Courtesy of JCC.
Submitted by JCC
WHAT: Join the Mayerson JCC and the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati for a vibrant community celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. This family-friendly event will include a wide variety of activities for all ages, spotlighting creative artists, meaningful tributes and a community fair featuring local organizations.
Event highlights include:
• Wings of Hope — Attendees will be able to participate in creating a stunning piece of artwork called the Wings of Hope. The installation is inspired by the Wings of Hope project created in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where the artist, Livnat Kutz, and her family were later killed in the October 7 attack. It will be a piece of artwork made from gently used plastic toys collected by the community and assembled into wings, symbolizing the values of sustainability, creativity and a sense of optimistic community belonging.
• Kites of Peace — The Kites for Peace campaign originated as an annual kite festival in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, located in the Gaza envelope. Just as the 2023 festival was set to begin, the organizer, Aviv Kutz (husband of Wings of Hope artist Livnat Kutz), was killed along with his family in the attack. Attendees will honor the Kutz family by creating their own kites and flying them together as a community.
• The Family Workshop — Sharon Hammer is the owner The Family Workshop in Kibbutz Carmia, the Jewish Federation’s partnership community in the Gaza envelope, that creates handmade lifestyle products with a focus on natural materials, including ceramic cups, natural beeswax candles and beautifully designed paper products. Hammer will sell her products during the Yom HaAtzmaut festivities.
• The Tamari Project — The JCC and Federation will also host the Tamari Project, an Israeli musical initiative in memory of Tamar Kedem Siman Tov, a music educator, who was murdered on October 7 with her entire family. Members of the Tamari Project are all former students and colleagues of Tamar, and the group was created from the deep pain of their community. They perform covers of well-known songs, hoping to spread light within the darkness in loving memory of Tamar and in hope of seeing all of the hostages come home. The musical group will be available for interviews.
WHO: Mayerson JCC and Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
WHEN: Thursday, May 1, 2025 | 4:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE: Mayerson JCC | 8485 Ridge Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
WHY: The JCC’s celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, will take place on May 1, but the holiday will be celebrated universally on the evening of April 30 through May 1 this year. It follows soon after Yom HaShoah, during which we remember the six million victims of the Holocaust and honor the survivors, and Yom HaZikaron, during which we honor the fallen soldiers and victims of terror who have given their lives in defense of the State of Israel.
For more information about the modern Israel holidays celebrations, please the Mayerson JCC website.
