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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.

Holiday 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.Barbeque - Independence Day has become Israel's unofficial barbeque holiday with families picnicking huge amounts of meat in every green spot they can find in the country.

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.

About Yom Hazikaron

Yom Hazikaron, the Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars and for Terror Victims is marked every year on the fourth of Iyar (towards the end of April or beginning of May,) one week after the Holocaust Remembrance Day and two weeks after Pesach (Passover.) The day is dedicated to commemorating the country's soldiers and members of security forces, the memory of the fallen from the pre-state undergrounds, and to victims of terrorism.

Yom Hazikaron was formally decreed by law in 1963, but the practice of commemorating the fallen on this day started in 1951 to mark the connection between Independence Day and the people who died to achieve and maintain this independence.

The day starts on the evening of the fourth of Iyar and ends the following evening with the opening of the Independence Day celebrations. By law, all places of entertainment are close on Yom Hazikaron, ceremonies commemorating the fallen are held throughout the country, and flags are flown at half mast. On the eve of Yom Hazikaron a siren is sounded at 8 p.m. and again at 11 a.m. on the following morning. It is customary to stand in silence when the sirens are sounded.
Commemoration ceremonies are held in urban centers, public buildings and cemeteries and TV and radio are devoted to the subject.

Yom Hazikaron Customs

There is hardly anybody in Israel who has not lost a family member, friend or acquaintance in Israel's wars, which makes this day significant for every Israeli. Many go to commemoration ceremonies, and family members of the fallen go on this day to military cemeteries.

The Flag of Israel

David Wolffsohn, who attended the First Zionist Congress in 1897, tells the story of the birth of the Israeli flag:

“At the request of our leader Herzl, I came to Basle to make preparations for the Zionist Congress. Among many other problems that occupied me then was one, which contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem. What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag — and it is blue and white. The Tallit (prayer shawl) with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this Tallit from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations. So I ordered a blue and white flag with the Shield of David painted upon it. That is how the national flag, which flew over Congress Hall, came into being. The blue stripes above and below the Magen David remind us of the Tallit. When we see the Israeli flag, we remember the faith and the prayers of the many generations of Jews who longed for the return to their homeland.”

Magen David

The Magen David is a traditional symbol of Judaism. The star is made up of two triangles, one right-side up and the other upside down. One of them points upward toward all that is spiritual and holy. The other one points downward — toward all that is earthly and secular. By leading a life of Torah and mitzvot the Jew strives to bring together the worlds of spiritual and the earthly, the worlds of the holy and the secular. Legend tells us that David the king of Israel adorned his shield with this six-pointed star, thus the star is named the Magen David.

Israel Seal

The Israeli seal reminds us of a very sad story that happened a long time ago. In the year of 70 CE, a Roman general, named Titus, captured the city of Jerusalem, and his armies savagely destroyed the Holy Temple. They seized the golden Temple Menorah. To shame their unfortunate Jewish prisoners, Roman soldiers forced them to parade in chains through the streets of Rome carrying the captured Temple Menorah. The Romans felt so proud of this triumph that they pictured the event on a monument called the Arch of Titus. Today, the Arch of Titus still stands in Rome, and the picture of the Menorah can still be seen. To the Romans, the story celebrated might and triumph, but to the Jewish people the story told the worst humiliation: the loss of independence in our homeland.

After almost two thousand years and much agony and bloodshed, the modern State of Israel reestablished the Jewish Homeland. Although the Temple and the Menorah were not actually rebuilt, The Jews felt that in a symbolic way, the Menorah had been saved from its ancient disgrace and restored to its original glory. The Jewish dream of independence and return has finally come true.

The Olive Branches

The prophet Zechariah, who lived in the sixth century had a vision. He saw a golden seven branched menorah flanked by two olive trees. Our Rabbis interpreted this vision to mean that the Temple and the State of Israel would someday be restored to their former glory. Also, olive branches are symbols of peace.

Tel Aviv is Israel’s commercial and financial center. Headquartered there are most industrial and agricultural organizations, the stock exchange, major newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses.

Tel Aviv, the first all-Jewish city in modern times, was founded in 1909 as a suburb of Jaffa, one of the oldest urban settlements in the world. In 1934 Tel Aviv was granted municipal status, and in 1950 it was merged with Yafo, the new municipality absorbing the older town. The area around the ancient port of Yafo (Jaffa) has been developed into an artists’ colony and tourist center, with galleries, restaurants and night clubs.

Tel Aviv is the first all-Jewish city in modern times. Originally named Ahuzat Bayit, it was founded by 60 families in 1909 as a Jewish neighborhood near Jaffa. In 1910, the name was changed to Tel Aviv, meaning “hill of spring.” The name was taken from Ezekiel 3:15, “…and I came to the exiles at Tel Aviv”.

Today, Tel Aviv is Israel’s second largest city (after Jerusalem), with a population of 360,000, and among the big city problems it shares is traffic congestion. Things are more spread out in Tel Aviv than the smaller cities, but it’s still often easier and faster to travel by foot. The Shalom Tower Constructed in 1957, the building’s observation deck – 433 feet high, the tallest building in the middle east (at that time), is in Tel-Aviv.

Jaffa is an ancient port city – Tel Aviv grew up around it. Jaffa has been a fortified port city overlooking the Mediterranean Sea for more than 4,000 years.

It is one of the world’s most ancient towns. It has been the target of conquerors throughout the ages because of its strategic locations between Asia, Africa and Europe. Tel Aviv is the transportation center of Israel and the main hub for bus and rail stations.