Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)

Israel's Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the state, when members of the "provisional government" read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv.

The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948. Most of the Jewish communities in the Western world have incorporated this modern holiday into their calendars.

Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron which is the Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence and the very existence of the state to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.

The official "switch" from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha'atzmaut takes place a few minutes after sundown, with a ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in which the flag is raised from half staff (due to Memorial Day) to the top of the pole. The president of Israel delivers a speech of congratulations, and soldiers representing the army, navy, and air force parade with their flags.

The religious character of Yom Ha'atzmaut is still in the process of formation, and is still subject to debate. Also there is not yet an accepted "tradition" of how to celebrate this holiday and only time will tell whether certain customs, foods, prayers, and melodies will be linked in the Jewish mind with this holiday, as with holidays that emerged many centuries before Yom Ha'atzmaut.

For Jews around the world, joining with Israelis celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut has become a concrete link in the Jewish connection to the land of Israel.