On April 30, 5500 people gathered in Votee Park to honor Israel’s fallen and to celebrate 77 years of Israel’s Independence. For the third year in a row, Rabbi Chaim Strauchler of Congregation Rinat Yisrael brought together over 25 synagogues and local organizations to proudly voice their support for the Jewish state. This year’s event honored six heroes with connections to Bergen County who died on Oct. 7, 2023 and in the battles that followed. Family members shared messages of hope in recalling the lives of: Celine Ben David, Master Sgt. (res.) Zecharia Haber, Major (res.) Commander Rabbi Aviram Hariv, Master Sergeant (res.) Nadav Elchanan Knoller, Sgt. 1st Class (res.) David Schwartz and Sgt. Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist.
The Yom Ha’Atzmaut Experience was anchored by a phenomenal musical performance by Eitan Katz. The evening’s highlight for children of all ages was an amazing drone show that told the story of two orange balloons that traveled from Bergen County to Israel. In remembering the Bibas children who were murdered in Gaza, the show emphasized the connection between Israel and Jews throughout the world. Videos produced by Yeshivat Yerucham, Nefesh B’Nefesh and Bnei Akiva were displayed on massive screens above a stage built for the event. The program concluded with intense dancing and special maariv prayers led by Rabbi Akiva Block.
The program included Tehillim prayers led by Rabbis Andrew Markowitz and Larry Rothwachs on behalf of the hostages who remain in Hamas captivity. They specifically mentioned Tenafly’s Edan Alexander, who would be freed less than two weeks later on May 12. In some respects, the blessing of Edan’s return to his family linked the Yom Ha’Atzmaut gathering to a rally in Tenafly’s Huyler Park, where thousands once again gathered to publicly and proudly celebrate Israel.
When asked about the lesson from the Yom Ha’Atzmaut Experience, Rabbi Strauchler said, “We as a strong Jewish community can do together that which we cannot do alone.” He thanked lead partners, Beni Akiva, the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County, and Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, as well as all the organizations and sponsors who made the event possible. He also thanked the committee members who helped create the event: Whitney Blom, Larry Fink, Chaim Kiss, Ben Kohn, Yehuda Kohn, Ephraim Mandel, Karen Orgen and Eric Segal, as well as Rabbi Daniel Goldberg.
He added, “The program’s success opens up opportunities to not just take our support for Israel into the public square, it also can create opportunities to serve American Jewry and American society. I call upon everyone who participated, ‘Spread word about what we do on Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Bergen County.’ We feel deep appreciation to Hashem for both the blessing of the State of Israel and for our thriving communities in America. This blessing obligates us to engage our society on behalf of our democratic Torah values and to sustain the culture of kindness that defines the United States of America and the State of Israel.”
