Israeli Independence Day

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Israel's Declaration of Independence

Discover the Israeli Declaration of Independence through rare photos from the Library’s collections and listen to the original recording of the event.

The First Independence Day in Pictures

The first Israeli Independence Day was celebrated in 1949 with a military parade in Tel Aviv and ceremonies, events and prayers held throughout the country and among Jewish communities around the world. These celebrations shaped the day’s traditional character. For the first 20 years, the main event was a large military parade. Later, the practice was limited to air force and naval displays.

View rare photos from the 1949 celebrations from the Benno Rothenberg Collection.

1948: Between War and Routine Daily Life

Any war disrupts the routines of daily societal life. The War of Independence broke out gradually during the months leading up to the declaration of the State of Israel, but its signs were evident everywhere in the last weeks of 1947. As the war became a reality and expanded to various parts of the country, organized civilian responses to these events grew. On the one hand, there was a natural desire to continue life as usual, including civilian affairs. On the other hand, the security and economic reality forced certain changes. Many materials in the collections of the National Library enable us to learn how the authorities in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem reacted to the new realities that disrupted normal daily life.

In Tel Aviv, Beaches Are Temporarily Closed

The bustling Hebrew city of Tel Aviv, which had suffered aerial bombardments during World War II, found itself facing a direct threat from surrounding Arab strongholds. The possibility of an aerial or naval attack was also taken into account in the spring of 1948, when the municipality prohibited sea bathing inside the city limits. The reason given was a desire to avoid crowded gatherings. The municipality informed the public that it would not open the life-guard stations. Moreover, residents were prohibited from walking on the beach or the adjacent boardwalk. The poster concluded with the words “Be Careful and Watch Yourselves Closely” [a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 4:9].

The difficult national situation was reflected also in economic distress. The Tel Aviv Municipality called upon its residents to hurry and settle their municipal financial debts. A poster for the municipality explains to the public that because of the need to repair the damages to many residents’ homes, the municipality is in urgent need of funds. The public is asked to pay the property tax normally due at the end of March 1948 by January 1948. The wording borders on a plea: “The Tel Aviv Municipality is confident that the city’s residents understand the seriousness of the hour for the entire yishuv and also for the life and security of every individual, and will fulfill their duty ... [and] help the municipality to face the challenge.” In light of the text, we learn that many residents of Tel Aviv apparently continued with their normal routines, and needed a reminder as to the current plight.

Concern for Safety

With the spread of the War of Independence, the Tel Aviv Municipality warned of possible dangers. A municipality poster prohibits Tel Aviv residents from crossing into Jaffa after IDF forces entered the area. In the same poster, the mayor warns against damaging property in Jaffa. On Purim 1948, the municipality asks residents to refrain from using explosives, toy cap guns or fireworks, “in order to avoid any unnecessary tensions during these difficult days.” Furthermore, merchants are warned not to sell any merchandise of this type. The announcement also asks that residents “not dress-up in Arab costumes or masks.” The municipality published instructions on how to protect against bombings and what to do in case of an air raid.

Changes to the Daily Routine

The Tel Aviv Municipality faced many practical difficulties. Many of its employees had been drafted, forcing it to cut back on sanitation services. Given the reduced workforce, residents were asked to return empty garbage bins to their places after garbage collection. Municipal public transportation was also limited due to national gasoline rationing, and at a certain point, a notice was issued about cessation of bus service from 9 p.m.

The Matter of Food in Wartime

As early as April 1948, the Tel Aviv Municipality issued a notice requiring all food wholesalers, importers and food manufacturers (including bakeries) to submit a detailed inventory of all food products (both raw materials and finished products) in and out of their warehouses.

Problems of supply were common throughout the war, and in another ad, harsh criticism is voiced by the Histadrut Hapoel Mizrahi Labor Union in the Tel Aviv City Council against food scalpers, who are labeled “a fifth column that targets the Yishuv from within.” The municipality is called upon to “regulate supply matters with an iron fist,” while the Chief Rabbinate is asked, in the same poster, to ensure that all frozen meat imports are kosher, “thereby enabling religious Jews to use this meat as well, and prevent factions to split over non-kosher meat.”

And in Jerusalem, War Within the City

Two interesting posters in the collection illuminate the situation in Jerusalem. In February, immediately after the deadly attack on the Palestine Post building, Magen David Adom called on the public to donate money for new ambulances. All four ambulances were damaged in the attack, and donations from the residents were needed for the benefit of the “Ambulance Fund.”

Jerusalem experienced difficult days from February 1948 until June of that year. On June 11, the Jerusalem District Defense Commander published a proclamation thanking residents for their steadfastness: "with your heads held high, you have borne the fateful blows of the enemy’s barbaric bombardments which have cut down the souls of your loved ones. You have silently suffered through sleepless nights, water shortages and food rations.” The notice, written during a truce, calls on residents not to return to routine but to continue to strengthen the city, through work, recruitment, fortification, and productivity: "Do as you have done so far, out of discipline, without despair, without illusions.”

Studying these materials allows us to get a sense of the atmosphere of the War of Independence, particularly from the civilian perspective, which is often overlooked historically. The War of Independence, which lasted for many months and was full of upheavals, endangered the civilian population in Israel, including those living in the country's main cities. After many years of development and continued economic, cultural and demographic prosperity, Tel Aviv found itself in a state of war that was contrary to the city’s normal civil-bourgeois character.

The Stories Behind Yom Ha'Atzmaut

Read these fascinating stories from our blog which illuminate various aspects of Israel's Independence Day that you may not have neem aware of!

Resources for Students and Teachers

Interesting questions for discussion, detailed information about photographs and documents, analysis of posters and lesson plans on the subject of Independence Day.