Guests to dine in luxurious hotel in Moscow, prepare falafel in New Delhi and drink Israeli wine in New Zealand. Jewish community in Toulouse tries to make transition from mourning to celebrations

Israeli missions around the world found creative ways to celebrate Israel´s 64th Independence Day.

In Ecuador´s capital Quito, the Israeli embassy is celebrating the occasion in the world´s tallest concert hall – at 3,000 meters above sea level. Some 1,000 guests are slated to take part in the event, including Ecuador´s Vice President Lenin Moreno.

A large reception will also be held in Moscow, in one of the most luxurious hotels in the Russian capital. Guests will enjoy music played by an Israeli jazz artists and a local choir.

In India´s New Delhi, Israeli celebrity chef Israel Aharoni will show local kids how to make falafel at a dinner in the Imperial Hotel. The event will launch the Israeli food week at the hotel.

In Brazil´s San Paulo, the Jewish community center will mark "Israel Day" with a variety of activities including a soccer tournament, cooking workshops, Zionism classes and street performances. The main event will see locals attempting to produce the world´s largest kosher humus.

New Zealand´s Wellington was the first city in the world to launch Memorial Day and Independence Day events. On Tuesday, a memorial ceremony for Israel´s fallen soldiers was held in the city, on the same day New Zealand marked Anzac Day, which commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war.

On Wednesday evening, locals celebrated Israel´s independence with a sing-a-long, dancing, and Israeli food and wine.

Still mourning in Toulouse

In the French city of Toulouse, which is still mourning the deaths of four Jews who were killed in a terrorist attack last March, a ceremony was held at the local synagogue as celebrations were scaled back. "This year the Memorial Day service will be bigger than usual, and the opposite for Independence Day – there is no other way," the city´s rabbi explained.

"We are holding a ceremony at the Otzar Hatorah school with schools from all over the city participating, as well as Jews, non-Jews and community leaders." He said that hundreds are set to take part in the event.

Earlier this week, the parents of Miriam Monsonego who was killed in the brutal attack, returned to Toulouse. "They don’t have to say anything, we can tell from their faces how hard it is for them," the rabbi said. "Only now do they realize what had happened and that life will be totally different from now on." He added, "It´s hard for us all to celebrate." The Foreign Ministry´s workers union said that Independence Day celebrations around the world are taking place "in spite of the ongoing attacks against the State of Israel in the international arena, and with our heads held up high."

The union said that the high demand for participation in the events attest to "the great sympathy towards Israel, appreciation for its envoys and a curiosity for its culture." (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 04/25/12)