Jewish actress Mayim Bialik has asked her fans worldwide to support her bid to participate in Israel’s 70th Independence Day ceremonies: ‘It would be a tremendous honor for me”
For the second year running, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry together with the Culture Ministry has asked the public to submit proposals for a candidate from Diaspora Jewry to light a torch during the annual Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl.
“We are proud and happy to announce that following the success last year, in which Mr. Michael Steinhardt [Taglit-Birthright Israel co-founder] and Rabbi Marvin Hier [the Simon Wiesenthal Center founder] lit a torch at the Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl, this year, the 70th year of the State of Israel, one of the 12 torches that will be lit at the ceremony, will be The Torch of the Diaspora Jewry,” said Dvir Kahana, Diaspora Affairs Ministry director-general Dvir Kahana in last week’s call for nominations. “The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sport, has launched an international campaign for selecting the torch lighter,” he added.
After publicity about the ceremony in Jewish media abroad, Jewish American actress Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang”) wrote on her Facebook page that she would like to be one of the candidates to light a torch, and asked her fans around the world and in Israel to recommend her and to support her candidacy as a Torch-Lighter.
“You may not know this is a thing, but in Israel every year, a torch is lit on Mount Herzl for Israeli Independence Day. Apparently, nominations are “open” and I have been mentioned along with some pretty…heavy hitters lol. If you’d like to nominate me, I would appreciate that! I would be unbelievably honored to even be nominated as a candidate for this tremendous honor!” she wrote in the post.
Mayim Bialik often speaks on Jewish and Zionist issues, and is known to have led the struggle against anti-Semitism and the Boycott, Divest and Sanction campaign against Israel. She has become, in many eyes, herself a “Jewish hero” as a Sabbath-observant, kosher woman with nearly two million followers on Facebook alone, and millions more on other social media.
In addition to Bialik, Ivanka Trump and Alan Dershowitz have also been suggested as candidates.
Recommendations were accepted until March 11.