A young celebrations for a middle-aged state

ISRAEL’S 62nd anniversary was celebrated in style by young Sydneysiders, with more than 800 of them packing the Watson’s Bay Hotel for Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations last Wednesday night.

Natalie Green, who organised the event, said she was amazed by the turnout.

“It was an absolute success and completely exceeded all of our expectations,” she said.

The party included a nargila (water pipe) bar, Israeli food, music, drinks and a wide variety of Jewish people ranging in age from 18 years old to late 30s.

“It was amazing and very diverse, which made for an awesome night,” Green added.

“We got all the niches of the young adult community, so there were all sorts of people, many who wouldn’t normally attend Jewish functions.”

Craig Zamek, 30, reported having a great night.

“I don’t always go to functions for Jewish people through all the youth groups, but I had a great night and met a lot of people,” Zamek, from Maroubra, said. “There were people of all ages and it was packed.”

The Yom Ha’atzmaut function is the largest annual Jewish youth event on the calendar.

While it was spearheaded by the State Zionist Council of NSW and Hagshama, it would not have been possible without the help of 14 other community organisations, including Zionist youth groups, Network, Fusion, UIA Young Leadership, JNFuture, Australasian Union of Jewish Students, Studio Central, Hillel, j-junction, Zionist Youth Council, Yallah, Tamar and Shorething.

JOSHUA LEVI

PHOTO: From left: Natalie Freedman, Amir Shuv-Ami, Tania Solomon and Adam Zinman. Photo: Lara Hotz