COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

H How to Celebrate Israel’s
74th Birthday
appy birthday Israel!
Beginning in the evening of Wednesday, May 4 through Th ursday,
May 5, Yom Ha’atzmaut, or Israel Independence Day, is a day to
celebrate the country’s history, beauty and resilience. In honor of the 74th
anniversary of the Jewish state’s founding, get ready for festivities galore of
Israeli-themed music, food, dance and so much more.

See the full lineup of events, including registration details, at jewishphilly.

org/Israel74. Federation of Greater Philadelphia is partnering with Th e Chevra and 15 other
organizations for a single night of three epic-themed parties in honor of Yom
Ha’atzmaut and Lag B’omer. Come for the Israel happy hour, urban campfi re
and concert.

Israel’s Independence Day Celebration
Sunday, May 8 | 5-8 p.m.

Location: Kaiserman JCC
Looking for a way to go all out for Israel’s big 7-4? Celebrate Israel’s
Independence Day with the Israeli American Council, also known as IAC!
Supported by the Jewish Federation through an Israel Engagement Grant, get
excited for this evening of Israeli dancing, music and activities for the whole
family. Remember to bring your own blanket and chair for the event.

Bucks County Jewish Festival 2022
Sunday, May 15 | Noon-3 p.m.

Location: Bucks County Community College, Newtown
You can still show your love for Israel, even aft er Yom Ha’atzmaut! Bring the
whole family to appreciate Israeli culture while enjoying this free Jewish com-
munity festival. Among an array of activities, there will also be Israeli-themed
food, craft vendors, music and more.

Mesiba: Israel Independence & Lag B’Omer Fest
Wednesday, May 18 | 7-11 p.m.

Location: Fabrika, Philadelphia
Why celebrate one Jewish holiday, when you can celebrate two?! Th e Jewish
The Jewish Greater Philadelphia community has a lineup of exciting festivities to
celebrate Israel Independence Day.

Getty Images
Bucks County
Jewish Festival 2022
Bring your whole family, friends and neighbors for a day of fun
featuring food, music, kids activities, crafts, raffles and much more.

Sunday, May 15 th | 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA 18940
Learn more at jewishphilly.org/bucksfestival
12 MAY 5, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



YOU SHOULD KNOW ...

Adi Ozery
Photo by Heather M. Ross
JARRAD SAFFREN | STAFF WRITER
R ight after Adi Ozery and her husband Boaz moved to the
United States in 2020, the pandemic broke out. With their
family and friends back in Israel, the couple and their three
children were alone in their house in an unfamiliar country.

Boaz Ozery still had his work with the Wayne-based education
nonprofit Friends of Ofanim, which works to bring STEM opportu-
nities to Israelis — and which prompted the move to the U.S. in the
first place. But for Adi Ozery, her mission to find her own place would
have to wait.

Except it didn’t.

Isolated in her Wynnewood house,
Adi Ozery found a way to start on her
new mission anyway.

During Passover in 2020, she orga-
nized activities for her kids that
reminded them of the homeland. They
were still young and she did not want
them to forget.

Then, the mother started inviting
some other people into her home for
holidays and coordinating similar
activities for all of the kids. After a
while, friends started telling her she
should bring this work into the wider,
Philadelphia-area Jewish community.

And so she did.

Ozery landed a job teaching Hebrew
at the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew
Academy in Bryn Mawr. She had never
taught before, though she had worked
for education organizations in Israel.

But she ended up loving the work, as it
helped her reach American Jewish stu-
dents. It also expanded her local world
beyond her house and neighborhood.

“Barrack was a big opportunity to
learn,” Ozery said.

It was a huge step. But the neophyte
teacher did not end up wanting to
make a career out of it, either.

Instead, she wanted to return to her
professional roots from back in Israel:
community work. In the Jewish state,
Ozery supervised and guided pro-
grams for families and young people at
risk. Before that, she was a field coor-
dinator for children living in poverty,
sheltering them throughout the day.

The Israeli has “a big passion for
community work,” she said.

So she set out to find some in
America. And it didn’t take long.

In August of 2021, after a year at
Barrack, Ozery got a job with the
Israeli-American Council, which serves
the Israeli-American community with
programs and initiatives for “every age
group,” according to its website.

For Ozery, the IAC combines her
experience as a manager with her pas-
sion for community work. She collabo-
rates with organizations like the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia to
organize programs for young people
and adults.

Many are events that are open to
American Jews, too.

In January, she hosted a day celebrat-
ing trees for Tu BiShvat. On April 24
to mark Yom Hashoah, Ozery planned
and led a “6 Million Steps” walk to
the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust
Memorial Plaza in Center City. About
100 people turned out and participated.

A little over a week later, Ozery held
a gathering for Israeli Independence
Day. There’s a large Israeli-American
community in the Philly area, Ozery
said. And she wants them to have
opportunities to feel the connection to
their homeland and remember it.

“The connection to Israel is very
important to them,” she said.

But she also wants American Jews to
feel a similar connection to the home-
land. She called passing Israeli culture
and Jewish history onto the next gener-
ation a necessity.

“This is our job to pass over to our
kids and their kids,” Ozery said. “It’s
our responsibility.”
As much as she’s doing all this for
people outside her home, though,
Ozery is doing it for her kids. Her
daughter Roni, son Itay and daughter
Maayan are 9, 6 and 3, respectively.

The mother sees her children quickly
growing into young Americans who
speak English.

So in and around the house, she
speaks Hebrew to ensure they maintain
their connection to their Israeli heri-
tage. At the same time, the family only
planned to spend a few years in the U.S.

Boaz Ozery lived in Miami for three
years as a child, and it opened his mind to
the Jewish diaspora. The parents wanted
their kids to have a similar experience.

Yet now, with both Adi Ozery and
Boaz Ozery happy in their jobs and
fulfilled by their mission, they might
just stay.

Adi Ozery called this “the great ques-
tion” that they are dealing with every
day. Their families and their hearts are
in Israel, but their work is in America.

“It’s important for us to have a strong
community and support here and in
Israel,” Boaz Ozery said.

So as of now, they are going to stay.

“We don’t have any intentions to go
back at this point,” Adi Ozery con-
cluded. JE
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
13