Winter 2026

On the morning of May 15, 1948, 14-year-old Chaim Shertok climbed to the highest floor of the Jewish Agency Building at 16 East 66th Street, leaned out a window and hung the flag of the Jewish state that his father, Moshe Sharett, had helped proclaim in Tel Aviv just moments earlier. On the street below, young Jews spun a hora, joining in a global celebration of the end of 2,000 years of Jewish statelessness.

On April 24, 2026, 78 years later, we follow in Chaim’s footsteps, not only celebrating Israel’s birthday but honoring the  accomplishments of a nation that has turned the desert into gardens, built a start-up culture that is the envy of the world and provided a home for Jews from across the planet who no longer have to suffer persecution or fear expulsion.

To mark this milestone, we join with Temple Israel in welcoming international superstar and peace activist Achinoam “Noa” Nini, better known as Noa, and Grammy Award–winning Ukrainian Jewish pianist Ruslan Sirota, who will pay tribute in words and song to Israel on this 78th Yom Ha’atzmaut.

During services, Omer Rabin, the granddaughter of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, will join us to speak.

A festive Oneg will follow, curated and hosted by Adeena Sussman, award-winning cookbook author, food writer and authority on modern Israeli cuisine, featuring dishes inspired by her new book, Zariz.

More about Noa:

A fourth-generation Israeli of Yemeni descent, Noa has released 16 critically acclaimed albums; graced the stages at the White House, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Colosseum and Madrid’s Teatro Real; and has collaborated with artists from across the globe. She is currently organizing Re-Imagining Peace, a gathering of Israeli and Palestinian artists, thinkers and creators from all genres, in Florence in summer 2026, to energize a new movement of hope.