(Courtesy of Lamdeinu) Lamdeinu hosted its Fourth Annual Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration for Women on Thursday, April 19. A diverse group of women joined together for a full-day event to recognize this joyous day together, as a community of learners. Attendees traveled from as near as Teaneck and as far as Brooklyn to enjoy this unique experience. The event began with Tefillah Chagigit led by Marcia Schulman and divrei Torah and messages from Dean Rachel Friedman and Program Director Ruth Hartstein.

Hartstein welcomed the group by highlighting the tremendous accomplishments the state of Israel has produced in just 70 years: “Today we recognize and celebrate that our homeland has become an ecologically vibrant, technologically pioneering country with millions of Jews keeping the mitzvot and learning Torah in Biblical Israel, all in less than a century. This is a beautiful and awe-inspiring reality.”

The event continued with brunch, an emotional hour of Israeli song led by guitarist Elana Greenspan and violinist Jennifer Seligman, coupled with personal reflections from beloved students Dr. Sima Kern and Drora Kemp, who shared personal thoughts and memories on the founding of Israel. The program continued into the afternoon with lunch followed by a vivid tapestry of Israeli films representing modern life in Israel.

Lamdeinu is so proud to offer this unique program and looks forward to many more years of celebrations.