Building Bridges of Coexistence & Peace
Gather with community as we celebrate Israel’s Independence Day. We have a full day of activities planned, register below or call 574-233-1164.

11:00 - 12:00 PM | Dr. Moaad Farraj
Dr. Moaad Farraj is the Head of the General Surgery Department at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya. He grew up in the Druze community of Rameh where he still lives to this day. He was a senior physician and deputy director of the surgical department at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. Between 2000-2006, Dr. Farraj served as a combat medical doctor in the IDF. He was honored by the IDF for showing professionalism after he saved the lives of two combat soldiers who were seriously wounded in battle during the Second Lebanon War.

1:00 - 2:30 PM | A Model of Harmony
In Afar travel magazine, Sara Lieberman wrote, “Since opening Uri Buri restaurant 30 years ago, Jeremias has been blending flavors, and the religious populations of those who create them. In his restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean, he employs a staff of around 40 people: Half of them are Arab; the other half are Jewish. In a country so often associated with borders and division, Uri Buri is a model of harmony.”

3:00 - 4:00 PM | Building Understanding Through Language
Blend.Ar promotes social cohesion in Israel through the study of the Arabic language for Jewish Israelis. Blend.Ar is a new social initiative of young Jewish-Israelis who want to create meaningful social interaction with Arab-Israelis. Blend.Ar works to overcome the language barrier to these interactions by providing intensive study of the Arabic language and culture through an immersion program in the Arab village of Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem.

4:00 – 5:00 PM | Family Activity, Taste of Memories
We will meet at 4:00 pm for a unique cooking time for kids and families as part of the commemoration project “Taste of memories”- a project that connects the Jewish Community all over the world to Israel’s Memorial Day in a special way. We will bake “Burekas”, the favorite dish of the fallen soldier Ronen Hayon z”l, who was a tank driver in the Israeli army tank unit. He was killed in action during a battle in southern Lebanon in October 18th 1997. We will learn about his life story and honor his memory by cooking his favorite dish.

7:00 – 8:00 PM | The Environment as a Bridge to Peace
According to the Mission Statement of the Arava Institute: “Our mission is to advance cross-border environmental cooperation in the face of political conflict.” Rabbi Michael Cohen is a faculty member of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Bennington College in Vermont. He teaches courses on conflict resolution, the Bible, and the environment. Cohen, the rabbi emeritus of the Israel Congregation in Manchester Center, Vermont is the author of numerous articles that have appeared in the Middle East and the United States.