Such a beautiful invitation to Itzik Ben Dahan‘s birthday celebration cannot be refused. The invitation is so colorful and beautiful, with lots of pictures of gifts.

I know the smiling man who helps everyone, the man who retired from the army at the age of 48, “stormed” the folk dance floors and gained quite a few fans.

Six years ago, I came to celebrate Itzik’s birthday at the Germanov Community Center. The hall was packed with folk dancers. Back then, I brought him a gift – his dance videos – almost all of them – that appear on the Rodkim website burned onto a disc. Here is the link to the videos on the Rokdim website: http://bit.ly/3Z2WzfJ

Of course, I came to this birthday celebration with my partner. The parking lot was full of cars. Itzik was still outside helping visitors find a parking space. I asked him who was leading the dance session inside, and he answered with a shy smile that Bat El, his wife, who knows the job extraordinarily well, was running it.

The modern, large and air-conditioned Yitzhak Navon Sports Hall in Yavne was full to the brim, packed with hundreds of dancers who came to celebrate Itzik’s birthday with him. It was certainly heartwarming.

In addition to the dancers, many instructors and choreographers arrived to show their support, from the Haifa area in the north, and all the way to the south from the Arava region.

And that means that you are loved, Itzik!

So here is part of the experience in pictures.