Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), opposition leader and former prime minister
This will be a sad Independence Day. I will not celebrate this year. I will not go to the annual torch-lighting ceremony. Nor to a party. Nor to any official national celebration. The founding of Israel is an exalted event, but the hostages have not come home, the murdered are not with us, and we cannot celebrate. I will hang an Israeli flag from my home as every year, and I will think of them.
Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of IDSF Israel’s Defense and Security Forum
The War of Independence did not begin or end in 1948. We have been fighting for millennia against those who seek our destruction, and this war of October 7th is no different. In my 30-year career commanding soldiers, I learned that the key ingredient to battlefield success is the spirit and will of the soldiers. Therefore, this Independence Day, every citizen has a responsibility to be proud of our country and soldiers, to guarantee our victory.
Dr. Warren Goldstein, chief rabbi of South Africa
There was no holocaust on October 7. Horrific savagery was perpetrated against Jews, inflicting unspeakable trauma and grief, but not a holocaust.
And for one reason: The IDF defeated the attackers. Without them, Hamas would have rampaged through the country, killing millions of Jews. That did not happen because three years after the Holocaust, God blessed the Jewish people with the establishment of a sovereign state and army, enabling us to protect ourselves with Divine help.
MK Dan Illouz (Likud)
This Independence Day, we recall October 7, a day of horrors reminiscent of past pogroms. Yet, today’s stark contrast to the past lies in our response: Hundreds of thousands of IDF soldiers are defending Israel, embodying dreams of self-determination and strength. For our ancestors, accustomed to tragedy, the type of empowerment we have today would appear miraculous. And so, we celebrate our sovereignty and resilience, mindful of and vigilant for our hostages still held by Hamas.
Uri Geller, illusionist and psychic
I fought in Jerusalem in the Six-Day War as a paratrooper and marched in that Independence Day parade. I have always celebrated the day with joy and pride. This year, how I can celebrate?
How, when our soldiers are fighting and falling, our hostages held in Hamas tunnels, our thousands bereaved or wounded, a tsunami of hatred and violence against us intensifies around the world, and when my country is bleeding and fighting for its existence?
Judge Moshe Kinley Tor-Paz (Yesh Atid), deputy Speaker of the Knesset
This year, I will celebrate Independence Day with my son’s pre-army school on Kibbutz Sofa, which was evacuated after the October 7 massacre. It will be a day of mixed emotions: We are undergoing one of the State’s most difficult times.
We lack unity among the people and agreement on material issues. We can’t see the end of the war, and our hostages are not home. On the other hand, this is our only Independence Day.
Ariel Shafir, attorney, strategist, and founder, Shafir Strategy
This year’s Independence Day comes at one of the toughest times in our state’s existence. The Hebrew year began with a brutal storm, and our soldiers are fighting to preserve our vital independence.
Heads held high, we must proudly wave our flag. Our ancestors dreamed of our ability to defend ourselves. Despite immense pain, we have a country that can protect us. We must persist in unity, for our children’s future. We have no other country.
MK Ze’ev Elkin (National Unity Party)
Even this year, despite the pain, I will celebrate Independence Day with my family. I will tell them that precisely during this difficult year, we must understand how important the Jewish people are. I am a big believer in the State of Israel and its power to deal with all its challenges. As someone born in the antisemitic Soviet Union, and immigrated for ideological reasons, I can fully appreciate the miracle of our own independent state.
MK Shelly Tal Miron (Yesh Atid)
This year, Remembrance Day and Independence Day differ from previous years. The tragedy of October 7, ongoing for seven months; the way Israeli citizens were neglected on that black Sabbath.
The thought of Israeli hostages in tunnels, their independence stolen. For the future of the country, we must return them. I will spend this Independence Day at home with my two girls, grateful for every moment they are by my side where I can protect them.
MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party)
Independence Day takes on a different meaning this year, following October 7. It will begin with a prayer for the return of the independence of the hostages. The flag will be raised for those who sacrificed their lives for the safety of our country and its citizens and those murdered by terrorists. Together with Diaspora Jewry, we declare that the Jewish people are united and will fight to exist as the Jewish people in our homeland.
Tamar Uriel-Beeri, deputy editor-in-chief, The Jerusalem Post
It is so very difficult to use the word “celebration” when referring to Independence Day this year. Usually, it’s a magnificent affair, no less so at our annual JPost Independence Day Bash, consisting of nonsensical news trivia and overcooked hamburgers (sorry, guys).
But this year, we have our independence; they do not.
So, I think I’ll spend Independence Day reflecting.
That’s no cause not to eat some barbecue food, of course. No parties for me, though.
David Brinn, senior editor, The Jerusalem Post
This Independence Day is my 40th as an Israeli, perennially torn between jubilation over our accomplishments and heartbreak over our sacrifices. Post-October 7, I’ve never felt prouder of our people, nor more patriotic; or more dismayed by my government with members that may not have our best interests at heart.
While Hamas still holds hostages, it’s impossible to fully celebrate. But after the past months, due to our resilience and amazing courage, it’s impossible not to.
Seth J. Frantzman, senior Middle East correspondent and analyst, The Jerusalem Post
This year, Israel’s Independence Day feels empty.
Our hostages have been abandoned in Gaza for seven months while foreign countries that back and host
Hamas continue to determine their fate. I am celebrating this year mostly so the kids have something positive to do. An independent country rescues its civilians, doesn’t let its soldiers be taken, and doesn’t evacuate communities and abandon them to endless rocket fire. Perhaps next year, the country will again be independent.
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, health and science reporter, The Jerusalem Post
Living behind Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl used to be exciting because we had front-row seats to the fireworks display that launched Independence Day. But it has changed since October 7, we hear eulogies and cries of despair from every soldier’s funeral. On the 76th anniversary, we don’t want to hear or see politicians and other leaders who failed to prevent such a monumental catastrophe. Let them shut up, belatedly resign – and we will pray for better days.
Eliav Breuer, Knesset correspondent, The Jerusalem Post
Israel’s government chose for the past 15 years to weaken the pragmatic Palestinian Authority and sustain the fundamentalist Hamas. In 2023, the government tore the country apart over its attempt to use its slim majority to completely alter Israel’s constitutional power balance. The government refuses to acknowledge its responsibility for Israel’s current abysmal situation; it continues to engage in petty politics and sow discord. Independence Day this year serves as a reminder that Israel deserves better.
Audrey Lynn Leinoff, copy editor and duty editor, The Jerusalem Post
“Where can we go?” Jewish Pinchas Zabludovitz asked his community, family, and later, what little remained of them after the Nazis invaded Poland.
“To our graves,” was the only reply as he tried to escape to Russia only to be turned back and transferred from one concentration camp to another. Finally, the answer became clear: “We can go home – to Israel.” On Independence Day, I will thank those calling for our annihilation for reinforcing this truth.
Darcie Grunblatt, breaking news desk editor, The Jerusalem Post
Despite the slogan, “Together, we will win,” Israel is divided, now over prioritizing a deal or a Rafah invasion. My parents’ families are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. This divide is difficult as they vilify the other, without empathy. Legitimate arguments exist for both. We are wrestling with what peace means. Still, I live the dreams of my ancestors by living here. There is nowhere I would rather be, no matter how Israel bleeds.
Natan Rothstein, writer and copy editor, The Jerusalem Post
Our cup of life is again half full and half empty.
Empty because many are still dependent on their captors, antisemitism is resurfacing, and there is much to be sad and worried about. Full because many more are independent, we can fight back, and there is much to be happy and hopeful about.
Looking down into the cup, you see the half full through the half empty. Let’s do that – at least to celebrate Independence Day.
Atara Beck, writer and copy editor, The Jerusalem Post
I have been feeling somewhat anxious in the days leading up to Independence Day, which is usually my favorite day of the year. How can I be joyful amid all the suffering? However, we still have so much to celebrate, having persevered through thousands of years of persecution. So, rather than caving in to despair, we must learn from our mistakes and move forward. “Ein li eretz aheret” – I have no other country. Am Yisrael Hai!”
Ohad Merlin, Middle East Affairs correspondent, The Jerusalem Post
(Upper and lower case are intentional in the following poem)
festive barbecue. TWO PIECES OF BREAD PER DAY.
hallel prayer. YELLOW RIBBON. day off from work.
HOSTAGES. relaxation. CONCERN. hike in nature.
UNDERGROUND TUNNELS. sleep till late. FAMILY AND FRIENDS FIGHTING IN THE FRONT. meet up with family. BRING THEM HOME NOW. israeli music. SIRENS AND ALARMS. lie on the grass. FALLEN RELATIVES. achievements and pride. POLITICAL AND
SOCIAL UPHEAVAL. jewish and democratic. FIGHTING FOR OUR EXISTENCE.
76 years. 220 DAYS.
independence. WAR.
hatikvah. HOPE
hOmE.