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Few Americans in Israel have caught the Obama fever
By Raphael Ahren
Tags: U.S., Barack Obama 

While the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama is expected to draw millions of celebrants in Washington, and countless more across America, only a few American Israelis have planned to mark Obama's first day in office.

The local branch of the Democratic Party has organized a dinner party at Zolli's Pub in Jerusalem's central Nahlat Shiva neighborhood.

In a gesture of "true bipartisanship," they invited, "all American citizens in Israel -- Democrats, Republicans and Independents and their spouses or partners."
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Two hours after the actual inauguration ceremony, which will take place at 19:00 local time, the Hed Big Band will enter the stage at Tel Aviv's Club Hed for an evening dedicated to "celebrating the influence of African music on American Jazz, in honor of Barack Obama," according to the band's musical director, Yehuda Cohen. The event will be broadcast live on 88 FM.

The American embassy has also planned an event to celebrate Inauguration Day with a video conferenced lecture from Professor Robert "KC" Johnson, a former Fulbright Scholar at Tel Aviv University. After the conference at the American Center in Jerusalem the guests will stay and watch the inauguration.

The community of Black Hebrews in Dimona is screening a video presentation "dedicated to the work of Dr. [Martin Luther] King," said community spokesman Prince Immanuel Ben-Yehuda. Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The event is taking place on Inauguration Day to demonstrate the Hebrews' hope that the Obama administration will stand for a "continuation of these efforts to establish new standards in non-violent conflict resolution," Ben-Yehuda said.

Neither the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel nor the American Israeli Action Coalition - two non-partisan groups - have planned any special activities to mark the swearing-in of the new president. A spokesman for Israelis for Obama, a small group that was formed before the elections and operated mainly online, told Haaretz the group had dissolved after completing it's only goal of seeing Obama elected.
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