Fireworks for 70th Independence Day

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Like every year, when night came, the heavy day of remembering our fallen soldiers and our victims of terrorism gave way to the joy and exuberance of Independence Day celebrations. 
Last night I watched our town's fireworks display from my place.
Enjoy the little video and its sounds!
Happy 70 years of independence, my dear Israel!  
I am fortunate to have lived here for 50 of those eventful years. 
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Jet fighters overhead! 3 videos

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The Independence Day flyover!
Today Israel Air Force plane flew for two hours, all across the country.
I climbed the high hill in Meitar's center to get the best view and be closest to the aircraft.
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These jets demonstrated  mid-air refueling.

A bird and a child's kite got into this clip of some fighter jets.

I think these are our new F-35 Stealth fighters.
They were shown to the public for the first time today.
The Times of Israel writes this:

Israel is the first country outside the United States to receive the state-of-the-art F-35, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. In total, the country is planning to purchase 50 of the fifth-generation stealth aircraft, known in Israel as the “Adir,” or “mighty one,” and has thus far received five of them.

You can see clear photos of them in that article.
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And now tonight, we end our happy 69th Independence Day and start our 70th year as a State, thanks, in great part, to the planes and pilots we saw today.
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A heart for our Air Force

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Our community of Meitar was treated to a flyover at noon today in celebration of Israel's Independence Day!

Several formations came over low and fast right above my street.

A Boeing showed how they do in-flight refueling of fighter jets.

Strange how a white heart appears at the wingtip in this photo!
(You can enlarge it with a click or two.  See it?!)
A sure sign of our love for the Air Force and for all our boys and girls in uniform.
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Happy 68th Independence Day, long live our little country!
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UPDATE:  Just published--a first-hand account of the turbulence endured by the press photographer assigned to the Hercules cargo plane (in my 2nd photo).  But he got great aerial photos of Israel!
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Holiday fireworks in Meitar video

Happy 68th Independence Day, Israel!
Wednesday night at sundown we made the transition from sad Remembrance Day to happy Independence Day.
 Here's a little video of  fireworks in the center of my little town in the Negev, as seen from a friend's roof on the edge of town.
You can hear one of the many neighborhood dogs barking in protest against the explosive noise.

Chag Atsmaut  sameach -- happy Independence Day!
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(Linking to SkyWatch Friday.)
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Fireworks for Independence Day

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Independence Day fireworks, with and without bokeh.

I watched from my back yard, so the neighbors' house got in the way a bit.

Israel has reached the ripe old age of 67 years.   Mazal tov!
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(Linking to SkyWatch Friday.)
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Small-town Independence Day celebrations

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 Last night Israel made the transition from solemn Memorial Day (see previous posts)  into happy Independence Day.
Two tall angels (or fairies?) on stilts greeted folks at the entrance to Meitar's amphitheater.

Fireworks!

We sat on the lawn to watch local talent onstage.

Hungry ones filled the little commercial center, indulging in ice cream, felafel, and pizza.
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Independence Day continues today (Tuesday) with thousands (millions?) of Israelis doing the traditional barbeque.
I'm happy to be staying home to watch the TV specials from the President's House, then the yearly International Bible Quiz, and later the awarding of the Israel Prize, and lots more.

Happy 66th birthday, Israel!
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday Q-Day  with the Bible Quiz.)
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Celebrating Independence Day via Internet TV

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Nuts!
That's what I said today when the Independence Day Air Force fly-over was cancelled for Jerusalem.
We had such heavy winds and cloud cover and only 15 degrees C.
The rest of the country had better weather and did get to see the planes, however.
At least I have my dramatic photos of the planes from a year ago. 

So for ABC Wednesday N is for nuts, but for Nature too.
Some 1.3 million Israelis flocked to parks and forests today to barbeque and celebrate.

For me, N is also for nachat,  that special feeling of being proud of those you love.
We had so much of nachat over these two days, the Day of Remembrance and then our 65th Independence Day.
First, the twelve torches that were lit on Mt. Herzl by 14 Israelis who have done much (as I wrote in yesterday's post). 
Then the 120 outstanding young soldiers who were honored at the official residence of President Peres this morning.
To see their bright faces and to hear some of their stories of service and attitude made me kvell (to feel overflowing nachat), as if I were their mother.
Actually we all feel that  all the soldiers are our children.

Then at noon youth from all over the world competed in the annual Bible contest.
So young yet they know the Tanach so well.

And tonight I watched the awarding of the Israel Prizes to the older scholars and teachers and researchers and builders of our country.

So many citizens who have given so much to our people. 
So inspiring.   God bless them!
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Happy Independence Day! Join us live!

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The abrupt transition from the somber Day of Remembrance to the joyous Independence Day  will happen very soon, at sundown.
The State of Israel's 65th birthday!
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Join us for the festivities on Mount Herzl, broadcast live.
Our soldiers do fancy marching displays only once a year and this is your chance to hear the band and watch the young men and women.

The TV broadcast starts at 19.50 our time.
Israel is GMT +2 hours.   Time and Date can help you convert the time zones.
Go to http://iba.org.il/media/ and click on the flashing red words to open the TV coverage, and click for full screen.

First comes the ceremonial lighting of 12 torches, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel.
The theme this year is the national legacy and the preservation of national cultural assets for generations to come.

Quoting The Times of Israel,  the honorees will be
 

1) Colonel (Ret.) Dani Shapira, one of the first Israel Air Force pilots, who went on to spend 57 years flying planes as a service pilot and test pilot.

2) Historian and researcher Muki Tzur, for his work on investigating the settlement of Israel and the kibbutz movement.

3) David Blumberg, chairman of the board of the National Library.

4) Tamar Ross, researcher and presenter in the field of philosophy of Israel.

5)  Meir Buzaglo, mathematician and philosopher, who has worked to renew interest in Jewish poetry.

6) Rishon Lezion Mayor Dov Tzur, who will light a torch together with Iris Halperen, principal of the Haviv school, who has spent over 24 years in education.

7) Bilah Ben Eliyahu, presenter on contemporary Jewish literature.

8) Eliyan Elkrainu, the first Bedouin to preside over an academic institute, the Ahva Institute.

9)  Daphne Shimshon, the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her father was a community leader who was active in gaining full recognition of the community as being Jewish.

10) Rino Tzror, veteran journalist and radio host.

11) Ron Hedvati, a ranger for the Council for the Preservation for Heritage Sites and the founder of a museum in Kibbutz Ein Shemer.

12)  Agatha Farchick, a Ukrainian-born youth leader in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement that this year marks its 100th anniversary, and Eliyana Elbaz, a youth leader in the Revisionist Youth movement that is marking its 90th year. A year and a half ago Elbaz’s father, who was active in the security forces and the police, was killed on his way to a mission. They will light a torch dedicated to the country’s youth.

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Sixty-four years of independence

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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

HAPPY 64th BIRTHDAY, ISRAEL!

By chance, I came out of the recently redone galleries of the Israel Museum exactly when the Air Force acrobatics began in the sky.
I don't know which was more breathtaking--the archaeology indoors or the aircraft outside!

The planes seemed almost low enough to fly into the 5-meter-tall polished steel hourglass "Turning the World Upside Down, Jerusalem" by sculptor Anish Kapoor (more about it here).

With a click to enlarge, you will find the four planes over the Knesset.

Appropriate for SkyWatch Friday, I do think.

May our pilots always fly in peaceful skies.
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Flying

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UPDATE to yesterday's post!
The IDF Blog has a slideshow and short videos (from the cockpit) of yesterday's Independence Day flyover by the Air Force!
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Aerial salute on Israel's 63rd birthday

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Quintuplet -- 1. a combination of five of a kind
OK, I got my Q word for ABC Wednesday.
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This morning a quintuplet of helicopters flew right over my house, followed by a second identical formation.
They must have been on their way to Jerusalem to do an Air Force fly-over for Independence Day.
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The choppers were followed by five fighter jets and then several Hercules transport planes.
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This combination was about aerial refueling.

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Thanks, pilots, for letting me enjoy hearing and seeing these aircraft without leaving my doorstep!
Happy 63rd Independence Day!
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Jewish "stars"

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Our star has risen! Today we Israelis celebrate sixty years of hard-won statehood, independence, and freedom.
In honor of Independence Day my next-door neighbor put up a flag pole and flags and even flashing colored lights. Last night the sky over Jerusalem was lit up with marvelous fireworks, and we had a good view from our village. Happy 60th birthday, dear country, and many more!

See the skies of other countries at Sky-Watch Friday.
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