Israel kicked off its 57th Independence Day. Celebrations began with a ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Wednesday night, formally ending the solemn 24-hour mourning period of Memorial Day. Among those lighting ceremonial torches were philanthropist Charles Bronfman, believed to be the first non-Israeli to do so, and Azzam Azzam, an Israeli Druse who was freed from an Egyptian prison last year after serving eight years on espionage charges.
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.
