JERUSALEM—Following a solemn remembrance of Israel’s fallen on Wednesday as part of Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day commemorations, Israelis kicked off celebration of its milestone 70th-anniversary on Wednesday night in Independence Day festivities at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The ceremony, which was the biggest and most expensive ever for the Jewish state, featured more than 1,500 participants, including 150 musicians, 400 choir singers, 350 dangers and hundreds of flag-bearers. Some 6,500 Israelis and guests turned out for the torch-lighting ceremony, also the largest to date.
The festivities included speeches from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.
“Only we, out of all ancient nations exiled from their lands, have refused to disappear. We have refused to assimilate and have remained loyal to Zion, in which we have flourished anew with a strong trunk and blossoming branches,” said Netanyahu. “Today, too, there are those who seek to extinguish the light that emanates from Zion. I promise you; it will not happen.”
Additionally, 12 people who were deemed to have made significant contributions to the State of Israel lit 12 torches to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel.
Among those who were honored included were Israeli singer Shlomo Artzi; actors Leah Koenig and Ze’ev Revach; former Israel Defense Forces Gen. Yeshayahu Gavish; and Racheli Ganot, an ultra-Orthodox who trains haredi women for jobs.
Those who lit torches included Noam Gershony, a wounded IDF veteran and Paralympian; Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of the Israeli Druze community; Margalit Zinati, whose family has been preserving Jewish presence in the Galilee for nearly 2,000 years; and Ruth Kahanov, Israel’s ambassador to Japan.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to wish Israel a “Happy Independence Day,” adding that he looks forward to the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in May.
“Best wishes to Prime Minister@Netanyahu and all of the people of Israel on the 70th Anniversary of your Great Independence,” Trump tweeted. “We have no better friends anywhere. Looking forward to moving our Embassy to Jerusalem next month!”
On Thursday, the Israeli Prime Minister, President Reuven Rivlin, Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Knesset members and senior IDF officers gathered at the presidents official residence in Jerusalem to mark Israel‘s 70th Independence Day and to celebrate 120 recipients of the 2018 Presidents award for excellence.
Following an Israel Air Force flyover Rivlin and Eisenkot walked a red carpet accompanied by the IDF Orchestra before inspecting an honor guard of award-winning soldiers.
In a speech rich with Biblical and Talmudic references, Rivlin quoted the Book of Psalms, saying the Jews’ return to the Land of Israel was “like a dream “ and said the current generation of Israelis would reap the fruits sowed by the country’s founding fathers.
“Our work was not completed on May 15,1948, Rivlin told the soldiers and their families. “It only began then. Jewish immigration, the ingathering of the exiles, developing this beautiful land for the benefit of all, freedom, peace, social and political equality for all citizens without respect to religion national origin or gender, freedom of religion and speech, education and culture.
“These are the principles of the State of Israel that are rooted in the Biblical prophets and gained expression in the Declaration of Independence.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman added that the Six Day War was a formative moment for all Jews who lived in the former Soviet Union.
“It was like an explosion for us as we realized the extent of the victory,” one that released a wave of Jewish pride that continued as people learned to speak Hebrew and studied the history of Israel.
TPS contributed to this report