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Newsletter #10 - 24 April 2012
Today:
- Happy Israel Independence Day!
- Bluenoemi's Happy Birthday coupon "israel"
- About the Independence Day
- Israel Independence Day Customs
- Israel Facts
- Israel Achievements
- The story of the Jewish people and the story of Israel
- Songs and Movies from Israel
Happy Israel Independence Day!
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About the Independence Day
Israel national holiday, marks Israel's Declaration of Independence with the end of the British Mandate.
It is the only full holiday in the calendar decreed by law without a tradition of hundreds or thousands of years.
Independence
Day is on the fifth day of the Jewish month of Iyar (from the end of
April till mid-May), the day in which David Ben-Gurion, the state's
first prime minister, declared the country's independence in 1948.
It
was declared a full holiday in a law enacted in the Knesset in 1949.
Over the years various traditions evolved to celebrate the holiday, and
it is now marked by family picnics in scenic spots all over the country..
Independence
Day celebrations begin on the evening of the fifth of Iyar with the end
of Yom Hazikaron, the Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars,
with special ceremonies marking the transition from mourning to
celebration.
The main ceremony is held in Har (Mount) Herzl in Jerusalem.
During
Independence Day, the World Bible Quiz is held in Jerusalem and the
prestigious Israel Prizes are distributed to the year's winners in a
special ceremony.
Most businesses are closed on Independence Day,
but cafes restaurants and other places of entertainment are open
because it is not a religious holiday.
ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY CUSTOMS
Flags - Many Israelis fly flags from their houses, porches or cars, often with colorful decorations
Entertainment
Stages - Because of Independence Day's profoundly secular nature, a
tradition of evolved of free entertainment by performers, dancers and
comics on stages set up in the center of cities and other communities on
the eve of Independence Day.
The shows are often accompanied by fireworks.
The main streets of towns and cities are usually packed with people.
Visits
the IDF camps - Many of the army's camps are open to the public on
Independence Day, offering Israelis a chances to see arms, navy ships,
tanks and aircraft.
Israeli Movies - Local channels devote all of
their programming to the holiday and often screen old Israeli movies
which have become cult items.
Read About Israel main achievements in Education, Agriculture, Technology, Communications, Hi-Tech and much more at Israel achievements
The History of the Jewish People and the story of Israel - Quote from Charles Krauthammer - The Weekly Standard
"Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It
is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same
name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did
3,000 years ago. You dig the soil and you find pottery from Davidic
times, coins from Bar Kokhba, and 2,000-year-old scrolls written in a
script remarkably like the one that today advertises ice cream at the
corner candy store."
The people of Israel (also called the "Jewish People") trace their
origin to Abraham, who established the belief that there is only one
God, the creator of the universe (see Torah).
Abraham, his son Yitshak (Isaac), and grandson Jacob (Israel), are
referred to as the patriarchs of the Israelites. All three patriarchs
lived in the Land of Canaan, that later came to be known as the Land of
Israel. They and their wives are buried in the Ma'arat HaMachpela, the
Tomb of the Patriarchs, in Hebron (Genesis Chapter 23).
The name Israel derives from the name given to Jacob (Genesis 32:29).
His 12 sons were the kernels of 12 tribes that later developed into the
Jewish nation. The name Jew derives from Yehuda (Judah) one of the 12
sons of Jacob (Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher,
Yisachar, Zevulun, Yosef, Binyamin)(Exodus 1:1). So, the names Israel,
Israeli or Jewish refer to people of the same origin.
The descendants of Abraham crystallized into a nation at about 1300
BCE after their Exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses (Moshe
in Hebrew). Soon after the Exodus, Moses transmitted to the people of
this new emerging nation, the Torah, and the Ten Commandments (Exodus
Chapter 20). After 40 years in the Sinai desert, Moses led them to the
Land of Israel, that is cited in The Bible as the land promised by G-d
to the descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis
17:8).
The people of modern day Israel share the same language and culture
shaped by the Jewish heritage and religion passed through generations
starting with the founding father Abraham (ca. 1800 BCE). Thus, Jews
have had continuous presence in the land of Israel for the past 3,300
years.
The rule of Israelites in the land of Israel starts with the
conquests of Joshua (ca. 1250 BCE). The period from 1000-587 BCE is
known as the "Period of the Kings". The most noteworthy kings were King
David (1010-970 BCE), who made Jerusalem the Capital of Israel, and his
son Solomon (Shlomo, 970-931 BCE), who built the first Temple in
Jerusalem as prescribed in the Tanach (Old Testament).
In 587 BCE, Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar's army captured Jerusalem,
destroyed the Temple, and exiled the Jews to Babylon (modern day Iraq).
The year 587 BCE marks a turning point in the history of the region.
From this year onwards, the region was ruled or controlled by a
succession of superpower empires of the time in the following order:
Babylonian, Persian, Greek Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Empires,
Islamic and Christian crusaders, Ottoman Empire, and the British Empire.
Foreign Empires that ruled in Israel
| Period |
Empire |
Major Events |
| 587 BCE |
Babylonian |
Destruction of the first Temple. |
| 538-333 BCE |
Persian |
Return of the exiled Jews from Babylon and construction of the second Temple (520-515 BCE). |
| 333-63 BCE |
Hellenistic |
Conquest of the region by
the army of Alexander the Great (333 BCE). The Greeks generally allowed
the Jews to run their state. But, during the rule of the king Antiochus
IV, the Temple was desecrated. This brought about the revolt of the
Maccabees, who established an independent rule. The related events are
celebrated during the Hanukah holiday. |
| 63 BCE-313 CE |
Roman |
The Roman army led by Titus
conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple at 70 CE. Jewish
people were then exiled and dispersed to the Diaspora. In 132, Bar
Kokhba organized a revolt against Roman rule, but was killed in a battle
in Bethar in Judean Hills. Subsequently the Romans decimated the Jewish
community, renamed Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina and Judea as
Palaestina to obliterate Jewish identification with the Land of Israel
(the word Palestine, and the Arabic word Filastin originate from this
Latin name).
The remaining Jewish community moved to northern towns in the Galilee. Around 200 CE the Sanhedrin was moved to Tsippori (Zippori, Sepphoris). The Head of Sanhedrin, Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi (Judah the Prince), compiled the Jewish oral law, Mishna. |
| 313-636 |
Byzantine |
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| 636-1099 |
Arab |
Dome of the Rock was built by Caliph Abd el-Malik on the grounds of the destroyed Jewish Temple. |
| 1099-1291 |
Crusaders |
The crusaders came from
Europe to capture the Holy Land following an appeal by Pope Urban II,
and massacred the non-Christian population. Later Jewish community in
Jerusalem expanded by immigration of Jews from Europe. |
| 1291-1516 |
Mamluk |
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| 1516-1918 |
Ottoman |
During the reign of Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) the walls of the Old City of
Jerusalem were rebuilt. Population of the Jewish community in Jerusalem
increased. |
| 1917-1948 |
British |
Great Britain recognized the rights of the Jewish people to establish a "national home in Palestine". Yet they greatly curtailed entry of Jewish refugees into Israel even after World War II. They split Palestine mandate into an Arab state which has become the modern day Jordan, and Israel. |
After the exile by the Romans at 70 CE, the Jewish people migrated to
Europe and North Africa. In the Diaspora (scattered outside of the Land
of Israel), they established rich cultural and economic lives, and
contributed greatly to the societies where they lived. Yet, they
continued their national culture and prayed to return to Israel through
centuries. In the first half of the 20th century there were major waves
of immigration of Jews back to Israel from Arab countries and from
Europe. During the British rule in Palestine, the Jewish people were
subject to great violence and massacres directed by Arab civilians or
forces of the neighboring Arab states. During World War II, the Nazi
regime in Germany decimated about 6 million Jews creating the great
tragedy of The Holocaust.
In 1948, Jewish Community in Israel under the leadership of David
Ben-Gurion reestablished sovereignty over their ancient homeland. Declaration of independence of the modern State of Israel was announced on the day that the last British forces left Israel (May 14, 1948). 
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