CeleBraTe

ay, Israel!

Fun
family
ideas can
help you
celebrate.

Elizabeth Applebaum

n Israel, it's a party that
lasts half the night. The
skies are lit up with mul-
ticolored lights and even
the most sedate citizen is
likely to be found bopping
others on the head with a
tepesh, a soft-plastic ham-
mer that makes a squeak-
ing sound when it lands.
The state also hosts a Torah Quiz
with contestants from around the
world, dance programs, a song fes-
tival, parades and programs featur-
ing the Israel Air Force.
Yes, Israel's birthday bash, Yom
HaAtzmaut, as celebrated by its citi ,
zens, can be quite an adventure.
Enjoying the holiday with your fami-
ly and friends can be a lot of fun,
too! If you want to send out the invi-
tations, remember to mark your cal-
endar this year for Wednesday,
April 21, when Israel will turn 51.
And whether you're planning a

4/2
1999

64 Detroit Jewish News

major celebra-
tion or just want to enjoy the day
with family, here are a few ideas to
help you get the party going:
#1) Decorate your home in blue
and white, the colors of the flag of
Israel. Those tiny lights you normally
find on Christmas trees are great for
this and inexpensive to boot. Buy a
few and you can shape them into a

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Mogen David (Star of
David) or a map of the
State of Israel or just hang
the lights from the lamps
and windows.
#2) Prepare a basket of
Israeli food products. Either
go to the store as a family
or ask each individual to
shop on his or her own, with
everyone buying two of any food
product made in Israel. There are
quite a few reliable standards, but
it's more fun to try to come up with
something new. Items not hard to
find at either your favorite grocery
store or at a specially shop include
made-in-Israel jams and jellies,
lemon juice, cookies and pickles.
Now why did you need two of
each product? You'll make up one
basket for your family to enjoy on

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Yom HaAtzmaut and donate anoth-
er basket of products to Yad Ezra,
the kosher food pantry in Oak Park.
#3) If you don't know Tel Aviv
from Netanya, here's a great way
to learn Israeli geography and have
fun at the same time. Draw the out-
line of the State of Israel on a piece
of poster board; leave this map
blank. At the same time, have
handy a complete map of the state,
showing the location of all the cities
and major sites. As the game
begins, each person is blindfolded
and tries to place a marker on Tel
Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, or histor-
ical locations, such as Mount Sinai,
the Dead Sea and Masada.
#4) Why not create your own col-
oring book about the State of
Israel? Family members everywhere
should be invited to send in a black-
and white outline drawing depicting
something about Israel. (This can
take no time at all thanks to fax
machines, and "snail mail"— letters
— works just fine, too.) These draw-
ings will be especially good if the
picture includes a personal note,
perhaps about a memory from a trip
taken to Israel, or a site in Israel the
artist hopes to see. When all the
drawings are collected, photocopy
each to make a complete coloring
book. As a thank you, send a copy
of the coloring book to each person
who participated, along with a
small box of crayons. (Even those
who insist they're too old to color
will know at least one child who will
enjoy the completed book.)
#5 "Hatikvah," Israel's national
anthem, is the one song that can
make even the most cynical soul
cry. If you haven't learned the
words already, why not do it this