A tale of two countries played out Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C., before a multigenerational crowd of tens of thousands that gathered to fete a certain 60-year-old.

The sexagenarian, of course, was Israel, the focus of a mega-birthday bash on the National Mall that showcased the best and brightest of the Jewish state while celebrating Jewish peoplehood worldwide.

"It's phenomenal, exhilarating," Bilha Marcus of Potomac said as the Israeli pop-rock band Mashina thundered nearby and a steady stream of celebrants -- from infants in strollers to the elderly with walkers and wheelchairs -- traversed the concourse to sample Israeli culture, food, history, geography, technology and archaeology.

Marcus was born in Israel a few days before the one-year anniversary of the founding of the state in 1948. "Israel is a part of us, the Jewish people," she said, scanning the scene and smiling. "We can't separate one from another."

Sharing the bill Sunday in a supporting role was Israel's longtime ally, the United States, embodied in the nearby U.S. Capitol building and the Washington Monument, which provided dramatic backdrops -- both literal and figurative -- for the nearly five-hour event, known officially as Israel@60: A Capital Celebration. It was hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in conjunction with the Embassy of Israel and it involved more than 100 supporters -- individuals, organizations and businesses.

More than 750 individuals signed in on Sunday to lend a hand as volunteers. "We ran out of T-shirts," said a spokesperson.

Several attendees said the celebration made them proud to be not only Jews, but citizens of America, a country that is noteworthy for being hospitable to Jews -- although that was not always the case.

Barbara Rosenbaum of Bethesda said she was struck by contemporary America's acceptance of the Jews as she watched Broadway performer and master of ceremonies Mandy Patinkin sing a Yiddish song with the Capitol building looming behind him.

"Two generations ago that would have been impossible," said the 61-year-old. "It really is a miracle."

Another headline performer, singer Regina Spektor -- a Russian Jew who emigrated with her family from the Soviet Union to America in 1989 -- also noted the majestic setting for the proceedings when she explained why she had forgotten a lyric to one of her songs.

"My mind kept on sort of going blank, because I was very overwhelmed being here to look at the people, the Washington Monument," she said in an interview. "I've played festivals outside, but this was a completely different feeling" with the "Capitol building behind me."

And yet, in paying homage to Israel, Spektor made it clear that even the friendliest Diaspora country can never replace Israel as a refuge of last resort for Jews.

"So many times in history, Jews seem to [be] living in harmony and [to] be accepted," she said, "and all of a sudden, [the] tide turns and they're not welcome anymore, and in that way it's so nice to know there's one place in the world where that can't happen."

Estimates of Sunday's turnout varied widely. Patinkin said from the stage that the crowd was about 50,000, an estimate that seemed plausible, according to Barbara Sherbill, a federation spokesperson. Pre-event attendance projections had ranged from about 10,000 to 50,000, although the official federation projection was simply "thousands." Sgt. Steven Booker of the U.S. Park Police, which handled security for the event, declined to offer a crowd estimate, citing department policy. However, he said the turnout apparently exceeded pre-celebration estimates of "15,000-20,000." He did not elaborate.

The event was without noteworthy incident, according to Booker and other personnel involved with security. There were no arrests or hospital runs and all lost children were promptly returned to their parents, Booker said. However, there was some grumbling about long lines at the food stands and shortages of some eatables.

Nevertheless, the celebration, which was projected to cost $550,000 to $750,000, "exceeded anything I could have dreamt of," said Norman Goldstein, the federation's vice president for Israel and overseas operations who chairs United Jewish Communities' national Israel@60 program. "I can't think of anything like this in the 40 years I've lived in Washington."

A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters -- estimates varied from three dozen to about 70 during the course of the afternoon -- gathered just outside the festival perimeter. Two of them displayed a yellow banner that said: "Free Palestine." At one point, a billboard-sized pro-Palestinian sign mounted on a flatbed truck cruised by the protest site, followed by a top-down convertible with a passenger waving a Palestinian flag.

In addition, two white vans, each bearing a large sign stating, "You are celebrating the destruction of the Palestinian land," were seen rounding the corner at Madison Drive and Seventh Street, presumably circling the festival area.

For the most part, though, the protests were low-key. "Criticizing Israel is really taboo," said protester Eric Anderson, a 50-year-old resident of the District, who criticized Israel nonetheless for building settlements in the West Bank, which he called "a major barrier to peace in the Middle East."

Anderson emphasized, however, that he supports Israel's right to exist and does not wish the Jewish state harm. "We extend our best wishes to our Israeli brothers and sisters in peace," he said, "and we hope everyone can work out the issues there."

There was an Arab presence at the festival itself -- on one of the two main stages, in fact. Per his pre-event directive, Patinkin performed one of his musical numbers with Israeli Arab accompanists Hanna and Moran Khoury. Patinkin said in a subsequent interview that it was "a joy and privilege to be there, for me to get to sing a Yiddish song on the Mall in the capital of the United States with my Arab brothers; can''t ask for a bigger privilege."

Even the weather cooperated, despite threatening skies that dumped rain elsewhere in the Washington area.

"It's Israeli weather. It's a beautiful day," Iris Goldstein, 25, declared. Wearing an Israel Defense Forces T-shirt, the D.C. resident, who had last been to Israel about four years ago, said that the music, people and show of support for Israel made her long to visit the Jewish state once again.

The ceremony was a venue for pro-Israel and pro-Jewish fashion statements of all sorts. Blue and white T-shirts were in abundance. Strolling in theirs, which proclaimed "60 never looked so good," were Nessa and Robert Peters of Silver Spring, members of Temple Sinai in the District and two-time visitors to Israel. Valdimir Rodin, a 38-year-old photography buff from Reston, was draped in an Israeli flag that was knotted at his throat; Mitch Baxter, 44, of Arlington, wore a T-shirt that read: "I am a Zionist Infidel!"; and Jay Rubin, 56, of Falls Church sported a vest festooned with flames, a grinning skull and the word "SOB" (Semites on Bikes).

Israeli flags were a common sight, including in the tiny hand of Shoshana Scott, 7, of Rockville, who was asked what words came to mind when she thought of Israel. "Greatness and happiness," she said.

In addition to presenting high-profile and local musical acts (as well as a demonstration of the Israeli martial art Krav Maga), event organizers assembled virtual snatches of Israel through the display of Israel-themed quilts, huge panoramic photographs of the land and banners brimming with factoids on how the Jewish state has benefited the rest of humanity through its technological advancements and its humanitarian efforts.

"It's nice to see a collection of all things Jewish in one place," remarked Mark Melnicoff of Chicago, in D.C. for his federal job with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

For those hoping to translate their virtual tour of Israel into an actual visit, Washington Jewish Week and El Al Airlines held a drawing for El Al plane tickets to Israel. The winner: Debra Levine of Derwood.

Still more Israeli-ana was offered at 10 pavilions, including Israeli folk dancing, storytelling for children, a mock Holy Land archaeological dig and a demonstration of henna decoration. At the Tour the Land site, volunteer Michael Saks, 66, a member of Congregation B'nai Israel in Rockville, stood amid plates of Israeli foods.

"We saw Israel formed," Saks said of his generation. "People who are age 35 and younger, they take Israel for granted. They don't have that intuitive connection." Perhaps the festivities could help people see Israel as both a modern state and a Jewish homeland, he added.

Sharon Saferstein of Falls Church visited Israel's Democracy and Government pavilion mostly because her niece, Cheryl, was dressed as Theodor Herzl as part of the pavilion's "Wax Museum" exhibit. (Other "wax" figures included Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir and David Ben-Gurion.)

A speech pathologist who has been to Israel five times, Sharon Saferstein said, "I am very impressed that Israel's 60th birthday is being celebrated next to the steps to the Capitol."

As her 7 1/2 year-old-son, Samuel, worked on a mosaic in the Capital Connections pavilion, Olga Farbman, 38, of Bethesda pronounced the day "unbelievable." The Russian-born Farbman said that after growing up in the Soviet Union, it was "great" to be able to wear an "Israeli T-shirt" in public and "feel safe."

At the Family pavilion, visitors affixed hundreds of handwritten notes to an ersatz Kotel (the Western Wall), just the way they do at the real thing in Jerusalem. The notes, which will be brought to the actual Kotel, included heartfelt pleas ("Dear God, please keep the people of Israel safe" and similar sentiments, albeit some were written in a younger hand ("I hope Israel has peas, Love Eiland").

And Jews weren't the only ones who took it all in.

Paul Wright of Rockville, a counselor in the inpatient psychiatric unit at Montgomery General Hospital, said he was drawn to the festival, even though he's not a member of the tribe. "Today, even the goyim are having fun," he said before heading off to the "Wax Museum."

-- Contributing to this report were WJW staffers Eric Fingerhut, Aaron Leibel, Debra Rubin and Jacqueline Sternberg.