The Jewish Community of Louisville will be coordinating a series of events and programs throughout 2018 to help Louisville celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday.
The activities to mark the milestone anniversary include Israeli chefs, a children’s Israel Independence Day celebration in April, special musical and art exhibitions this spring, an Israel Festival this summer, a cycling event this fall and a series of programs focused on innovation throughout the year.
Israel at 70 also will be celebrated by Louisville’s Jewish organizations. For a complete list of Israel-related programs and events, visit jewishlouisville.org/the-j/j-arts-ideas/israel-70.
Israel at 70 is being chaired by Keren Benabou. Lenae Price is the staff organizer for programs and events:
April 17-18, Yom Hazikaron
The J will observe Israel’s Memorial Day at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 18, with a two-minute moment of silence throughout the building.
April 20 Israeli Culinary Experience with Chef Morris
Israeli Chefs Morris Zrihen and Hadas Hay will be in Louisville for a program designed to offer exposure to the Israeli culinary experience.
At 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 20, the chefs will be at a private home for an Israeli-style lunch program. The event is exclusively for Lion of Judah and Pomegranate Society donors. The charge is $36.
Pomegranates are women who make individual gifts of $1,800-$4,999 and Lions of Judah are women who make individual gifts of $5,000 and above to the Federation Annual Campaign.
Call Kristy Benefield at 502-238-2739 by April 16 to register. Lisa and Robert Klein are the Partnership chairs.
Zrihen opened The Breakfast Club in 2012 in Shavey Tzion in Louisville’s Partnership region of the western Galilee. His food is a fusion of Middle East, French, Italian and Spanish dishes, focusing on vegetables with herb preparations. Hay, a sous chef, is director of the kitchen at The Breakfast Club.
April 22, Independence Day Children’s Celebration
The J will celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday with free music, crafts and games from 1 to 3 p.m. Israeli-style food will be served and children can make history by helping to create an Israel at 70-themed mosaic to be displayed in the building throughout the year. Dara Woods and Bekie Admoni are the co-chairs.
May 30, Decades of Israeli Popular Music
At 7 p.m. at Adath Jeshurun, John Gage, host of the Kentucky Homefront, will introduce seven decades of Israeli popular music (in translation) sung by Cantors David Lipp, Sharon Hordes and Paula Pepperstone, and vocalist Jennifer Diamond. Costs for the program will be underwritten by the Annette and Joseph Gale Fund.
June-July, YAD Israeli-style Shabbat dinner, wine tasting
Stay tuned for more details.
July, poolside movie: Wonder Woman
Stay tuned for more details.
August 19, Israel Celebration at Bowman Field
From noon to 3 p.m., Bowman Field will be transformed into a giant map of Israel with activities representative of the cities of Israel. Make your own works of art in the northern city of Tzfat, enjoy street food in Tel Aviv, place a message in The Western Wall, explore The Dead Sea.
August 31-September 3, Worldfest
Explore Jerusalem with virtual reality glasses; participate in fun and innovative games. Israeli-style foods will be served.
Innovation Series
Throughout 2018, a series of programs connecting the innovation in Israel to Louisville will be held. Stay tuned for more details.
October 5-8, Biking and Bourbon: A Partnership Experience
This 4-day bike experience seeks to strengthen connections between Jewish Louisville and its Partnership region in the western Galilee. The event includes four days of riding with stops at several Bourbon distilleries for a unique experience. Other activities will include hiking, a leisure ride in parks and St. James Art Festival. There is a limit of 40 participants.
Israel at 70 needs volunteers. Anyone interested in helping can reach out to Lenae Price at lprice@jewishlouisville.org for ways to assist and other details.
Also, contact Price if you know of other events that should be included in the Israel at 70 celebration.
For more information, contact Matt Goldberg at mgoldberg@jewishlouisville.org.