The Region - News from May 18, 1987

About 30,000 people jammed Rancho Park in West Los Angeles for the 14th annual Los Angeles Jewish Festival, commemorating Israel’s 39th birthday. Mayor Tom Bradley and City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky were among the civic leaders who attended the festival, which celebrates Yom Haatzmoat, Israel’s independence day. The largest Jewish festival in the West featured folk dancing, carnival rides, Israeli-made products displayed in 100 booths and traditional Jewish food. Earlier, about 1,000 children from the Los Angeles area participated in the International Jewish Children’s Parade in the Fairfax area. “It’s just a big party,” said Lauren Deutsch, spokeswoman for the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles. “This festival is to the Jewish community what Cinco de Mayo is to the Mexican-Americans.”