The National Weather Service says it’ll be sunny and 65 degrees Sunday — in other words, the perfect day to be outside.
So if you find yourself wondering where you should spend the day June 7, here’s a tip: Yerba Buena Gardens.
The annual Israel in the Gardens celebration will be packed with delicious food, rockin’ music and enough art projects, craft vendors, film screenings and even a talent competition to keep people of all ages busy for the entire festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition, the festival will once again feature the Tents of Community, made up of booths representing local Jewish communal agencies. Schools, camps, federations, synagogues and other agencies will be there to hand out information and chat with the public.
Big communal events sometimes suffer from a dearth of activities for teenagers. But not Israel in the Gardens — at least not when Ilan Vitemberg, director of the Israel Education Initiative, is one of the organizers.
To give teens a place to hang out, create and engage, Vitemberg decided this year to recreate Tel Aviv’s Nachlat Binyamin bazaar and fill it with a multitude of activities designed by teens, for teens.
“We want to recreate the feeling of free-spirited Tel Aviv,” he said. “That, in particular, is attractive for teens. Nachlat Binyamin involves the openness of Tel Aviv, as well as the city’s bohemian aspect and artistic character.”
Teens from across the Bay Area have worked together to bring the bazaar to life. In the spirit of environmental conservation, local chapters of United Synagogue Youth plan to lead art projects using recycled materials.
Jewish Community High School of the Bay students will host a Tel Aviv trivia game, and countless other teens are involved in the Orange Project, a public art installation of exercise balls decorated as oranges in honor of Tel Aviv’s nickname, “The Big Orange.”
While the scene will have the look and feel of a street bazaar, the teens won’t be selling anything or making money. Instead, they can get henna tattoos, make Hebrew bead necklaces and nosh on light snacks.
They’ll be entertained by the funky twang of Unpopable, Henry Bermudez on guitar and Addi Somekh on the homemade balloon bass. And, for the first time, Kehillah Jewish High School’s jazz band will perform on the main stage.
The Tzofim Friendship Caravan — 10 Israeli teenagers accompanied by two group leaders — will make a stop in the teen zone to talk about their lives in Israel through song, dance and story in English and Hebrew.
Each summer, the cohort of 17-year-olds crisscrosses North America as emissaries, sharing stories, interacting with audience members and leading groups in educational and social activities.
In an effort to give teens a sense of ownership of the space, Vitemberg and fellow organizers spoke directly with the teens to gauge their interests. Vitemberg hopes participants will be “empowered to bring their peers” to Israel in the Gardens.
“There’s a vibrant Jewish community in the Bay Area, and I want teens to feel a part of it,” he added. “I hope they feel propelled to become active in our community, while connecting to Israel in a positive way.”