Israel's Days of Remembrance & National Holidays
Alongside the ancient festivals, the modern State of Israel has added days of its own: for the six million, for the fallen, for independence, for a reunited Jerusalem. They are young as commemorations go, but they carry the weight of a century. Here is what each day marks, and why.
Pick a topic:
Yom Ha'atzmaut
On the 5th of Iyar 5708—14 May 1948—David Ben-Gurion stood in Tel Aviv and declared the establishment of the State of Israel, and a people scattered for nineteen centuries had a country again. Yom Ha'atzmaut follows immediately after Memorial Day: first the cost is counted, and only then the celebration begins.
Yom Ha'Mishpachah
Observed on the 30th of Shevat, Family Day began as Israel's Mother's Day and was later broadened to honor the family as a whole. Schools mark it, children make gifts, and the day quietly affirms something the Torah assumes throughout: that the household is where faith is actually passed on.
Yom Yerushalayim
On the 28th of Iyar 1967, Israeli paratroopers reached the Western Wall and Jerusalem was reunited after nineteen years of division. The radio broadcast of that moment is still played every year, and still stops people where they stand. Yom Yerushalayim celebrates a city restored, prophecy fulfilled—and a prayer answered.