Join us at the Jewish Federation for our annual Israeli Independence Day Celebration & Memorial Ceremony, followed by an
Israeli-style buffet dinner (SBK).

This year we are honored to host a delegation from the Western Galilee region of Israel to speak about their experience living on Israel’s northern border.

In addition to dinner, the program will also feature a tasting station from the Israeli whiskey company, M&H Distillery.

Tickets for dinner are $18/adult, $7/child (12 & under), or $45/family with 2 or more children. A PJ Library program for kids will run concurrently.

This year we are honored to host a delegation from Western Galilee through Partnership2Gether who will be featured in our annual Yom Haazmaut program. Given their challenging experiences over the past year and half, we are calling the event, Celebrating Israeli Resilience. The program will include a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and victims of the Hamas attack on October 7th. Among those honored will be Jordan Buskila (Z”l), son of delegation member Shimon Buskila.

Following the ceremony, our Shaliach Omer Karavani will interview the delegation about their wartime experiences and the rebuilding of the border communities most impact by the war.

The delegation members have extensive experience living on Israel’s northern border and have been on the front lines of rebuilding efforts since October 7th:
Shimon Buskila: Father of Jordan Buskila, who was murdered by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th, 2023. Shimon, married to Merav Buskila and father to Liad, Sapir, and Jordan (Z”l), is a member of Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk and works as the VP of Marketing at the kibbutz factory. He previously worked in agriculture for nearly 17 years. His wife’s great-grandparents were one of the founders of their kibbutz, and Shimon’s three are the fifth generation of the kibbutz family.

Meital Beham: Meital has lived in Kibbutz Matzuva for the last 13 years with her husband Gidi and their three children: Ilay, Yahav, and Saar. A graduate of culinary studies, Meital volunteers in various roles at the Kibbutz. During the war, she served as Evacuee Community Manager on behalf of the Regional Council of Matte Asher, managing three different communities simultaneously. She and her family, including their two dogs, were evacuated on October 8th.

Golan Rosenberg: Director of the Matte Asher Community Center, serving 32 kibbutzim and villages—both Jewish and Arab. Golan was born and raised in Kibbutz Yehiam. He is married to Ricky and has three children: Moran, Ilay, and Romi. Golan was the community manager of Kibbutz Yehiam, following 25 years of army service in Combat Unit and Logistics in the northern border and in Gaza strip, where he was wounded in a military operation against terrorists and fully recovered. Golan is involved with Partnership2Gether as the Community Engagement Co-Chair.