Celebrating Unity, Diversity
The organizers of Los Angeles’ Israeli Independence Day Festival sparked a controversy several years ago when they decided to include a fashion show at their annual celebration.
This wouldn’t have caused much dissent had the decision not been made to showcase swimsuits along with other, less revealing attire. Instead, the notion of women modeling provocative beachwear stirred the ire of some Orthodox Jews who were participating in the festival, which takes place again Sunday at Pan Pacific Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“When we started the swimsuit show, we had objections from the very Orthodox Jews,” says Yoram Gutman, the festival’s director. “But the stress over the swimsuits has lessened a little bit since then. We tell them the festival involves a wide range of people. It’s like Disneyland. If you don’t like one attraction, you go to see something else. Many people like the fashion show. We can’t just appeal to one side of the spectrum.”
Designing a festival for the entire Southland Jewish population isn’t an easy task. The local Jewish community is tremendously diverse in terms of religious belief, political outlook and cultural background. There are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular Jews. There are also various cultural variations among the Jews whose backgrounds are based in Europe (Ashkenazi) and the Middle East (Sephardic). Meanwhile, Ethiopian Jews possess an even more distinct cultural identification.
The organizers of the Israeli Independence Day Festival believe their event is ideally suited to uniting this disparate population.
“What makes this festival important is the centrality of Israel,” says Robert Rome, the head of the festival’s Heritage Pavilion. “It’s the one thing that absolutely cuts across everything. It has to do with the idea of Israel as a safe haven for Jews. Many of the people who come to the festival are in some way religious Jews. But the reality is: That is not the whole community. There are whole groups that are into things Jewish but not necessarily religion.”
The festival is similar in many ways to the fun-filled independence day celebrations in Israel.
Jugglers, Pony Rides, Slides for the Kids
Pan Pacific Park will be a very family-friendly place to be on Sunday. A children’s area will present a host of entertainers including a juggler, a comedian, musicians and dancers. There also will be pony rides, slides, a petting zoo and various arts and crafts.
Veteran Israeli singer Yehoram Gaon will perform at the event’s main stage at 5 p.m. Gaon will deliver both popular and traditional songs.
“He’s very, very famous in Israel,” notes Gutman. “He’s been in many movies. He almost became the mayor of Jerusalem.”
Other main-stage attractions include the Los Angeles-based Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble, which will perform traditional Israeli dance, and the Pini Cohen Band. An official ceremony will take place at this location between 1 and 2 p.m. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, state Assemblyman and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Antonio Villariagosa and Israeli minister of tourism Amnon Shahak will be among the dignitaries giving speeches.
The diversity of the local Jewish population might best be sampled at the booths at the festival. Various synagogues, community and political organizations will be represented. Gutman says the intention is to be as inclusive as possible.
“The [politically conservative] Jewish Defense League will have a booth, but there is also [a booth represented by] the Jews who are active in the American Jewish Committee, which represents the totally opposite side of that spectrum,” comments Rome. “We try to keep their booths somewhat distant! It’s very funny. But you can go and see many sides of the same issue.”
The festival will also offer a variety of food vendors, including representatives from some of the top Israeli-Jewish restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Gutman raves about the Persian-Jewish food that will be offered by establishments such as Bahador Catering. Nontraditional foods such as hot dogs, Chinese cuisine and sushi will also be offered.
The Israeli Independence Day Festival grew out of a party thrown 14 years ago by Israeli expatriates. Bemoaning the lack of any significant celebration of this event in Los Angeles, they decided to organize their own Israel birthday bash at a private home. They knew they were onto something when 700 people unexpectedly showed up.
Two years later, the burgeoning celebration moved to a Jewish community center in Panorama City. The festival then migrated outdoors to the Hansen Dam complex in Lake View Terrace, where it drew up to 10,000 people. In 1998, the organizers took the festival to Pan Pacific Park for Israel’s landmark 50th-birthday celebration. About 50,000 people attended that event. Last year’s festival attracted nearly the same number of people. The event’s organizers now say they oversee the largest celebration of Israeli independence outside of Israel.
Heritage Pavilion Broadens Appeal
Rome was recruited five years ago to develop the festival’s Heritage Pavilion, which highlights the culture, art, dress, music, musical instruments and foods of both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. He believes the Heritage Pavilion has helped broaden the festival’s appeal to those unfamiliar with the traditional Jewish cultures. Those working at the pavilion often wear the traditional clothes of their people.
“There are some very interesting [sartorial] differences,” observes Rome. “The Jews that lived in many parts of Europe, especially the ones that were under the czar, were under an edict not to wear colors. They only wore black and white. Conversely, when you see the garb of the North Africans Jews, the colors are spectacular. The wedding dresses throughout most of the Sephardic lands were full of bright colors and very decorative with jewels and gold-like attachments.”
“This isn’t just history,” Rome says of the Heritage Pavilion. “There are people today who are actually speaking these languages, singing these songs, cooking the foods, celebrating the costumes. These communities are alive [here in Los Angeles].
“I’ve been to Greek and Russian festivals and Cinco de Mayo celebrations,” he continues. “Those are all tremendously important. But they are singular cultural expressions. This is a very broad experience. That’s what ultimately represents the Jewish people.”
BE THERE
Israel’s 52nd Independence Day Festival will take place Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Pan Pacific Park, two blocks east of Fairfax Avenue between 3rd Street and Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles. Free admission. Parking, $5. Information: (818) 757-0123, (800) 644-9505, https://www.israelfestival.com.