The initiative, as part of the Israeli-American Council's (IAC) "Celebrate Israel" festival, will honor the 73rd birthday of the Jewish state and last until Sunday. Celebrate Israel is a hybrid experience connecting Diaspora and Israeli Jewry.
The buildings will be lit up in major cities throughout the country, including the city halls in Boston, Austin, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Denver. Also being lit up will be famous landmarks such as the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, Boston's Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge and Florida's Lake Orlando. Town halls will also be lit up in many communities in New Jersey with sizable Israeli populations, such as Fairlawn and Tenafly.
Israeli independence celebration events won't just be held in Israel. At 7:00 p.m. EST Sunday, the IAC will put on what it described as a "global musical extravaganza." Featuring major Israeli stars such as Sarit Hadad, the Idan Raichel Project, Rami Kleinstein and T-Slam, the event will be live-streamed from Jerusalem's International Convention Center and broadcast on massive outdoor screens at locations throughout the US.
Other events will be held in the US as well, with several festivities planned for New York City's Times Square; a drive-through car parade in St. Louis; an Israeli-style tailgate party in Boston; drive-in events with Israeli music and food in Las Vegas and Los Angeles; and even a tournament of the classic Israeli pastime of backgammon (known locally as shesh-besh) in Rochester, along with other events nationwide.
“The Celebration of the Jewish state is a privilege and duty,” IAC CEO and co-founder Shoham Nicolet said in a statement.
“This is why we had no question that even during a pandemic we must celebrate Israel. We are taking innovative and creative steps, to make sure we have a safe way to celebrate together as one community from coast to coast.”
For more details, visit https://www.iac360.org/ci/.