Well I'm no help...but I sure do miss her being here with us. Wish her Server would let her get on the Garden Web again. That's ridiculous she can't access us!! Know its frustrating to her too. Tho sounds like she'll be able to come lurk here, just not post. And that is frustrating to me!

hugs, Karen

The Israeli flag is white with 2 blue stripes with "Star of David" in same blue in center so that would be nice to use those colors if they are Jewish folks. If they are Israeli Arabs that would not be the thing to do. So check on flags of anyone that lives in the area over near Israel so don't offend anyone. That would be my biggest concern. Will be fun project!

I second what Sunny said.
The only things I could think of were blue and white and the Star of David, since dreidels and menorrahs are for Channukah.

Sorry to not be more help.
Candy

Jaybird ... unless you know all the in's & out's of the Israeli coming to your luncheon, I would just keep things very simple. White tablecloth's & napkins ... blue as an accent color but I sure would read up alot. Here's a little bit I found @ a site on food customs. Jeanne s.

"Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Food plays an important role in nearly all Jewish celebrations. The Sabbath, observed on Saturday, is ushered in on Friday evening with a family meal including an egg bread called challah. At the Jewish New Year the challah is baked in a circle, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life. Apples and honey also are eaten, symbolizing the wish for a sweet new year. Hamentaschen are traditionally served at Purim, the celebration of Queen Esther's triumph over the evil Haman, who was trying to annihilate the Jewish people. These are cookies filled with lekvar (prune preserves) and baked in the shape of a triangle. Some believe hamentaschen symbolizes the tricornered hat of Haman; others think it is his pockets, and still others think it represents his ears, which were clipped as a sign of shame. During Passover, Jews abstain from eating all leavened foods (bread, pasta, etc.). Instead they eat matzoh ,a flat, crackerlike bread. This is in memory of the Exodus from Israel, when the Jews could not wait for their bread to rise, and so carried it on their backs to bake in the sun. Passover also is observed with a ritual meal called a seder. Four glasses of wine, representing God's four promises to Israel ("I will bring you out of Egypt;" "I will deliver you;" "I will redeem you;" and "I will take you to be my people"), are drunk throughout the evening. Other symbolic foods at the occasion include boiled eggs (symbolizing new life) and charosis (a mixture of apples and walnuts, representing the mortar the Jews used as slaves). On Shavuot in the late spring, dairy-based treats are served. Because cooking is forbidden on the Sabbath, a traditional Saturday meal is cholent , a thick stew that is left in the oven to simmer overnight."

I'm sneaking in....
The meal is over and we had a really wonderful speaker. She did an amazing presentation that kept us all enthralled.
I dressed the tables in white cloths, with prints of the four flags of Israel as the centerpieces. I used white flowers floating in bowls with blue and silver half marbles in the bottom, and I used blue sparkly scatter on the tables. Silver tableware and white plates for the meal and small blue plates and napkins for the dessert.
We ate a chicken stew type dish with great huge noodles called "kluski". An Israeli salad with cucumbers, that had mint in the oil dressing (yum), Chollah bread with sesame seeds, and a cake(dark like a fruit cake) that included the apples and walnuts that Jeanne mentioned.
It was very pretty and the food went over quite well.
Thank you ALL for your help and ideas. I think we batted a thousand!!
Miss you and I REALLY need to spend some time looking at fall decorations.....alas..... it is not to be. I have been looking at Karen's deco folders though, so I am not completely lost :^)
Hugs to everyone,
Jaybird