NEW YORK, NY – June 2, 2008 – The award winning EL AL Marching Team traveled from Israel to participate in the “Salute to Israel Day” Parade which took place yesterday in New York City.  The EL AL Marching Team also performed at the Ramaz Lower School for a pre-Shabbat (Sabbath) celebration this past Friday.

Tambourines in hand, forty EL AL marchers led close to 300 Ramaz students in grades 1-4 in an interactive Israeli-style singing and dancing celebration.  The students were brought to their feet as the marchers played festive traditional Israeli music.

At the parade, the EL AL Marching Team sang and sidestepped up Fifth Avenue and invited onlookers to join in singing and dancing to Israeli songs.  The EL AL float was designed to highlight the strong ties of the national airline of Israel to the State of Israel as this year both are celebrating a 60th anniversary.  The float included eight foot photos of two of EL AL’s most famous frequent flyers: David Ben Gurion, Founder of the State of Israel and the country’s first Prime Minister as well as Golda Meir, the first female Prime Minister.  On the EL AL float, the Ramaz Middle School band performed a variety of Israeli tunes as well as the EL AL theme song, Latus EL AL (Fly EL AL).  Other schools joining EL AL in the parade were Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff, NY; The Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, NY; The Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury, NY and Beth EL Synagogue in New Rochelle, NY.

The award-winning EL AL Marching Team was formed in 1963 to represent the national airline in a parade that took place in Jerusalem.  Since then, the EL AL marchers have participated in dozens of parades in many cities throughout the world.  The team performs in EL AL pilot uniforms and consists of EL AL mechanics, ground crew, flight attendants and other employees who are based in Israel.

Pictured above: 

(Top left): Ramaz Lower School students dancing with members of the EL AL marching team.

(Top right): Ramaz Lower School students and the EL AL award winning marching team.
 
(Bottom Center): The EL AL marching team pictured with Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, Principal of The Ramaz School/Rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (standing-left); Rabbi Alan Berkowitz, Headmaster, Ramaz Lower School (standing-right); Rabbi Avrumi Sacks, Assistant Headmaster, Ramaz Lower School (kneeling).