Ceremonies for Israel’s Yom Hazikaron, the State of Israel’s Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism, continued Wednesday. A two-minute siren designating silence was observed throughout all of Israel Wednesday morning in remembrance of Israel’s fallen. Ceremonies will continue until Wednesday evening when Israel will then celebrate her 71 years of independence, “Yom Haatzmaut”. Celebrations will continue into Thursday evening.
Israelis typically attend municipal parades and concerts on Wednesday evening. It is tradition to have barbecues and is one of the most popular times for Israelis to travel in parks and nature sites. The IDF, Air Force and Navy will put on its annual show over Israel’s coasts.
Ahead of Israel’s Independence Day celebrations, the Central Bureau of Statistics released Israel’s current population, that of over 9,009,000. In 1948, when the State of Israel was established, the population stood at 806,000. The Bureau predicts that Israel’s population will rise above 15.2 million by 2048.
During a recent survey conducted by The Israel Democracy Center’s Guttman Center, 82% of Israelis believe its “national balance of achievements shows more successes than failures”. In the past year, Israel has seen tremendous success, from massive acquisitions of major Israeli hi-tech companies to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extended diplomatic efforts and victories within Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. The most notable was President Trump’s moving of the US Embassy to Jerusalem in 2018.
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