US cities to hold huge celebrations for Israeli Independence Day

ynet

The Israeli-American Council will hold celebrations marking Israel’s Independence Day this year for the first time, in a sign of the organization’s expansion and the growth of the Israeli community in the United States.

The five mass festivals around the US will take place throughout May and will be the largest Jewish activity in North America, with more than 50,000 Israeli-Americans expected to participate. The locations were chosen in proportion to the size of the local Israeli community. Miami will hold its festival on May 3, followed by Las Vegas a week later, Los Angeles on May 17, and New York and Boston on May 31.

The festivals will include a technology pavilion, as well as stands showcasing Israeli graffiti, fashion displays, and more. Israeli musicians will also be performing, including Shlomi Shabat, Ethnix, Rita, and other artists.

“The festivals will give the tens of thousands of participants coast to coast the possibility to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day for a whole day, which is an experience showing all that is beautiful and good in Israel,” said Sagi Balasha, the group’s CEO.

“The festivals, which are an important element of the IAC’s diverse activity around the US, will help recruit the Israeli-American and Jewish community for the pro-Israel activism that’s needed today, more than in the past, in light of the increase in anti-Semitism and attempts to delegitimize Israel around the US and the entire world.”

An estimated 500,000-80,000 Israelis live in the United States, making it the largest Israeli community outside of Israel. The Israeli-American Council is currently active in six US locations – New York, Boston, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

The IAC was founded in 2007 with the goal of uniting the Israeli community to support Israel, guarantee the identity of future generations of Israelis living in the US, and building a bridge with the Jewish-American community. The organization holds events and activities in many fields, in which about 100,000 people participate each year.