Number 107: Yom Ha’ atzmaut celebrates the founding of the State of Israel on 14^th May 1948.  This date corresponds to the Hebrew date of 5^th Iyar. Yom Ha’ atzmaut is therefore celebrated on a different date each year in the Gregorian Calendar.

This photograph, taken probably in 1978, reflects members of Youth Movements, both Habonim and Betar, affiliated to the Cape Town Zionist Youth Council that participated in the “Rikkudei Am”: Israeli Folk Dancing Group – that was part of the celebrations show. I joined Habonim in Cape Town in 1978 and was one of the Habonim representatives in the Group.

The Israeli Declaration of Independence declares inter alia that Israel: “will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.” 

May that Declaration become true speedily in our time!

Habonim and Betar have fundamentally different narratives of Israel’s history, values and vision for the future. It is nevertheless vital that we find the common ground that we, whose narratives are different, all share and that we sustain respectful and good relationships with each other on a personal level.