Celebrate Israel Festival to Celebrate, Well, You Know

The Celebrate Israel Festival, billed by organizers as the largest Jewish festival in North America, will be held Sunday at Rancho Park with more than 15,000 people expected.

The festival's theme is Tour of Israel. It will feature a 32-foot-long re-creation of the Western Wall where visitors can place notes that will be delivered to Israel, a sandy beach reminiscent of Tel Aviv and other replicas of Israeli sites such as the Dead Sea and Negev Desert.

Other attractions include camel rides; a performance by the pop group The Idan Raichel Project; entertainment geared for children; arts and crafts; a teen area with a military obstacle course; folk dancing; and kite flying.

The festival, held in conjunction with Israel's 66th Independence Day, will begin at 11 a.m. Tickets are $5 online and $10 at the gate.

More information is available on the festival's website, celebrateisraelfestival.com.

The festival will be preceded by a one-mile walk from Rancho Park to the Museum of Tolerance. Walkers will assemble at 9:30 a.m. with the walk starting at 10 a.m.

--City News Service