On Thursday May 12, students and faculty of the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison, New Jersey, celebrated the 68th birthday of the State of Israel.

Yom Ha’atzmaut began with the addition of Hallel to tefillah. Students from Early Childhood classes through Grade 8, dressed in blue and white, were joined by parents and grandparents for a neighborhood parade.

Before the parade kicked off, Mayor Brill Mittler of Highland Park led the Pledge of Allegiance. Rabbi Daniel Loew, Head of School, recited the Prayer for the State of Israel, and everyone sang Hatikvah. Singing and waving flags, students marched, and then returned to school for outdoor singing and dancing.

Grade 8 hosted a Yom Ha’atzmaut fair in the gym for Grades 4 through 7. Booths were focused on the seven species for which Israel is famous. Grades 1 through 3 experienced a trip to Israel, rotating through various classrooms that featured experiences from kibbutzim to major cities in Israel. Early Childhood and kindergarten enjoyed their own special program in the Beit Midrash.

Grades 6 through 8, had lunch, picnic-style, with student guests from Yeshivah Netivot, Solomon Schechter Day School in Marlboro, and Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore. Students then went to Congregation Ohr Torah for a program which included greetings from Rabbi Jay Weinstein of the Young Israel of East Brunswick, a d’var Torah given by a student, and an address by Avraham Neguisa, a member of the Israeli Knesset.