On Sunday, the sun was shining warmly and the roads were closed. Planes flew overhead in fancy formations. It was questioned whether the parade was a representative way to show 25 years of statehood. The Israelis on the street had no question in their minds. They wanted glory, victory, strength and power to show the world and themselves.
That night, the buildings and streets were beautifully lit and decorated. I mingled with my friends and neighbors. Loudspeakers blared the famous and familiar folk songs. When I heard the music and danced the dances and saw the fireworks exploding in the sky, I felt that this glittering, dream-like world was a symbol of Israel’s independence for me.
It was mid-June before all of the brightly colored street decorations were taken down.
From Witness to History, 1973
The writer is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer, food writer and author (Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel), nine cookbooks (including What’s Cooking at Hadassah College.) She lived in Israel from 1970-1980. She and her late husband, Barry, later came to live in Jerusalem in 2008, where she works as a foreign correspondent for North American Jewish publications, lectures at senior citizen residences, and leads walks in English in the shuk at Mahaneh Yehuda.