Today is the 5^th day of the Hebrew month Iyyar, and you know what that means… today, we’re celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut! That’s right, this year is the 61^st year of the establishment of the State of Israel. In Israel, families celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut by going on hikes, checking out the free public shows on the city streets, visiting sites of national historic interest (like Independence Hall in Tel Aviv), and having barbeques!

If the weather here in Philadelphia clears up in time, I might have a celebratory Yom Ha’atzmaut BBQ with some of my friends.

I might also mark the day by re-reading one of my favorite books on Israeli history, “Six Days of War,” by Michael Oren. If you’re interested in brushing up on your knowledge of some famous figures from Israeli history, check out these biographies of Yoni Netanyahu, Teddy Kollek, and Golda Meir.  And if you’re interested in checking out what some of the bigwigs had to say about Zionism, take a look at The Zionist Idea.

I’ll leave you with something fun – an extremely abridged version of a comedic peice called “The Only Country” by Israeli journalist Yair Lapid.   (If you want to read the full version, check it out here.)

It’s the only country where the Transport Ministry has erected a roadside sign reading: “Cohens, keep to the left of the road”, and now our only hope is that the Cohens will drive a little faster.

[…] It’s the only country where people visiting your home for the first time ask  “Can I help myself from the fridge?” (If you’re lucky. Some don’t ask.)

It’s the only country where the rich are the socialist left, the poor are with the capitalist right-wing, and the middle-classes pay for everything.

[…] It’s the only country where a corporal’s mother has the cell-phone number of the platoon commander (and he better watch out…)

It’s the only country that’s launched a telecommunication satellite in space, but where no one lets you finish a sentence.

It’s the only country where a man in a grubby open-collared shirt is the distinguished minister, and the guy standing next to him in a suit and tie is his driver.

[…]And it’s the only country I could ever live in.

Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut!

-Naomi