Review 2
History
Yom HaAtzmaut / Israel
Yom HaAtzmaut · Israel Independence Day
Israel's Independence Day and the study of , statehood and Jewish peoplehood.
Tip: hover (or tap) any underlined word for a quick definition.
1
The basics
Name, translation, date and length — the facts to have by heart.
Name and timing
- Hebrew name
- Yom HaAtzmaut
- English translation
- Israel Independence Day
- Date / timing
- 5 Iyar
- Length
- 1 day
- Historical reason
- The founding of the modern State of Israel.
2
Meaning and story
Why this exists, what happened, and the values it carries.
What it means
- Yom HaAtzmaut is Israel Independence Day.
Story and history
- sought Jewish return to after long centuries of and .
- David Ben-Gurion led the founding of the state; later leaders include Golda Meir, Menachem Begin and Yitzchak Rabin.
- Major wars: the War of Independence, the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, and the ongoing question of the territories.
Major themes and values
- Jewish peoplehood and nationhood
- Return from exile
- Modern Israeli history
3
Practice
Rituals, symbols, prayers and foods — and the reason behind each.
Rituals and observances
- Celebrations, communal gatherings, singing .
Why we do these rituals
- The day expresses that Jews are a peoplehood and a nation, not only a religion.
Symbols and what they mean
- Hatikvah
- 'The Hope' — the hope to be a free people in the land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Important prayers and readings
- Prayers for the State of Israel
Foods
- Israeli festive foods
4
Words to know
The Hebrew vocabulary for this topic.
Vocabulary
- Zionism
- The movement for Jewish national return to .
- Diaspora
- Jewish communities living outside the Land of Israel.
- Galut
- Exile.
- Eretz Yisrael
- The Land of Israel.
- Hatikvah
- 'The Hope' — Israel's national anthem.
5
Beth Din prep
Answer these out loud before you sit down with the rabbis.
What I should be able to explain to the Beth Din
- 1What means and what it expresses.
- 2Name key leaders and the major wars.
- 3Explain , , and .