This document is an official statement from the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) that the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar will be a national independence day. The document was published in 1949 and distributed in the streets of Israel before the first anniversary.
The document starts by detailing the challenges facing Israel and the country’s achievements in its first year of existence: the struggle for freedom, military victory, the creation of the IDF, the parliament, and a government, global recognition, and many immigrants.
The document declares that the newly legislated Independence Day will be a day for celebration and rest as well as a day of memorial for the men and women who died in the country’s defence. (Later, in 1951, David Ben-Gurion was to declare a separate memorial day in response to a request from bereaved families.) Independence Day should be a holiday and a day when people spend time together to remember and appreciate Israel’s new beginnings and the freedom of the Jews to live in their own land.
The document also calls on Jews from around the world to continue their support for the Jewish State.
The emblem of the State of Israel can be seen at the top of the document. The blue and white emblem shows a menorah surrounded by olive branches and the Hebrew word “Yisrael” underneath. The Menorah was used in the Temple, and according to the illustration on the Arch of Titus, after the exile of the Jews in 70 CE, the Romans looted the Temple and took the Menorah and other ritual objects to Rome. The olive branches symbolize an important tree common in Israel and the hope for peace. The colours blue and white, as on the flag of Israel, represent the colours of the tallit.
