Following announcements by the mayors of Bat Yam (yesterday) and Beit Shemesh that this year, their cities would not be holding fireworks displays on Independence Day, many other mayors have made the same decision, among them the mayors of Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Givatayim, Ra'anana, and Be'er Sheva.
All of them cite the current crisis as the reason for their decision, and the need to save money that can be much better spent on other things, including projects to benefit Holocaust survivors.