By Leslie Williams
Naples Daily-News
04/13/08

At age 15, Ellie Cantor and her friends marked the creation of the Jewish state by dancing in the street in her town of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

“We hardly knew the scope of what we were celebrating at the time,” she said.

Fast forward more than a half century, and Cantor stood in Vineyards Community Park in North Naples on Sunday and celebrated the 60th anniversary of Israel’s formation.

She and a few hundred other members of Southwest Florida’s Jewish community gathered to put into perspective the life of the young nation — all of its accomplishments and heartaches — and to make promises to carry on the legacy of their ancestors.

“I’ll keep dancing,” Cantor promised on a scrap of paper, before placing it in a recreation of Israel’s Western Wall.

Cantor’s writing, an intertwined prayer and memory, will eventually be taken to Israel by a visiting rabbi to be placed among the thousands of prayers left in the Western Wall by Jewish people of every nationality.

It was just one facet of an entire afternoon orchestrated by the Jewish Federation of Collier County, kicked off at 1 p.m. with a two-mile “Walk for Israel” through the Vineyards of Naples. Participants paraded up Vineyards Boulevard, returning to the park to dance to Israeli music, enjoy falafel and peruse a 40-foot display presenting the history and accomplishments of the Jewish state over the last 60 years.

Audrey Blumenfeld, the chair of the event, said her sister planted the idea of a walk for Israel in her head back in January.

“I used to run multi-million dollar nonprofits in Wisconsin,” Blumenfeld said. “I said, ‘It’s such an undertaking.’ ”

But Blumenfeld could not shake the notion, and she set about booking the park, obtaining the permits and courting food vendors. The federation underwrote every aspect of the event, she said.

“All to give back to the community and say ‘Thank you,’ ” she said.

She was quick to spread the credit to those around her: Melissa Keel, her “right hand” in the planning process; Dave Willens, the executive director of the federation; volunteer Paul Sladick; and Vicki Wilson, Vineyards Community Park supervisor.

Florida state Sen. Burt Saunders helped kick off the event by reading a Senate proclamation recognizing the anniversary and reaffirming the state’s support for Israel. Israel declared itself an independent nation May 14, 1948. The next day, the United States officially recognized the nation’s creation.

The proclamation read by Saunders officially “reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation which have existed between the United States and Israel for six decades and which have been significant for both countries,” and promises a new commitment to work mutually toward peace among Israel and its neighbors.

That point was the one that resounded the most with Saunders, the only Jewish Republican in the Florida Senate. He said the anniversary is a true sign that Israel is strengthening its presence in the region.

“It’s truly remarkable in terms of overall Middle East strategy,” he said in an interview as the walk got underway. “We are trying to establish democratic societies in the Middle East, and Israel is a democratic society. It is a beacon for the whole region.”

Saunders was joined by NBC-2 senior anchor Craig Wolf, who, to the amusement of the crowd, declared himself “the tallest blue-eyed Jewish newscaster in the history of the United States.” Wolf served as the event emcee.

With a blow of two shofars — traditional rams’ horns — delivered by Ben Kaye and Gil Block, the walkers were off, waving flags and chattering among themselves.

Much of the event centered on recognizing Israel’s contributions to the world during its relatively short history. The display, a winding wall of bright panels with text and photos, listed Israel’s gross domestic product and population, named its Nobel Prize winners and ticked off major technological innovations credited to Israelis, particularly in the last two decades.

Basil and Tova Roman moved to Naples from Israel 20 years ago. They said occasional visits back to Israel leave them in constant wonder at the nation’s evolution from a mostly agrarian society to one they called much more cosmopolitan.

“They are building up everything they can,” said Tova Roman, who was born in Israel.

She, a nurse, met her Romanian-born husband while he completed his medical training in Israel. She said Israel’s strength and assuredness is remarkable in light of its beginnings.

“When they started, they were dying of malaria and lack of food,” she said.

In spite of the beautiful things the Romans see coming out of Israel, they pointed also to the frailty of that region’s overall security.

“Unfortunately, it exists in the middle of animosity from all sides,” Basil Roman said. “It is in its infancy. We hope it exists forever.”

He paused and his wife added one last thought: “With peace.”

“With peace,” he echoed.

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