Rebecca Affachiner sewed Israel’s first flag from a bedsheet, using a crayon to color the fabric used to fashion the blue stripes and six-pointed Magen David. She proudly displayed it on her porch when she learned that David Ben-Gurion had declared the new State of Israel on May 14, 1948. For this act, she became known as Israel’s Betsy Ross.
No other country connects its Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) and Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut) the same way that Israel does, as a two-day event. A national televised ceremony marks the official transition from a day of somber remembrance into a day of festive celebration.
Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror will be especially poignant this year. Most of the nation will stand still – even in the middle of crossing a street – to the sounds of two sirens, one at night and one in the morning. During the day, active-duty soldiers will don their dress uniforms and stand as honor guards beside military graves, even those of soldiers who died in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948.
Israel is the vegan capital of the Middle East and fourth in the world. Five percent of all Israelis do not consume animal products. In the Israel Defense Forces, approximately 1 in 18 soldiers (5.6%) is vegan. In addition to plant-based meals, the IDF offers synthetic leather boots and synthetic wool berets to its vegan troops.
Israel does not glorify victims, nor promise reward for self-sacrifice. Instead, Israelis remember with honor those who have fallen, whether at the hands of historic oppressors or in defense of the world’s sole Jewish country. In January 2024, there were ~245,000 Holocaust survivors alive, nearly half in Israel. This Yom HaShoah (Holocaust memorial day) Israel will commemorate the 6 million Jews murdered along with the heroism of survivors and rescuers.
Israelis love kids! With an average of 3 children per woman, Israel has the highest fertility rate among the 38 countries in the OECD, where the average is 1.58 children.
