. EggRoll, a young Israeli rock group, performs original material in English; Neshama Carlebach, a superstar in Jewish Entertainment, sings the incomparable melodies of her late father, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, along with inspiring original compositions; students of Jewish day schools, with support from the Israel Education Initiative (IEI), will present music, dance and drama interpretations of Israel@60; and Ilya Rayzman, Russian - trained violinist, thrills crowds with his virtuosity. But IIG doesn't leave it all to the pros: Dancing in the gardens is on the program. Whether it's grooving to reggae rhythms or joining a group for Israeli or Russian folk dancing, spontaneity will keep things jumping long after 5:00 p.m., when the After Party dancing begins for young adults.
ART, CULTURE and FASHION will please both the eyes and minds of visitors. A mini film festival featuring short Jewish and Israeli-themed works plays all day at the Action Theater in the Metreon, presented in collaboration with the Israeli Consulate and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. "Shop till you drop" is the byword in a market overflowing with Israeli-made products, blending the authentic feel of the Jerusalem shuk (open air market) and the hip style of Tel Aviv's Sheinkin Street. A glamorous runway parade strutting sixty years of Israeli fashions will feature both men's and women’s clothing from Israel’s hottest fashion designers, modeled by community leaders.
THE INNOVATIVE ISRAELI MIND is in the spotlight with "A Taste of the Best of Israel," a fascinating interactive exhibit. The comprehensive display presents sixty years of Israeli achievement ranging from agriculture, art and culture, to the environment; business and industry; medicine; and peace and the mitzvah of Tikkun Olam -- the blessing of repairing the world. Companion activities designed to intrigue visitors of all ages include elaborate mind games from the Weizmann Institute; a Lego irrigation project demonstrating how Israelis make the desert bloom; and a replica of Israel's Scroll of Independence inviting visitors to add their signatures to those of David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir -- and to suggest improvements! Other exhibits challenge participants to design aid missions to the world's needy; join arts and crafts workshops spotlighting Israel's multicultural society; or compete in a game of Israeli Trivial Pursuit incorporating information gleaned from the exhibit.
CHILDREN, TEENS and YOUNG ADULTS can participate in an array of activities specially designed for them. Students of Jewish day schools present their art work with Krazot Mesaprot, student posters recounting Israel's independence, on display at the Metreon. A special Teen Zone -- no adults allowed -- will feature a backgammon (Shesh Besh in Hebrew) competition, and alumni of teen and young adult trips to Israel and summer camp programs will meet at mini-reunions. Younger children -- and kids of all ages -- can learn West African drumming and dancing; participate in crafts workshops where they'll make Tzedakah Boxes; Asian block prints; and festive paper flowers and decorative paper cuts -- Latino Pacel Picado in Spanish and shavuoslech in Yiddish. A Digital Photo Booth will provide instant take-home souvenirs and a post-event online digital collage.
EAT SOMETHING Who doesn't love bagels and lox, falafel and humus? Traditional Israeli and Middle Eastern food and beverages share the menu with American-Jewish favorites.
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES If it's a birthday party, there must be a cake: in fact, a dozen cakes created by celebrity chefs for Israel's 60th will be on display at the Metreon and offered at a silent auction, proceeds to benefit the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation and the Atzmaut project in Sderot.
WHAT'S HAPPENING HOUR BY HOUR
AT ISRAEL IN THE GARDENS
ON THE MAIN STAGE
| 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Students of Jewish day schools perform music, dance and drama interpretations of Israel@ 60 |
| 12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Emcee Kira Soltanovich keeps the laughter and the action going all day |
| 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Ilya Rayzman and Russian Folk Dance Group |
| 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Ceremonial release of 60 doves; remarks by Israeli Consul General and San Francisco dignitaries; singing of National Anthem and Hatikvah |
| 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Neshama Carlebach |
| 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Runway fashion show |
| 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Egg Roll and others |
| 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | The Idan Raichel Project |
| 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. | After-Party Dance for Young Adults |
AT THE METREON
Second Floor, near the Action Theatre
| All Day | Mini Israeli Film Festival in the Action Theatre |
| All Day | Poster tales ("Krazot Mesaprot") |
| All Day | Display and silent auction of birthday cakes for Israel's 60th |
