White and blue enveloped the field of Eisenhower Park as hundreds weathered the rain for Long Island’s largest Israel celebration of the year.
On Sunday, the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center, along with more than two dozen Jewish organizations and over 100 synagogues, held their annual Israelfest Celebrate Israel Concert. The festival comes amid recent antisemitic attacks on Jewish crowds, with this year’s festival seeing a major increase in police presence.
“In a world of misinformation, Israelfest is a coming together of families and friends from across the Island who care about truth, who love Israel, and cherish its existence,” said David Black, the executive director of the Sid Jacobson JCC, in a statement. “It is a grand statement that we not only dance again, but that we stand and sing in harmony with our brothers and sisters across the sea.”
The decade-old event saw crowds pour onto the field facing the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre in East Meadow to celebrate Israel with various foods, music, and activities. Attendees witnessed performances by prominent Israeli musicians, including Rick Recht, Noam Buskila, and Hadar & Sheldon Low.
Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman delivered a speech via a pre-recorded message displayed on a large screen.
“We will never, never, never rest until the hostages are returned,” said Blakeman, who said he couldn’t attend the event in person due to a family obligation. “We will stand behind Israel and make sure they know Nassau County will always be shoulder to shoulder with the state of Israel.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who represents the 3rd Congressional District, was honored in a private ceremony in the VIP tent for his support of Israel throughout its conflict. The congressman delivered a short speech to a small crowd of JCC directors and their families and received an award.
Three representatives from the Roslyn section of Run For Their Lives, a global humanitarian organization dedicated to releasing the hostages held by Hamas, were given a citation award by Blakeman’s office. The award recognizes the group’s efforts to generate awareness and support for the release of the hostages through its coordinated walk/run events.
“Innocent people were violently taken from their homes, their lives shattered, and their families left in anguish,” said Dr. Alexandra Silber, a representative from the Roslyn group. “We walk because they can’t…we walk to remind the world—and their families who cry for them every day—that they are not forgotten.”
The award comes a week after a violent attack on a Run For Their Lives walk in Boulder, Colo., where a man threw two lit Molotov cocktails into the crowd, injuring several people.
As a result, this year’s festival witnessed a significant increase in the Nassau County Police Department’s presence. The department patrolled the event with car searches, bag checks, and two gun-wielding officers stationed on the roof of the bathroom/snack building.
The celebration lasted four hours despite persistent light rain and included various other JCC organizations that occupied tents designed to represent several aspects of Israeli culture. Israeli Scouts, referred to as Shevet Gaffen, volunteered for the day, helping run several activities and tents and coming on stage for a Rick Recht performance and color guard ceremony.
In addition to musical performances, attendees, some adorned in “Long Island Loves Israel” T-shirts, purchased Israeli foods and other goods like jewelry from vendors participating in the event.
The festival started 10 years ago as a celebration of Israel’s independence day and evolved over time to an encompassing Israeli celebration with several location changes to support higher attendance.
Israelfest saw its biggest attendance following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, with the festival acting as support for Israel, with this year’s crowd erupting into a chant of “bring them home,” in reference to the current hostages.
Nancy Waldbaum, board president of Sid Jacobson JCC, detailed the history of Israelfest and how it, along with the JCC, has and will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the Jewish community. Currently, next year’s event will take place in the same location.
“We won’t go away, not ever,” said Waldbaum. “The louder you hate us, the stronger we are.”
