May 21, 2007

Celebrate Israel’s Independence Day with music, fashion, arts and activities
at the Bay Area’s largest Jewish community festival

And…we’re going green!

Location: Yerba Buena Gardens
Date: Sunday, June 3, 2007
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

(San Francisco, CA) — Israel in the Gardens, the single largest annual celebration of Israel Independence Day in the Bay Area, will be held this year on Sunday, June 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. A celebration that has taken place annually for over 30 years in San Francisco, this event attracts over 15,000 attendees. It is a day for people of all ages — adults, children, teens, college students, young adults and seniors — to join together and celebrate.

Featured this year will be music, film and theater; famed Israeli singer/songwriter Rita, the 2006 Academy Award winner for best live action short film West Bank Story, acclaimed actor Uri Hochman, a performance of My Grandmother directed by Robbie Gringras, a children and teen runway fashion show, fun activities for kids of all ages, traditional Israeli and Middle-Eastern food and drinks and a marketplace filled with Israeli-made products.

Where blue and white Meets green

This year we’re going green! Particularly exciting this year is the green theme, emphasizing an issue universally resonant with Americans, Jews and Israelis. In traditional values to repair the world (tikkun olam), Israel in the Gardens invites you and your organizations to join in on energy conservation efforts. There will be informational booths highlighting the alternative energy plans of US and Israeli companies and a walk-a-thon, “Walk-a-mile for Israel,” to help sponsor global environmental preservation work. Walk a Mile for Israel will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Conservation experts and educational resources

The Israel Education Initiative and the Israel in the Gardens Committee are working on bringing conservation experts from Israel who will be on hand to help educate the public on “Green Israel” We are also creating a range of educational resources for the walk and for “Green” activities to take place at the Israel in the Gardens celebration.

Entertainment

Israeli’s top musicians, actors and dancers perform throughout the day.

Main Stage:

• Rita!
• Rikudei Am (Israeli folk dance) with Moshani
  
• Russian folk dancers
• Mah Tovu Band / singing with the kids
• Zofim (The Youth Movement) sing-along
• Children and teen fashion show

Film festival

• West Bank Story

Live theater

• Uri Hochman on stage in Etgar Keret’s “Missing Kissinger”
• My Grandmother, directed by Robbie Gringras

Activities

Fun, creative and educational activities will keep kids entertained all day with storytelling, music and arts and crafts:

• DanceElation: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  Learn hip-hop-urban dance moves and Israeli dancing with hourly lessons taught by professional instructors (for individuals and groups).
• Teen backgammon competition: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Children’s creative and educational activities.
• An exciting underwater audiovisual experience showcasing amazing marine life in the Red Sea.
• Create imaginative arts and crafts of underwater life using recyclable materials.

Shop and Eat

Israeli merchandise will be out in abundance! From fashion to jewelry, food to footwear, handbags to Judaica and much more, Israeli-made products from the very best local and international vendors will be sold throughout the day. Traditional Israeli and Middle Eastern food and beverages will be featured throughout the day. Yes, falafel will be in the house!

Dance, dance, dance

As the sun goes down, things will start heating up at the Metreon, San Francisco. Dance the night away to thumping Israeli and world music beats at the ever-popular Tzavta after-party, courtesy of the Federation’s Israel Center’s Young Adults program. Over 1,000 young adults came out for this special event last year. The dance floor officially opens at 6:00 p.m.

Israel in our Hearts Community Awards

Once again members of our community will be recognized for their extraordinary commitment to Israel and their efforts in strengthening Israel-Bay Area relations. This year’s recipients are a diverse group of volunteers and professionals who have each made a substantial impact on American support for Israel.

Israel in the Gardens is presented by the Israel Center of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel. For more information go to www.israelinthegardens.com.

The Jewish Community Federation is the central organization for fundraising, planning, outreach and leadership development for Jewish communities in San Francisco, the Peninsula, and Marin and Sonoma counties. In fiscal year 2006, the Federation’s annual campaign allocated $18.3 million to some 60 agencies providing social services, educational and cultural programs in the Bay Area, in the U.S., Israel and elsewhere in the world; and the Federation’s Endowment Fund, with assets exceeding $1.8 billion, provided more than $203 million for a variety of grants, seed projects and emergency needs. For more information, call 415.777.0411 or visit www.sfjcf.org.