This Independence Day, we cry for the independence taken from our hostages
A woman waves a large Israeli flag as people watch the military airshow as part of Israel
The list of the annual torch-lighters for Israel’s Independence Day ceremony—conducted on the eve of Independence Day as Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism comes to a close—was released to the public this past Thursday, and it makes most hearts in the country swell with pride.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev has announced a significant change in this year’s torch-lighting ceremony. Instead of individual torches, the lighting will be a collective effort, symbolizing our shared responsibility and unity as a nation. This change underscores the importance of this ceremony, a beacon of our national pride and unity.
While it’s natural to question the government’s role in selecting the torch-lighters, it’s crucial to recognize the dedicated committee’s efforts. They tirelessly seek out individuals who embody the very best of the Israeli and human spirit, a process that demands our utmost respect and trust.
These are the real representatives of our country. It is not one politician or political party but the sum of all our parts.
Carrying the torches
The first torch, the security forces torch, will be lit by IDF Captain Shavit Ben Moshe, Police Commissioner Amir Cohen, a Shin Bet fighter, and a Mossad intelligence officer. No industries in Israel have tightened the belt and thrown themselves into the war more, needless to say, than the security forces keeping evil at bay. This, being the first torch in the ceremony, was a necessity.
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi attend an event honoring outstanding soldiers at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, on Independence Day last year. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi attend an event honoring outstanding soldiers at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, on Independence Day last year. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Representatives of rescue forces will carry the next torch, and a representative from Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, the Fire and Rescue Unit, and ZAKA will take it together. While each and every one has been vital for Israelis for so long, their heroic work on October 7 is incomparable. They are paramedic Oshrit Haddad, Dr. Tamar Shelzinger, Norit Eran Cohen, and fire station commander Yoel Demri.
The next torch, the rescuers’ torch, looks away from the organizations and down at the individual level at the civilians who tossed everything aside to stand up and fight when it was most needed, most prominently during the October 7 massacre. These individuals are Nasrin Yosef, Rabbi Shahar Butzchak, Yosef Alziedana, and Rami Davidian.
Representatives of community defense groups, Inbal Liberman, Barak Shalom, Avichai Elia, and Tal Levit, will carry the next torch for their incredible valor in the face of attacks, particularly in the South.
Finally, Yoseph Haddad and Ella Kenan will carry a torch for their advocacy on the international stage for Israel and against hate and antisemitism that has run rampant, not just in the aftermath of October 7 but far before that. Their names have been prominent across social media whenever the subject of anti-Israel sentiments has come up.
Remember all of these names; they are the very best of us.
As we head closer and closer to Independence Day, which is merely a little over a week away, we take on two actions.
The first: We honor those who have fought on varying fronts for the existence and safety of the Israeli people and the State of Israel as a whole. They are the salt of the earth.
The second: We are not celebrating our independence this year. We are crying for the independence taken violently from our hostages, who have been held for 211 days in varying degrees of terrible conditions by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
They are all us, and we are all them. This is the everlasting balancing beam that the Jewish people have tread; we celebrate and mourn collectively; and, in the case of Remembrance Day and Independence Day, back-to-back.
To all those carrying the torches, thank you; you will carry the torches with strength and pride, just as you brought light in the darkest of times during and after October 7.
And to our hostages: We have not forgotten you. You will be free, and we will celebrate your independence just as we celebrate the independence of the State of Israel.