Eretz Yisrael Day
Temple Israel hosts community celebration on Aug. 29 to benefit hungry Israeli kids.
DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
Money Matters
A
classic Zionist anthem, "Anu
Banu Artza" ("We Built the
Land"), expresses how the
Jewish people strengthen themselves
by building the land of Israel.
This spirit drives Temple Israel's
Sisterhood and Committee on Israel
to make Eretz Yisrael Day, featuring
Israeli artists and products, both a
way to support Israel and a way to
strengthen Jewish identity by con-
necting with the Jewish state, says
the chairman of the Sunday, Aug.
29, event. .
"We decided to bring Israel to
West Bloomfield," says Carol Lynn
Cooper, who describes Eretz Yisrael
Day (Land of Israel Day) as a fami-
ly-friendly, free community event.
While organizers encourage every-
one to visit Israel, Cooper hopes the
first-time event will help everyone,
especially kids, "understand Israel's
importance in our lives, experience
its beauty, envision its historical won-
ders and feel the spirituality that
comes alive."
All profits will go to Israel, largely
to feed hungry schoolchildren in eco-
nomically distressed neighborhoods.
A wide variety of activities are
planned. An Israeli art fair will repre-
sent more than 20 Israeli artists
bringing paintings, Judaica and jewel-
ry. Perfumes and Dead Sea mineral
products also be available. Sue
Dumond is the fine art chairman.
Interactive activities for children
will include a giant map of Israel
which, Cooper says, "promises to
teach children of all ages about the
land itself, from skiing to sand dunes
and all the arid soil in between. Also
look for arts and crafts projects."
Children's activities continue all day
with special map "tours" every half
hour.
Speakers and displays from the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC), Magen David
Related Editor's Notebook, page 5
Sisterhood President Eileen Isenberg, Israel Art Fair Chair Sue Dumond, Event
Chair Carol Lynn Cooper, artist Karen West, Children's Activities Chair Debbie
Schiffer and Committee on Israel Co-Chair Linda Stulberg.
Adom (Israel's equivalent to the Red
Cross) and the Friends of the IDF
(Israel Defense Forces) will educate
and activate participants about Israel.
MDA will have an ambulance on
site.
Cantorial Soloist Neil Michaels will
perform a concert at 11a.m. followed
by a sing-along with Dr. Adam
Cooper and dancing throughout the
day.
Food And More
Fresh falafel will be sold throughout
the day and Hiller's Markets will have
a mini-grocery store of Israeli prod-
ucts.
A reunion of Federation's Miracle
Mission 2004 participants will be
held at 11 a.m. Everyone who has
been to Israel is urged to bring a pic-
ture of themselves to display on the
Eretz Yisrael Photo Board. A Teen
Mission 2004 slide show will run
throughout the day. Information on
future miracle missions as well as
Federation's December 2005 Family
Mission will be available; a special
briefing on the Family Mission
begins at 11 a.m.
Artist Karen West, a Sisterhood and
Israel Committee member, has
designed a T-shirt featuring the Star
of David, majestic lions and trees. It
is based on a Chanukah woodcut
from the 1920s.
"The Star of David has come to
stand for the State of Israel, although
its origins as a Jewish symbol go back
to the Middle Ages," West says. "The
symmetrical lions are a frequent
emblem in Jewish designs. They sym-
bolize power and majesty and are
sometimes used as an emblem for the
tribe of Judah."
The logo adorns event posters.
All profits will go to Israel, although
in different ways.
Hiller's Markets will donate all
profits from its Israeli grocery sale to
its usual Israeli recipients. The tem-
ple's Sisterhood and Israel Committee
will give all profits after event expens-
es — raised through the sale of $10
T-shirts, vendor fees and donations
— specifically to the Meals for
Children program of Meir
Panim/Power of Giving, an Israeli
network of humanitarian services.
The Meals for Children Program
provides hot meals for 7,000 needy
youngsters daily. Estimates peg the
number of hungry children in Israel
today at 670,000. A Meir Panim rep-
resentative will speak about the
organization at 1 p.m.
T-shirts may be purchased ahead of
time through Sandy Belsky at (248)
865-0765.
Esther's Judaica will sell Israeli art
and donate 10 percent of its sales to
Meir Panim. Israeli artists will keep
all but 10 percent of their sales; that
will go to Meir Panim.
Meir Panim also feeds 6,000 needy
people in 11 soup kitchens, serves
hot meals to disabled and elderly
people through Meals on Wheels,
helps the needy learn new job skills
and collects used goods for repair and
distribution to the needy. ID
Eretz Yisrael Day will be
held inside from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on Sunday,
Aug. 29, at Temple Israel,
on the south side of
Walnut Lake Road, east
of Drake Road, in West
Bloomfield. A schedule of
events is available at
wwvv.temple-israel.org
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