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Jewish Community News
News: May 2004
Santa Clara first county in CA to hold “Israeli Cultural Day”
In the midst of a worrisome rise of anti-Semitism in the United States related to the escalating violence in Israel, Santa Clara County has taken a pioneering step by becoming the first county in the state of California to hold an official “Israeli Cultural Day.”
On Tuesday, May 4, at 12 p.m., the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Jewish leaders and the general public will raise an Israeli flag, listen to a special program and enjoy Israeli food, music, culture and humor. The public is welcome.
“This is truly an exciting and groundbreaking move by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors,” said Janet Berg, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose. “We hope to see counties throughout California and the rest of the nation follow our lead.”
Santa Clara is an ideal county to first acknowledge Israel through an official cultural day. Israel and Silicon Valley have a unique relationship through the high-tech and biotech industries that have resulted in major breakthroughs in these areas.
In addition, Silicon Valley boasts a population of over 30,000 Israelis. On the flip side, many Santa Clara County residents live in Israel, working at the field offices of Silicon Valley based companies. This has resulted in many cultural personal exchanges between Israel and Santa Clara County.
Jewish leaders emphasize the importance of celebrating the wonderful aspects of Israel in the face of the rising violence.
“There continues to be so much negative news about Israel that the Jewish community felt it was the right time to launch a positive message and highlight the many contributions that Israel has made to the world,” Berg said. “We could think of no better community to highlight those achievements than here in Santa Clara County.”
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