May 9 marked Israel’s 71st birthday, and Rachel Kupfer, owner of On the Table, organized a Queen Anne Road Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration that lasted from 12 to 7:30 p.m. and drew a few hundred people. “I’m very Zionistic and I love Israel,” Kupfer said. “I decided this year because of everything that was going on with Israel [with the rockets from Gaza] that I wanted to make a big party…I wanted people to drive by and see that the community is supporting Israel.”
The event was free for those who attended, but with the help of other local business owners, raised money for Jewish National Fund (JNF), a non-profit organization dedicated to developing infrastructure and building communities in Israel. The Humble Toast, Rock and Roll Sushi, Schnitzel Plus, World of Goodies and Bread Boutique in Tenafly donated food and refreshments.
Attendees could pay to spin a prize wheel and win a slice of EJ’s pizza, a tray of sushi or French fries from Rock and Roll, a gift certificate to The Purple Bow or On the Table or services from Ulrich Photography. Some of the vendors publicized that they would be donating 10% of their sales from the event to tzedakah, including Gigi and Lo, Solène, Rock and Roll and Tallulah Activewear, among others.
Kupfer mentioned several people without whom the event might not have run as smoothly: “Dovid Perlman sang for us and got the word out, Dan Poleyeff played the guitar and helped with setting up, Tuvia from Rock and Roll stayed up late to help me with the prize wheel and of course Beth and Aliza from On the Table helped—they always support me, whether or not my ideas seem crazy. And nobody got paid for any of this. It was all volunteer.”
When asked whether she would consider hosting a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration again, Kupfer responded, “I got such good feedback, so I would definitely do it again, but with more planning next time. I really like the idea that a community comes together to support Israel.”
By Ariella Weiss
Ariella Weiss is a senior at The Frisch School who is currently interning at The Jewish Link.
