Israel Celebrates 68 Years of Independence
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Israel Celebrates 68 Years of Independence

  • 5/11/2016
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    Israel Celebrates 68 Years of Independence Israel Celebrates 68 Years of Independence
     
     
    ​Israel Independence Day is celebrated annually on the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, according to the Hebrew calendar, on 5 Iyar (this year celebrated one day earlier because of the Sabbath). The day preceding this celebration is devoted to the memory of those who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence.
     
    This proximity is intended to remind people of the heavy price paid for independence. On this day the entire nation remembers its debt and expresses eternal gratitude to its sons and daughters who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence.
     
    On May 14, 1948, the day the British Mandate expired, the new Jewish state - the State of Israel - was formally established in parts of what was known as the British Mandate for Palestine. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence was restored after 2,000 years.
      
    Independence Day is a celebration of the renewal of the Jewish state in the Land of Israel, the birthplace of the Jewish people. In this land, the Jewish people began to develop its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago, and here it has preserved an unbroken physical presence, for centuries as a sovereign state, at other times under foreign domination. Throughout their long history, the yearning to return to the land has been the focus of Jewish life. Theodor Herzl​, the leader and founder of the Zionist movement, increased international recognition for the need of a Jewish state.
     
    Since its establishment, Israel continues to be a homeland to the thousands who make their way to Israel annually. It is home to some of the holiest religious sites of the three major religions, all which enjoy the democratic rights delineated in the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel​. 
     

    Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars

    Remembrance Day, Yom Hazikaron, which begins on Tuesday evening, May 10, is a day of collective and personal anguish mingled with honor for the fallen. The official events begin at 8:00 PM with a moment of national silence heralded by a one minute siren. 

    A total of 23,447 men and women have been killed defending the land of Israel since 1860, the year that the first Jewish settlers left the secure walls of Jerusalem to build new Jewish neighborhoods.

    In the past year, since Remembrance Day 2015, 68 members of the security forces - police, IDF, Border Police, Israel Security Agency and other organizations - were killed in the service of the state and 34 civilians died as a result of terrorist attacks.
     
     
    Officer places a flag on a fallen soldier's grave. (Archive photo: IDF Spokesperson)
      
    Remembrance Day ceremonies commence at 11:00 AM at 44 IDF military cemeteries located throughout the country following a two minute blast of the siren. There will also be a ceremony for overseas Mahal volunteers who fought and died during the War of Independence, which will take place near the Sha'ar Hagai Junction. Israel's flag, adorned with a black ribbon and memorial flame, is placed on each and every grave of those who fell in Israel's battles and are buried in military cemeteries throughout Israel. It expresses the country's respect for the fallen as well as the entire country's participation in the grief of the families.
     
    - In memory of those who have fallen while on duty in the Israeli Foreign Service
     
     

    Independence Day

    Israel's 68th Independence Day celebrations will commence on Wednesday evening, May11, immediately upon the conclusion of Remembrance Day, when the state flag is raised to full mast at a national ceremony on Mount Herzl, at which twelve torches are lit. Independence Day is filled with festivities and celebrations including picnics, barbecues, family gatherings and nature trips. Balconies, car windows, store fronts and more are liberally decorated with Israeli flags.
     
     

    Population of Israel 

    On the eve of Independence Day 2016, the Central Bureau of Statistics announced that the population of Israel numbers 8,522,000 - more than ten times the population at the establishment of the state in 1948 (806,000). Jews today constitute 74.8% of the population, and Arabs 20.8%. About 75% of the Jewish population are today native-born Israelis, and more than half at least second generation Israelis.

    Since last Independence Day, the population has increased by 182,000, with 36,000 new immigrants. In 1948, only Tel Aviv-Jaffa had more than 100,000 residents. Today there are 14 cities in Israel with a population of over 100,000, and six over 200,000: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Petah Tikva.

    Relevant documents and websites

     
     
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