UPDATE 6 pm Thursday: Independence Day celebrations were cut short in southern Israel just after midnight last night (12:33 am) when a rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza exploded in the Ashkelon Chof region. No physical injuries were reported but many families reported being traumatized by the sirens and the accompanying explosion.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Sometimes pictures can express joy more than words. Today is such a day. The scenes of joy around Israel on this Yom Atzmaut, Independence Day, have been heartwarming and inspirational.
The Independence Day celebration at the Western Wall in Jerusalem started at sundown yesterday and went well into the night.
The celebrations are beginning to wind down throughout the country at this hour, but (with the exception of the rocket attack on southern Israel described above) Israel has had a great Independence Day celebrating its re-establishment in 1948.
Fireworks have lit up the sky all over Israel like these in Netanya last night.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis had picnics in the country’s national parks or visited IDF bases–so many in fact, that by 11 am the police had issued a request for the public to go elsewhere.
Many other Israelis went to the Israel’s beautiful Mediterranean and Red Sea beaches where the IAF performed aerial flyover maneuvers. Whether in the parks, or at the beaches, or simply in city and town neighborhoods, Israeli flags waved everywhere and the smell of barbecue wafted through the air.
Israelis cooking bbq in the national parks on Independence Day--a national pastime.
The Israeli love of barbecue knows no age limit:
Street parties have been going on everywhere.
A big street celebration in Tel Aviv.
And another one:
Israelis celebrating in central Israel.
It has been especially wonderful to see patriotic Israeli youth everywhere celebrating:
The kids in Tel Aviv were out in force in sheer joy and happiness!
Your humble servant hopes that your Israeli Independence Day celebration has been as wonderful as those pictured above. And let us all wish the modern state of Israel a happy 64th!!!
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As noted in recent blogs, a list of vocabulary for Israel supporters to begin using is appended to today’s blog (and every blog for the next month).
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1. Use ‘Judea and Samaria’ instead of ‘the West Bank‘.
2. Use ‘Jewish community’ instead of ‘settlement‘.
3. Use ‘construction of Jewish homes, schools, and hospitals’ instead of ‘settlement activity‘.
4. Use ‘new Jewish communities’ instead of ‘outposts‘.
5. Use ‘Jewish community member’ instead of ‘settler‘.
6. Use ‘conservative politicians’ instead of ‘right-wing politicians‘.
7. Use ‘PLO’ or ‘Palestine Liberation Organization’ instead of ‘Palestinian Authority‘.
8. Use ‘Palestinian Islamic Terrorist Organization–HAMAS’ instead of merely ‘Hamas‘.
9. Use ‘Israeli men, women, and children’ instead of ‘Israeli citizens‘.
10. Use ‘Palestinian cities’ instead of ‘Palestinian refugee camps‘.
11. Use Palestinian ‘settlements’ instead of Palestinian ‘villages’ or ‘hamlets’.
12. Use Palestinian ‘settlers’ instead of Palestinian ‘farmers’ and ‘villagers’.
13. Use international ‘lawbreakers’ instead of international ‘activists’.
14. Use ‘the suicide bomber prevention fence instead of the ‘separation fence’ or ‘wall’.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.