Could it be a swinging 60th? - Haaretz

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Sun., November 18, 2007 Kislev 8, 5768

Israel Time: 02:03 (EST+7)

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Could it be a swinging 60th?

By Daphna Berman

The celebration, 10 years ago, was something of a blowout, so perhaps it's not unreasonable that plans for Israel's 60th anniversary, which is a mere half-year away, seem to be proceeding slowly and modestly.

The summer before the last big celebration, in July 1997, a footbridge over the Yarkon River collapsed while holding participants in the Maccabiah Games who were going from their residential village to the stadium where the opening ceremony took place. Dozens of young athletes were plunged into the severely polluted waters; four of them died.

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That was a harbinger of the year to come, as one official after another resigned from key management positions for the 50th anniversary events, and plans went from bombastic to minimalist. In the end, one of the few programs that did take place was an extravaganza variety show at Jerusalem's University Stadium on Independence Day, from which one of the key acts, the Batsheva Dance Company, dropped out at the last minute, after ultra-Orthodox interests in the capital complained about the flesh-colored leotards the dancers intended to wear.

A decade later, officials involved in planning 60th anniversary events are speaking quietly. Some of the programs being discussed include an international Jewish version of "American Idol," a traveling musical performed by the children of Sderot and the building of 60 new playgrounds across Israel's peripheral towns.

Israel at 60 is slated to kick off officially in the weeks before Independence Day on May 8 next year and will continue until the country's 61st birthday in 2009. The events, still only in the planning stages, are expected to draw major world leaders, and President Shimon Peres has already invited legendary singer Barbra Streisand to perform, though much of the guest list is still under wraps.

The events are not being referred to officially as "celebrations," because they will include a number of somber ceremonies, according to one government spokesperson. Some NIS 100 million have been set aside for the activities with the theme "the children of Israel." That innocuous motif, which was chosen by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Kadima colleague Ruhama Avraham Balila, a minister without portfolio whom Olmert has charged with coordinating anniversary plans, beat out meatier subjects like Israeli technology.

Balila told Haaretz, "My goal is to imbue Israel's 60th birthday with educational, cultural, artistic and historical values, for the youth of Israel and the Diaspora." Balila told Haaretz. She aims to "strengthen the values of heritage, religious tolerance and civic awareness." So far, however, details on specific events are scanty. Balila says she has established a committee of lay leaders - including artists, writers, academics, businesspeople and religious figures such as Eyal Meged, Dov Lautman, Dudi Zilbershlag and Eitan Haber to consult on the various events to take place under the 60th anniversary banner. Her plans and ideas for the festivities run the gamut: One highlight will be a performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra by the walls of Jerusalem's Old City under the baton of violinist Shlomo Mintz, a concert that is meant to employ seven violins that were found in concentration camps. The instruments are now being rebuilt by Tel Aviv's master violin-maker Amnon Weinstein. Another idea coming from her office is for children from the southern, Qassam-targeted town of Sderot and the northern border town of Kiryat Shmona to produce a traveling musical and perform in major Jewish communal centers around the world.

Balila's office also notes a plan to build 60 playgrounds in out-of-the-way communities in the country's North and South.

In a joint project with the Jewish Agency and Ministry of Absorption officials, Balila's office is now planning to reach out to Israeli communities abroad. One idea is to bring the teenage children of Israeli emigres for a visit next year. Already, though, organizers have encountered a sticky glitch: If a child is draft age, unless some sort of waiver is provided, such visitors may find that they can enter the country but not legally leave at the end of their visit.

They're also burning the midnight oil at the President's Residence, working on plans that include an international convention on Jewish leadership in science, medicine, art, literature and the environment. A spokesperson for the president promised that it would be a large-scale event similar to a "Jewish Davos," referring to annual World Economic Forum. But the proposed guest list - which includes Streisand - is not being made public.

According to Eli Cohen, deputy director general of the Jewish Agency and coordinator of the 60th anniversary activities within the Agency, emissaries from the organization will be working with Balila's office to create an international Jewish talent contest, similar to the outrageously popular TV show "A Star is Born" [the Israeli version of "American Idol.]" As part of the concept, singers from various Jewish communities will compete against each other, with the winners of regional contests traveling to Israel for the final round. Other ideas under consideration at the Agency include bike rides in Israel, as well as abroad, as part of an education project to encourage increased connections with the Land of Israel, as well as the creation of a "bank" of artists, performers and lecturers who will represent Israel in appearances around the globe. Two of the names mentioned so far are Idan Reichel (and his "Project") and entertainer Yehoram Gaon. Also on their agenda is a large-scale aliyah event, which may include the arrival of several flights of immigrants from around the world on the same day. The Jewish Agency, which is more vocal about its plans than the government, is also planning a reenactment of the swearing-in ceremony of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, in the original hall in Jewish Agency headquarters where the ceremony took place on February 16, 1949.

The Tourism Ministry, meanwhile, is expecting a rise in foreign visitors as part of the festivities and will soon begin targeting Jewish and Evangelical visitors with a package of 60 different tour routes in Israel. Also on their agenda is the creation of an exhibition to mark 60 years of tourism in Israel.

And, finally, next year's United Jewish Communities (UJC) General Assembly will be held in Jerusalem next year, as it is every five years. UJC officials say they expect it to be the biggest assembly to date. "Thousands will come and tens of millions of dollars will be spent," Nachman Shai, director general of UJC Israel, predicted. "It will be an opportunity to portray Israel's achievements to North American Jewry."

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