יום העצמאות

2023 presents Israel’s 75th birthday since its rebirth as a nation in 1948; Following Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day), the atmosphere turned from mourning to joy as people throughout the Jewish State began the celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Independence Day).

After dedicating the solemn day of Yom HaZikaron to remember those who have gone before them, Israelis celebrated their 75th year of independence as a nation on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Independence Day was strategically placed after Memorial Day in recognition of the reality that without the brave sacrifice of so many Jewish men and women in Israel’s history, there would be no independence.

1948 marked the rebirth of the nation of Israel when the Jewish people declared independence in their homeland in the aftermath of World War II. Their independence was made official on May 14, 1948, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. However, Yom Ha’Atzmaut is not recognized annually on that date, but rather, it is celebrated on the third of Iyar on the Jewish calendar.

It was only a matter of hours before five different Arab nations acted on a mutual interest of eradicating the name of Israel from the face of the earth after the nation was born on May 14, 1948. Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon all attacked the Jewish State the very next day, which is known as the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. God’s hand in the deliverance and survival of the Jewish people is a story like no other. Miracle after miracle took place, whether it be the Lord instilling fear in the heart of their enemies or His miraculous intervention when soldiers were in a seemingly irredeemable situation.

Psalm 83:3-4
They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

Zechariah 2:8
For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.”

From Holocaust survivors to a radiant, thriving nation, Israel now has one of the leading economies and militaries in the world. In 2023, Israel currently has the second-best economy in the Middle East. Israel’s population today is over 9 million people.

Sundown on Tuesday marked the beginning of Yom Ha’Atzmaut when mourning turned to joy as Israelis celebrated what they’ve held so dearly for 75 years now – Divinely-appointed independence foretold 2,500 years ago.

Isaiah 66:8
Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?