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.
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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.
