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Israelfest salutes 69th REbirthday

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It was a giant party with a message: Long Island stands with Israel as the Jewish state celebrates its 69th birthday.

Make that it’s REbirthday.

Dani Dayon, Israel’s counsel general in New York, reminded a reporter for Swiss television (top center) that Yom HaAtzmaut recognizes Israel rebirth in 1948 and not its founding thousands of years ago.

The Sunday celebration, at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington, was sponsored by UJA-Federation of NY and hosted by the Sid Jacobson JCC. It featured food and drinks (including wine and pickles, below center), crafts (below right), fun for kids (hit the bullseye and the girl at bottom left drops into a tub of water), newspaper peddlers (that’s The Jewish Star’s Tovah Richler at top right), a kippah-vendor (left center), and politicians (Nassau Comptroller George Maragos, running for Nassau County Executive, made the rounds, top left).

“The first 69 years have been amazing,” Dayan said. “I’m sure that the next 6,900 years of Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisroel will be even more amazing.”