This past Wednesday, Scheck Hillel students from Grades 1 through 11 took a field trip to the Miami Marlins Stadium to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut. This was a particularly special celebration, as it marked the 75th anniversary of Israel’s Independence. The crowd was made up of over 20 schools and thousands of students. Each school had a different colored shirt and the many colors showed just how many schools were present at the event.

While at the stadium, there were a plethora of things to do to celebrate the anniversary. First, a video was played in which celebrities – ranging from comedians to artists – congratulated Israel on its birthday. Later, soldiers from the IDF began singing Israeli songs and got the crowd to sing along with the music. Afterward, a video with clips from every school at the event was shown on the jumbotron. In the video, a few students from each school described cities in Israel. Yet another video was shown with celebrities congratulating Israel and adults on the upper decks of the stadium started throwing down beach balls for the students below.

After the festivities, students walked around the stadium and were greeted with a barbecue lunch consisting of hot dogs and hamburgers. During lunch, students were able to catch up with old friends and/or teachers from different schools while overlooking the field and the Miami skyline. 

Tenth grader Shawn Cohen said, “This has greatly impacted me because, even after all the hardship and struggles Israel has faced to become a nation, it is wonderful to see them celebrate what they have accomplished.” Morah Esther Ben-Shalom said, “I think it was a beautiful event. As someone who comes from Israel, it was very nice to see how people outside of Israel, in Miami, are supporting Israel. It is also nice to see how many Jewish schools are near us… It truly makes me say ‘Wow.’ It was such a great experience.”