MIAMI – Some 6,000 students from more than a dozen different Jewish schools in South Florida came together at Miami’s loanDepot Park to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Israel’s creation Wednesday.
Students filled the stands for what organizers said is the single most attended Israeli anniversary event in the entire world.
All 22 Jewish schools from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties took part in the celebration.
In addition to experiencing interactive games and musical performances, students also got the chance to take part in a grand parade, where every school represented a different Israeli city.
Organizers said they spent more than a year putting the event together.
One said that the goal was to give students the chance to feel a sense of community as they also come together to celebrate their heritage on a historic and monumental occasion.
“Honestly, it’s all about the kids because grownups are already very set in their ways,” event organizer Tina Falic-Levi said. “Our idea is to create that feeling inside of them of love and passion, of solidarity and of unity.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the county’s first Jewish mayor, was scheduled to address the celebration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to appear in a video message.