Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy and State of Israel Share 75th Anniversary

At roughly 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 26, the first group of small children, cheeks glowing with blue and white face paint, entered the main yard of Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in West Los Angeles. In their hands were small Israeli flags and strings tied to blue and white balloons, some of which promptly blew away, resulting in a few squeals.

The early childhood students were soon joined by a group of eighth graders, many of whom, merely half a decade ago, were sitting cross-legged on the cement, cheeks painted and helium balloons in hand. But now, in their final year at Hillel, they were tasked with bigger responsibilities during a Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremony for students and their families celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the modern state of Israel. 

While Yom Ha’atzmaut is celebrated annually at many local Jewish schools across denominations, Hillel enjoyed a unique connection with Israel in 2023: Like the Jewish state, Hillel also turned 75 this year. Founded in 1948 in the basement of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, what began as a handful of students has expanded to Southern California’s largest and oldest modern-Orthodox day school, with over 600 students currently enrolled from early childhood to eighth grade. 

“The legacy, founding and deep history of Hillel are closely intertwined with that of Israel and the development of the Jewish Community in West Los Angeles,” Head of School Rabbi Josef Fradkin told the Journal. “Hillel was the anchor Jewish educational institution upon which the community developed and grew over many years and generations.”

Multiple generations of administrators, teachers and alumni parents (and grandparents) attended the Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremony. “I have been working at Hillel for the past 30 years; my children are Hillel alumni and my grandchildren are all learning at Hillel,” said Morah Dalia Golan, Director of Ivrit (Hebrew) and Israel Education. “So celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut with Hillel, for me is celebrating 75 years of both homes.” 

According to Golan, plans for this year’s ceremony began the day after last year’s celebrations. “We have created (by our staff and myself) an exclusive spiral Israel education that is part of our yearly curriculum,” she said. “The students start learning about Israel from September, and on Yom Ha’atzmaut we celebrate our learnings.”

This year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut program showcased seven pillars of Israel’s success: Torah, chesed (acts of kindness), tikkun olam (repairing the world), aliyot (immigration), culture, Tzahal (the Israel Defense Forces [IDF]), Israeli innovations and peace. 

Consul General of Israel Dr. Hillel Newman, who spoke at the ceremony, concluded his remarks with a heartfelt message to students: “See Israel as your second home. Israel will always be there for you.”

For Golan, the secret to instilling a love of Israel in students is “to teach Israel with love; to have the right staff who believe in our mission; to engage the parent body and make it always a community celebration.” 

Fradkin added, “The secret to creating a deep love and commitment to Israel and Judaism is transmitting the underlying skills, knowledge, and understanding along with a healthy balance of personally meaningful, experiential learning.”

In honor of the IDF, a stuntman portraying an Israeli paratrooper dramatically descended down a rope over the side of a main building, landing on the playground.  

In honor of the IDF, a stuntman portraying an Israeli paratrooper dramatically descended down a rope over the side of a main building, landing on the playground. Joyful music blasted through loudspeakers; Hillel’s seventh grade class released 75 white doves, while eighth-graders displayed an enormous Israeli flag during “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem (the eighth grade boys’ and girls’ flag dance was a highlight of the program). 

A quartet of “Bat Ami girls,” young Israeli women who help connect students with Israel, also performed. In a powerful ode to Jewish continuity, a Hillel student joined Rabbi Arik Wollheim, hazan of Beth Jacob Congregation, and Eitan Aharon, former hazan of Nessah Synagogue, in blowing large shofars.

“Since the start of the year, our theme has been ‘75,’” said Rabbi JJ Duchman, director of Experiential Learning. “It’s no coincidence that we share birthdays, with Hillel having such a deep love and passion for the Jewish state.” 

Duchman takes particular delight in offering students experiential opportunities, and this year was no exception. At the conclusion of the ceremony, four CJ6-A aircraft flying in formation suddenly appeared in the sky to the excitement of the students and their families. The aircraft show honoring the Israel Air Force (IAF) was organized by Gil Lipaz, founder of Tiger Squadron, a Southern-California based flight formation flying team. Lipaz served in the U.S. Air Force (along with his brother, Rabbi Ron Li-Paz; their father and grandfather served in the IAF). 

As the aircraft flew over Hillel, traffic came to a near standstill in the surrounding area, a bustling intersection of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. 

“Yom Ha’atzmaut at Hillel reaffirms the inseparable bond between our Kehilla and Medinat Yisrael,” said Hillel Executive Director Eitan Sender. “The state of Israel is not an individual experience, it’s a collective experience. Zionism is something which extends beyond the borders of any given piece of real estate. It’s an approach to the world that says that we as a people matter to human destiny and that by coming together, we create something more than we do as individuals.” 

Asked what they loved most about Israel, students’ responses were varied: “Israel is home,” said one seventh-grader. “I feel really proud of Israel and America.” For their part, kindergarteners’ responses varied from “that’s where Safta lives” to “I love hummus.”

Hillel will celebrate its 75th anniversary with current families, alumni and the Los Angeles Jewish community on May 9 (Lag b’Omer) with a concert at the historic Ford Amphitheater, featuring performances by Avshalom Katz and his sons, Eitan and Shlomo Katz. For tickets, visit hillelhebrew.org

Ultimately, Hillel administrators believe that the most powerful element of Israel and Jewish education is love. “When it comes to the education of our children and the very future of Am Yisrael, the way to create pride and commitment is through love and joy,” said Fradkin. “Judaism thrives in a place of love and happiness. Our future depends on it.”

Tabby Refael is an award-winning writer, speaker and civic action advocate, and weekly columnist for The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @TabbyRefael