This year, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzma’ut fall on May 13-14, 2024. With Israeli hostages still in captivity and the prospect of an ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we know that Yom Ha’atzmaut may feel more complex than usual.
This year we have two offerings, one an online event, and the other a collection of resources to explore as you make decisions for your students and school community.
Reconstructing Judaism will be joining the Progressive Israel Network in presenting an online Yom Ha’atzmaut event on Tuesday, May 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern featuring Israeli pro-democracy protest leaders Ami Dror and Shir Nosatzki, Rabbi Andrea London and Israeli-born singer Danny Maseng. The event is called 76th Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration: Finding Promise in the Present. It is open to all.
For our youth educators, we are proud to share a downloadable resource document prepared by Rabbi Lily Solochek, Director of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative. It provides many ideas for the various directions that can be used to approach this holiday. The storybooks suggested have recommended ages, and the activities can be structured or adapted to fit with various age groups. Because of the diversity of our communities, we know that not every idea and resource listed here will work, but our hope is that everyone will find something applicable for their community.
