Yizkor
A total of 22,570 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 Remembrance Day 2008, 133 members of the security forces - police, IDF, Border Police, Israel Security Agency and other organizations - have been killed in the service of the state.
Israel's 61st Independence Day celebrations will commence on Tuesday evening, April 28, when the state flag is raised to full mast at a national ceremony on Mount Herzl, at which twelve torches are lit. Theodor Herzl was the leader and founder of the Zionist movement and increased international recognition for the need of a Jewish state.
On May 14th, 1948, the day the British Mandate expired, the new Jewish state - the State of Israel - was formally established in parts of what was known as the British Mandate for Palestine. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence, lost two thousand years earlier, was restored. Independence Day is filled with festivities and celebrations including picnics, barbecues, family gatherings and nature trips. Balconies, car windows, store fronts and more are liberally decorated with Israeli flags.
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.
Since its establishment, Israel continues to be a homeland to the thousands who make their way to Israel annually. It is home to some of the holiest religious sites of the three major religions, all which enjoy the democratic rights delineated in the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.
Population of Israel: 7.4 million
On the eve of Israel's 61st Independence Day, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics announced that the population of Israel numbers 7,411,000 people - 5,593,000 Jews (75.5% of the total population) and 1,498,000 Arabs (20.2%); on the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 the total population numbered 806,000. 70% of the total Jewish population are "Sabras" - born in Israel - compared with 35% native-born in 1948.
Since Independence Day last year there have been approximately 154,000 babies born, and more than 12,000 immigrants arrived, in Israel.
Live Hatikva
On Wednesday, April 29th beginning at 10:50PM Israel time, communities from around the world will join together to sing Israel's national anthem Hatikva. Broadcasting from Tel Aviv, the Mayor will join with over 100 young adults celebrating Tel Aviv's 100th Birthday and the 61st birthday of the State of Israel. Last year, Live Hatikva broke the Guinness Book of Records for the number of people singing a national anthem in unison. You're welcome to watch last year's Live Hatikva at http://www.livehatikva.org/.
Live Hatikva will be broadcast around America and on the Internet streaming live at www.jltv.tv