- Yom Ha’atzmaut literally means ‘the Day of Independence’, and it is the Hebrew anniversary of the day on which the Modern State of Israel was declared.
- On the 14th May 1948 (corresponding to the 5th Iyar 5708), David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. This declaration was made in front of many political and religious leaders, and the main document from which he read is known as the ‘Declaration of Independence’, and in Hebrew, it is known as the ‘Megillat Ha’atzmaut’.
Since 1948, Israel has had to protect itself from attacks from all its neighbors. Therefore, Yom Ha’atzmaut is a good day to familiarize yourself with the map of Israel.
- Yom Ha’atzmaut is a public holiday in Israel, which means that there is no school on this day and most adults do not go to work. Instead, while many people celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut differently, many Israelis have a Yom Ha’atzmaut party with family and friends, they light fireworks, and a custom has developed in Israel to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut with a barbeque, or by eating Israeli food like falafel & salad.
- The ‘Hatikvah’ (literally, ‘The Hope’), is the name of the Israeli national Anthem which is sung on special occasions in Israel, and especially on Yom Ha’atzmaut. The words of ‘Hatikvah’ are adapted from a poem written in 1877 by Naphtali Herz Imber, a Jewish poet from Ukraine. The main message of ‘Hatikvah’ is that the Jewish people have always hoped and prayed to return to the Land of Israel—their ancient homeland—and to restore it as a sovereign nation.
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