Israel@60—JTS Celebrates and Contemplates

On May 8, 2008, The Jewish Theological Seminary’s observance of Israel@60, honoring sixty years of Israeli independence, will culminate with a day of festivities and careful reflection. JTS students, faculty, staff, and friends will gather on Yom Ha'atzmaut 5768 to be part of an inspiring day of camaraderie and learning, and to reflect on the daily challenges still faced by our counterparts in Israel—what Israeli citizens refer to as ha-matzav (the situation).

The weeks leading up to Israel@60 will be filled with thoughts of our Jewish state, as we contemplate the Jewish future we want to manifest and tend to the relationship between Jews in America and Jews in Israel. JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen hopes that “we will do all we can to make sure that by the seventieth [anniversary], Israelis and American Jews will be more closely related to one another and appreciative of the parallel paths on which they are seeking to build Jewish communities and revitalize Jewish tradition.”

  • On Saturday, April 12, we gathered for Hatikvah 6!, an evening of fun and music at The Plumm.
  • On Monday, April 28 through Thursday, May 8, enjoy the Israel@60 Photo Exhibit in the Alperin Lobby featuring photos by JTS students, faculty and staff.
  • On Tuesday, April 29, at 12:10 p.m., an Israel Va’ad Lunch and Learn titled The Land of Israel Style will be presented by Tuvia Book, a doctoral candidate at The Davidson School and author of For the Sake of Zion: Pride and Strength through Knowledge. Tuvia will guide us in a celebration of the dream of the Chalutzim.
  • On Wednesday, May 7, our commemoration of Yom Hazikkaron will begin during Minhah with a Tekes Zikkaron (a memorial service for the fallen soldiers), and we will remain together into the evening for learning through stories, poetry, and film.
  • On Yom Ha'atzmaut (Thursday, May 8), the daylong program Building Community: the Power of Sacred Texts will begin at 8 a.m. with Shaharit services and a festive Hallel. We will follow with a light breakfast at 9 a.m.

    At 10 a.m., we will learn with representatives of Bina, a cutting-edge Israeli educational organization, whose creative use of sacred texts will engage our thinking about secular Israeli Jewish identity.

    At noon, we will enjoy a barbecue lunch with live music and dancing.

    At 2 p.m., there will be a panel on the future of Zionism and American–Israeli relations, moderated by JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen. Speakers will include Ruth Calderon, founder and director of Alma Home for Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and New York, and Yael Zerubavel, professor of Jewish Studies and History and founding director of the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life.

For more information on Israel@60, please visit www.jtsa.edu/israelatsixty.