| Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars and Israel Independence Day
23-24 April 2007 - 5-6 Iyar 5767
Israel Independence Day is celebrated annually, according to the Hebrew calendar, on 5 Iyar, the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. This year Independence Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 24. The day preceding this celebration is devoted to the memory of those who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence.
On Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, which will begin on Sunday evening, April 22, the entire nation remembers its debt and expresses eternal gratitude to its sons and daughters who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence. It is a day of collective and personal anguish mingled with awe and honor for the fallen.
The official events begin on Sunday, April 22, at 8:00 PM with a moment of national silence heralded by a one minute siren. The following morning, ceremonies commence at 11:00 AM at 43 IDF military cemeteries located all over the country and at the Bedouin Soldier's Memorial at Movil Junction following a two minute blast of the siren.
Yizkor
A total of 22,305 men and women have been killed defending the land of Israel since 1860, the year that the first Jewish settlers left the secure walls of Jerusalem to build new Jewish neighborhoods.
In the past year, since Remembracne Day 2006, 233 members of the security forces - police, IDF, Border Police, Israel Security Agency and other organizations - have been killed in the service of the state - 119 in the Second Lebanon War.
66 civilians were killed in hostile actions since last Independence Day, mostly during the Second Lebanon War, bringing the number of civilians killed in terror attacks since the establishment of Israel to 1,635.
Israel's 59th Independence Day celebrations will commence on Monday evening, April 23, when the state flag is raised to full mast at a national ceremony on Mount Herzl, at which twelve torches are lit.
With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence, lost two thousand years earlier, was restored.
Independence Day is a celebration of the renewal of the Jewish state in the Land of Israel, the birthplace of the Jewish people. In this land, the Jewish people began to develop its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago, and here it has preserved an unbroken physical presence, for centuries as a sovereign state, at other times under foreign domination. Throughout their long history, the yearning to return to the land has been the focus of Jewish life.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Message to the Diaspora Communities on Israel's 59th Independence Day
April 2007
On the occasion of Yom Ha'atzmaut, it gives me great pleasure to send warm greetings from Jerusalem, the beating heart of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Born from the ashes of the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel was the realization of the long-held dream of a Jewish nation in our ancient homeland. For 59 years, with the unflagging support of our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, we have built and developed a modern, vibrant country.
Today, Israel is a country of breathtaking vistas and bustling metropolises, a country in which our ancient history is proudly preserved and displayed and in which we take well-deserved pride in our place at the forefront of technological breakthroughs and advancement. Israel is a country which has come of age economically despite constant threats.
As we dedicate the coming years to further strengthening the State of Israel, we look to you, our brothers and sisters, to actively partner with us in the Zionist enterprise. We have come so far, but there is still work to be done, especially in the Galilee and Negev regions. We encourage you to visit our beautiful country, and look forward to intensifying our existing dialogue.
Together, we must stride ahead to the future. We have always needed each other, and will always stand together for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
Chag Sameach
Ehud Olmert |