So who knew?
Today is Independence Day in Israel (yesterday was Memorial Day).and today the city went nuts. It started last night with a wild fireworks display, in fact several, all over the city...the largest upon a hill east of Downtown Tel Aviv. This morning most of the rules as to opening hours and reservations at the museums were set aside and all the locals teamed into the museums...not so good for tourists.
I started my morning by going to the Independence Museum, where David Ben Gurion read the Declaration of Independence on May 14, (old calendar) 10 (current calendar), 1948, which both severed the umbilical with Great Brittain, and unleashed the 1948 war. The museum is in the former home of Mieir Dizengoff, the first Mayor of and a benefactor to the city.
Today, the old home of Dizengoff stands much renovated and converted to the museum. The real attraction for me was the Beit Hatanach (Bible museum) which turned out to be on the second and third floor of this building. Frankly, it was not what I expected and very dissappointing. I was hoping for some real artifacts relating to the establishment of the Jewish Bible (The Tenach) but instead found a weak collection of recent art depicting renditions of the old Bible stories, some models of old temples, a mostly humorous model of Noah's ark and a dark room in which they were showing....are you ready? ...the movie Exodus starring Charlton Heston, E.G. Robinson, Yul Brenner and the gang...with Hebrew subtitles.
So back to my hotel. I arrive just in time to see passing before us in the sea just off the beach, elements of the Israeli Navy passing in parade followed by a huge flotilla of private boats from the local boat harbor. Reminded me of 4th of July in Seward. Overhead, squadrons of Israeli Air Force assets, Helicopters, fighter jets, etc., flew by...not unlike Bastille Day in Paris.
So, pride in one's country, appreciation of freedom and independence, is a human feeling that is felt similarly around the world among those who have freedom, independence and are proud of their homeland.
Certainly makes it seem valuable to find ways for those who do not yet have the cause for such feelings to reach their goal of finding freedom, independence and pride in a homeland.
Dick
