Independence Day festivities this year will be considerably more modest than in previous years. The government’s decision to cut down on events of Israel’s national day was in response to requests by bereaved parents and the recent Kiryat Shemona tragedy.
The major change this year will be a separation between the Memorial Day on April 23 and Independence Day on April 24. In the past, festivities began at 7 p.m. on Memorial Day, immediately after the Memorial Day officially ended. This year festivities will begin only on the morning after. Opening of entertainment centers, usually on the same night, will be moved to the next day, and almost no military ceremonies will take place, except for an exchange of flags at the traditional lighting of 12 torches on Mount Herzl.
Yehuda Ilan, the head of the information services, said in a press conference that most of the celebrations will take place in family circles and among friends. Many Israelis are expected to take motor trips on Independence Day, and the Jewish National Fund prepared special places in the countryside for picnics. At Kiryat Shemona and the neighboring settlements there will be no celebrations this year.
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