A day of joy, pride and love for Israel at primary schools
Hampstead Garden Suburb's Kerem School and Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School celebrate hard on Yom Ha'atzmaut
At Kerem School in Hampstead Garden Suburb there is one day each year that truly captures the hearts of the pupils and leaves a lasting impression long after they’ve moved on: Yom Ha’atzmaut.
At the school the day is a vibrant, immersive celebration of Israel – its culture, history and people – bringing a powerful sense of pride and connection to Jewish identity that resonates across all age groups.
The lead-up to the day is just as meaningful. In the week prior, known at Kerem as ‘Israel Week’, pupils take part in age-appropriate learning about different aspects of the Jewish homeland. This learning is especially poignant, coming directly after Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, which honours the soldiers who gave their lives for the country’s safety and freedom.
Each year group focuses on a specific area. Years 1 and 2 explore the symbols of Israel, including the national flag, the Magen David, and the country’s emblems – sparking a strong sense of visual identity and connection. Years 3 and 4 dive into Israeli culture. They spend the day cooking Israeli dishes, studying and replicating the colourful works of artists like Mirit Ben Nun, and experiencing a taste of everyday life in Israel. Years 5 and 6 take on the history and geography of Israel. This year, they created a large map of the country by decorating puzzle pieces and assembling them as a class, made ‘Guess Who?’ games of influential Israeli figures, and enjoyed a virtual tour of David Ben Gurion’s home and kibbutz – an experience that brought Israel’s founding moments vividly to life.
The day itself was packed with joy. From the moment pupils arrived, wearing blue and white, Kerem School was transformed into a mini Israel. A highlight for many was the special performance and singalong led by Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue’s two rabbis, whose music and singing brought smiles to every face. The school also welcomed Emily from the Israeli Dance Institute (IDI), who taught traditional Rikudei Am dances, filling the hall with laughter, energy and unity.
In keeping with Kerem’s values of chesed (kindness) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), every Yom Ha’atzmaut is also a chance to give back. This year, the chosen charity was Leket Israel, a food bank providing vital support to families in need, especially in the wake of the October 7 attacks. Through this initiative, pupils learned the importance of compassion alongside celebration.
The day ended, as always, with a proud march around the playground. Pupils waved Israeli flags high, singing Hebrew songs with pride and passion – a moving scene that reflected both their joy and their solidarity with the people of Israel during difficult times.
In the words of one Year 6 pupil: “It’s one of the best days of the year. I’ll always remember it.”
Indeed, at Kerem School, Yom Ha’atzmaut is more than a celebration – it’s a heartfelt expression of love for Israel, a day of unity, memory, joy, and hope.
Meanwhile pupils at Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut with singing, dancing, arts and crafts and a picnic.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
