People sometimes get weird about celebrating Independence Day for a country in which they do not reside. But the beauty of Israel is that there are lots of ways to celebrate-- gastronomically and culturally--that are easy, fun and tasty, so here are a few I've thought of. Feel free to suggest others! (Will be revised as possible throughout the day.)
Upload a photo series that you think presents the transition between Israel's Memorial Day and Independence Day. (Um, see above.)
Drink Limonana (lemonade mixed with fresh mint)--easier than ever now that Cosi has added it to the menu. But really best to make it yourself.
Eat falafel or shwarma. Duh. Or Israeli salad.
Watch "Ktzarim" or "Eretz Nehederet" on YouTube. You can really get a sense for a culture through its humor, and especially on "Ktzarim" (which literally means "shorts"), the pieces are just the right length, a skill which SNL sometimes forgets.
Do NOT drink Manischewitz. I mean, drink it if you really prefer it for kiddush, but Israel's got a whole host of wineries and varietals to choose from. Check out Yarden, Golan, Galil, Barkan, Tishbi and others--available in supermarkets in Israel (which rocks)--or if you're in Israel, try them out at the annual Jerusalem Wine Festival at the Israel Museum (scheduled for mid-July).
Listen to Galgalatz. Not only will this popular channel on Israeli radio give you a decent understanding of how eclectic the music scene in Israel is, but over Yom Ha'atzmaut, they're doing 60 hours of programming that was programmed by various army units who are currently serving on this national holiday.
Join the Worldwide Live Hatikvah...sing Israel's national anthem at the same time as thousands of others all over the world!
Check out the Israel issue of PresenTense Magazine, now online in all its glory!
Buy a second (or a third!) cell phone. Make sure to take them all with you at all times, and if you sit down to eat with friends, put all your phones in a row (or pile, depending on how many you have) on the table. This shows someone that you are very important, to two, sometimes three sets of separate people. You're complicated. And so's Israel.
Read about all the people using Israel60 as a marketing tool, and inventing things the world never needed, like hummus flavored ice cream. Yuck.
View one of the Israel tribute videos that are running around the internet. (Tasha and Dishka and the Carsitters for Birthright Israel, Yael Naim for Israel 21C et al...)
Check out the one-time-only blogcarnival of posts about Israel @ 60.
Create a Yom Ha'atzmaut playlist on iTunes. Mine's got everything from Hatikvah to hip-hop. Details to come in a separate post...
Read the 60bloggers blog, start to finish...or at least until today. Read about people's journeys and Israel experiences--it's amazing how they all differ.
Have Israel-related contests with your friends. Ask trivia questions, for instance:
Which of the following is not an Israeli snack?
a) Kif-keyf
b) Bamba
c) Kookiot
d) Krembo
Subscribe to Davy1031's channel on YouTube. He regularly posts video clips of Israeli musical artists that include usually at least one set of subtitles (either Hebrew or English, and often both). So catch the lyrics and learn to understand them. The next time you go to a Subliminal concert, how awesome would it be to know all the lyrics to "Toro" and understand them?
Happy Israeli Independence Day, everyone!!
Hey, I'm listening to Galgalatz as I read this!
Looking forward to seeing your itunes mix as I badly need to start listening to Israeli music (you know...aside from what's on Galgalatz.)
CHAG ATZMAUT SAMEACH!
Posted by: Benji | May 08, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Thanks for this. I feel like I'm home - almost.
Posted by: Roi Ben-Yehuda | May 11, 2008 at 10:20 AM