Congregation Beth Shalom, one of the three local synagogues in the Santa Clarita Valley, welcomed its community on Friday for an Israel Independence Day Festival.
The celebration wasn’t just for congregation members to enjoy traditional foods and live music, but it was also a space to feel connected with one another and experience a sense of home, away from home.
As dozens made their way into the celebration, people greeted one another, and children quickly connected with others, engaging in play as parents enjoyed food and drinks under the sun and clear skies.
Very similar to the United States’ Fourth of July, Israel Independence Day is celebrated with food, dancing, singing songs and just a way to “come together as a community,” Rabbi Jay Siegel said, adding it’s “one more holiday where we’re able to come together and celebrate each other.”
For the second annual installment, about 150 people were anticipated to attend throughout the evening, and as Alison Toveg Asarch took a break from organizer duties, she shared what it’s like to be a part of the Jewish community.
“There’s no better feeling than being surrounded by your people. We’re such an anomaly, especially in Santa Clarita, and having a place where we can come and just be ourselves and be proud to be Jewish, it’s really beautiful,” Toveg Asarch said.
“The Jewish Israeli people live day for day. They don’t know if there’s going to be a tomorrow,” she said, referencing recent political tensions, “and they have a special spirit in them. They’re grateful for every day.”
Toveg Asarch and Rachel Takla, who was on mommy duties overseeing the children in the bounce house, both came back to Santa Clarita to raise their children among other Jewish families and teach them to embrace who they are.
They both in their own way have seen their children absorb the culture and embrace it through Hebrew songs, forming friendships, and prayer.
As the celebration was aimed to celebrate Israel and forming itself into an independent nation, it also served as a moment for attendees to show appreciation for their ancestors and Jewish history, including the Holocaust.
Steve Adler’s grandmother only survived the Holocaust because the gas chamber had a malfunction, which gave her the opportunity to live life and is why Adler is here today, said his wife, Allison Adler.
When his grandmother along with others in the camp discovered the state of Israel was created, “there was bonfires, they were so excited,” Allison said.
Steve looked back on his grandparents’ history, which included fleeing multiple times in search of safety, finding the state of Israel after never having “a place on Earth where Jews have been allowed for more than a few generations,” he said.
“This whole country was created for a Jewish person to go to if they were kicked out of their country, that’s why Israel is so important to exist,” Allison said.
Large amounts of Mediterranean and Israeli food were available, including falafel, pita, and hummus, and CBS President Jonathan Krauss was enjoying some of it with his daughter.
“I feel incredibly proud to be Jewish and proud to be Jewish in Santa Clarita,” he said. “We may not have the largest population, but we are proud of who we are, we’re proud of what we believe and to have an event like this that celebrates Israel and that celebrates Judaism is a beautiful thing.”
Everyone in attendance ended the celebration with a Shabbat service under the stars.
