Cities, towns and villages throughout Israel took on a festive atmosphere today as the country prepared to begin the celebration tonight of the 13th anniversary of Israel’s independence. Flags and pennants decorated streets and public buildings here with multicolored lights installed over the main thoroughfares in which-Israelis by the thousands will congregate in large groups for singing, dancing and rejoicing through the night.
Most of today, however, was devoted to ceremonies paying solemn tribute to those who lost their lives in the War of Liberation. In Jerusalem’s Beit Ha’am courtroom, Nazi war criminal Adolf Fichmann was one of the thousands throughout this city and elsewhere, who stood for two minutes of silence to pay homage to the war dead, when the sirens sounded in the late morning. In the city’s main square, a guard of honor stood at attention and flags were lowered to half mast while a memorial light was kindled and the chief cantor recited the prayer for the dead. Memorial services were also held in military cemeteries throughout the country.
In an Independence Day statement, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion described as the main challenges facing Israel, the need to maintain the pioneering spirit by covering the Negev with new towns and villages; to build up the industrial strength of the country; to establish and strengthen ties of friendship with all countries, including the Arab nations; to increase cooperation with the new African and Asian states; and toldeepen and strengthen the bonds between the Jews of Israel and the Jews the world over.
250,000 PERSONS TO VIEW MILITARY PARADE IN JERUSALEM TODAY
President Izhak Ben-Zvi, in his Independence Day message, reviewed the country’s achievements during the past 13 years and outlined the tasks for the future. Referring to the national elections to be held next August, the President said that every citizen must have the right to vote for the party most congenial to his way of thinking. At the same time he called on the Israelis “not to forget that in the heat of electioneering, with all the differences of opinion, there is one thing holding together the entire people of Israel–and that is the common aim of all of us–the well being of the State.”
Turning to the Eichman trial, President Ben-Zvi said: “It has become our prerogative to place on trial a man charged with being one of the leaders of the Nazi criminals who murderously destroyed millions of martyred people. It is our court which will pronounce the verdict according to the laws of Israel by Judges of Israel before the eyes of the world. Such an occurrence has been impossible from the time of the destruction of the Temple until Israel arose again in sovereignty.”
In a valley on the outskirts of Jerusalem, meanwhile, preparations are being completed by soldiers encamped in the area for tomorrow’s Independence Day parade. Units of tanks, lorries and mortars carried-out several rehearsals during the night, marching together with other units over a three-mile route passing the Treasury building, the campus of the Hebrew University and into the main thoroughfares of the city.
The parade route had been changed so that none of the participants would be visible from any point in the Jordan-held Old City. Among the-250,000 persons expected to view the parade will be 10,000 tourists. President Ben-Zvi will take the salute in a reviewing stand during the last half hour of the parade which will also feature the first public appearance of Centurion tanks.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
