Many thousands joined in prayers of thanksgiving in Jerusalem at the Western Wall on Independence Day immediately following Remembrance Day for the Fallen IDF Soldiers and Victims of Terror.
Each year, on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, at the conclusion of Yom HaZikaron, hundreds of thousands of Israelis and visitors attend street parties, festive prayer services and other programs to celebrate the establishment of the Jewish state on May 14, 1948.
The event at the Kotel (Western Wall) is a particularly emotional experience, as thousands recite Hallel – psalms of thanksgiving – in unison, led by the Israeli chief rabbi, the chief military rabbi of the IDF and other prominent spiritual leaders.
Watch this moving video of the recitation of Hallel at the Kotel on Yom Ha’atzmaut 2016.