Israelis expected a warm, sunny Independence Day, highlighted by a massive display of aerial strength at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Instead, what they got on their country’s 44th birthday was a sandstorm, mammoth traffic jams and a canceled air show.
But most other Independence Day events went off without a hitch. Thousands picnicked at the beaches and woodlands by day, watched fireworks and festive street performances in the evening and gathered in cafes and private parties late at night.
Many a party continued till the wee hours of the morning. So did a massive youth “happening” staged in the plaza outside Tel Aviv’s City Hall.
The day dawned overcast and gritty with southerly winds bringing clouds of sand and dust from the Negev, the Sinai and as far away as North Africa.
Tens of thousands of people nevertheless converged on the airport in a melange of private cars and buses to watch a highly publicized demonstration of the nation’s air capacity in action.
They created what police said was one of the worst traffic jams in Israel’s history.
The huge crowd waited patiently while the air show was postponed hour by hour, hopeful that the weather would break, allowing the planes to take off.
The aircraft included two advanced American-made F-15Ds, delivered to the Israeli air force on Monday.
They are the first of five state-of-the-art jet fighters Israel ordered from the McDonnell Douglas Corp. at $1 million apiece.
But high tech proved no match for Mother Nature.
The aerial part of the air show was called off in late afternoon because of the weather. Disgruntled spectators made for their cars and tour buses, creating new gridlocks.
Many stayed, however, content to inspect the air force’s grounded planes lined up on the ground, jet engines silent, looking for all the world like oversized models on a toyshop shelf.
The Society for the Preservation of Nature, joined by the Jewish National Fund and the Government Information Office, mounted a rare exhibition of photographs of migratory birds in flight and birds in collision with aircraft.
The central theme of this Independence. Day was the quincentennial of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.
Twelve ceremonial beacons were lighted on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem to honor 12 Israeli families who say they can trace their ancestry to Jews forced to leave Spain in 1492.
A military ceremony — the exchange of battle standards between branches of the Israel Defense Force, which has long been a staple of Independence Day, became embroiled in protests from the strictly Orthodox.
They objected to a rousing march titled “We Carry the Torch” because the words credit the bravery of soldiers for achieving independence, hence denying a “divine miracle.”
The IDF, unwilling to get involved in a squabble with religious leaders, substituted a different march.
Other Independence Day traditions included the Jewish Youth Bible Quiz in Jerusalem, the president’s reception for the foreign diplomatic corps and his reception for IDF servicemen and women who distinguished themselves during the year.
This year, one of the 120 young soldiers chosen to receive a Certificate of Merit from President Chaim Herzog could not attend.
First Sgt. Sharon Ben-Arye, 22, of Kibbutz Ein Gedi was one of two IDF soldiers killed in a guerrilla ambush in southern Lebanon on April 6, two days after he was notified of his selection for the award.
The certificate was presented to his bereaved parents.
The prestigious Israel Prizes were presented at ceremonies Thursday evening to leading figures in the fields of Jewish studies, social sciences, life sciences, literature and poetry.
The 10 recipients included, for the first time, an Israeli Arab, 70-year-old, writer Emile Habibi of Nazareth, who received the literary award.
Women’s groups protested that no women were selected this year.
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.
