Israel will celebrate the 38th anniversary of its independence on Wednesday and the theme this year will be “democracy in Israel.” The Knesset will open its doors to the general public for the first time.
It will display Israel’s Declaration of Independence and visitors will hear a recording of the historic Declaration of Independence by Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, delivered to the nation on May 14, 1948.
By tradition, Independence Day, a festive occasion, is preceded by Memorial Day, a day of solemn mourning for the country’s war dead. It will conclude Tuesday night with a torch-lighting ceremony which also heralds the beginning of Independence Day.
In keeping with the theme of democracy, many institutions and companies, military and civilian, will hold “open house” to the public featuring special exhibitions. Excursions are planned to early Jewish settlements, the Jewish National Fund, the Nature Reserves Authority and the Society for the Protection of Nature are organizing the tours.
Visitors to Mt. Hermon will be treated to a concert sponsored by the nature protection society. It will be performed by the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and musicians from the Israel Philharmonic and Israel Chamber Orchestra. Many sports events are also on the agenda.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
