Celebrate Israel Every Day in May

The Bay Area has been celebrating Israel’s 60th anniversary with gusto this past season, but nothing quite compares to our month ahead. The Federation's Israel Center and other local organizations have planned a full month of Israeli cultural celebrations.

You can visit the calendar website israelinthebay.org for complete listings, but these are a few of my recommendations:

Concerts:
Love classic Israeli rock music? Check out singer and songwriter Miki Gavrielov for FREE at the Independence Day Celebration in Redwood City on May 8. Is hip hop more your tune? Catch the fresh music of Café Shahor Hazak (Strong Black Coffee), a group consisting mostly of young Ethiopian Israelis. They have a few gigs around the Bay, including May 14 in San Francisco.
Movies:
Okay, I’m going to cheat and actually recommend a fantastic Israeli television series that has been screening in both Palo Alto and San Francisco called A Touch Away. Yes, yes, the series of screenings has already started, but the plot is easy to catch on at this point. When Secular immigrant boy sets his sights on a religious girl sparks fly. Israeli Actress Ayelet Zurer is in town for the sneak preview of her movie, Fugitive Pieces, showing in Berkeley on May 3. Lastly, don’t miss Children of the Sun and Vasermil playing at the San Francisco International Film Festival, or Jellyfish and The Band's Visit screening in local theatres.
Parties:
There are many, but the most popular is bound to be the one going on at the Cellar. They are offering two dance floors, FREE drinks, and door prizes. This is going on in San Francisco on May 10. Underage, but want to party? Check out the Teen Dance going on in Los Gatos the same night.
Arts:
Get your tickets now for dancer Shlomit Fundaminsky's Skid Marks at the San Francisco International Arts Festival. The performance is at the end of the month. If galleries are more your thing, check out @60:art.israel.world at the Magnes, The Dead Sea Scrolls and 5,000 Years of Treasures at the Legion of Honor, Broken Promised LandCommunity Artists Look at Israel at the Robert Koch Gallery, or at the BJE Library.

While you are marking your calendar, be sure to save the date for the biggest celebration of them all, Israel in the Gardens. 20,000 people are coming out to San Francisco on June 1 for the festival.