Israel quietly celebrated the 26th anniversary of its independence today with little of the fanfare and none of the displays of military might that have characterized the occasion in years past. Yom Haatzmaut began officially last night at the end of Remembrance Day. Public buildings and town squares were festively lighted but there were no fireworks and no State celebrations.
The only parade today was one organized by the recently unified protest movement that seeks far-reaching changes in the nation’s political structure. It drew about 1500 marchers, many of them Yom Kippur War veterans, who followed a route from the suburbs to the center of Jerusalem carrying signs with such slogans as “You and I will change the State of Israel,” “Beautiful Israel” and “If you wish it, it is no legend.” The march for which a police permit had been secured, was peaceful and without incident.
Most Israelis marked Independence Day individually or in family activities. Theaters and movie houses were full. Sports events were well attended and tens of thousands of persons headed for the beaches and woodlands despite weather that was cloudy, dusty and hot. The muted note of the holiday was attributable to the Yom Kippur War and the recent Kiryat Shemona massacre whose dead are still being mourned. Remembrance Day and Independence Day were in fact blended last night in the traditional opening ceremonies on Mt. Herzl, overlooking Jerusalem. A children’s choir sang national songs. A poem by Yossef Sarid, a poet killed in the Yom Kippur War, was read. Its title was “My Death Came Suddenly.”
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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.
