An official ceremony tonight at the Western Wall in Jerusalem will mark the onset of Memorial Day for Israel\'s Fallen Soldiers. A minute-long siren will be sounded throughout the country tonight, and a two-minute siren will be heard tomorrow at 10 AM. Some 9,312 soldiers have fallen since the War of Independence. Tomorrow, tens of thousands of people are expected to visit 42 military cemeteries around the country. Independence Day festivities begin tomorrow night.
The population of Israel on Independence Day Eve 2001 is 6.4 million people. 81%, or 5.2 million, of these are Jews, including 200,000 new immigrants who are not recognized as Jews in the population registry. This proportion of 81% is practically the same as it was when the State was established in 1948. On average, 360 babies were born in Israel, and 150 new immigrants arrived, every day in the year that passed. The population grew by 2.4%, less than last year but still significantly higher than in developed countries. Two-thirds of Israelis were born here.
The Jewish National Fund is sponsoring a free-of-charge Independence Day event this Thursday, starting at 11 AM. The program, entitled \"Paths of Independence - In the Footsteps of Warriors,\" will be held at JNF forests and parks throughout the country. Special guides will welcome visitors and provide information on routes and sites in the vicinity. The organization is also recommending three special routes for those interested in a strenuous hike. In the north, JNF suggests a footpath stretching from the \"Koach Fortress\" along the Warriors Route. In the country\'s central region, hikers can trek by foot (or car) from Rabin Park along the Burma Road and via the road overlooking the main route to Jerusalem, to see how the Jews defended the road from Arab attackers. In the south, motorists can visit battle sites and monuments on the internal Negev road from Hill 69 to Hulikat.
The Defense Ministry\'s twelve museums around the country will be open free of charge on Independence Day. They include the Lechi Museum in Tel Aviv (tel: 03-682-0288), the Haganah Museum in Tel Aviv (03-560-8624), the Prisoners of the Underground Museum in Akko (04-991-8264), the Prisoners of the Underground Museum in Jerusalem (02-623-3166), the HaShomer Museum in Kfar Giladi in the Galilee (06-694-1565), and others.
The population of Israel on Independence Day Eve 2001 is 6.4 million people. 81%, or 5.2 million, of these are Jews, including 200,000 new immigrants who are not recognized as Jews in the population registry. This proportion of 81% is practically the same as it was when the State was established in 1948. On average, 360 babies were born in Israel, and 150 new immigrants arrived, every day in the year that passed. The population grew by 2.4%, less than last year but still significantly higher than in developed countries. Two-thirds of Israelis were born here.
The Jewish National Fund is sponsoring a free-of-charge Independence Day event this Thursday, starting at 11 AM. The program, entitled \"Paths of Independence - In the Footsteps of Warriors,\" will be held at JNF forests and parks throughout the country. Special guides will welcome visitors and provide information on routes and sites in the vicinity. The organization is also recommending three special routes for those interested in a strenuous hike. In the north, JNF suggests a footpath stretching from the \"Koach Fortress\" along the Warriors Route. In the country\'s central region, hikers can trek by foot (or car) from Rabin Park along the Burma Road and via the road overlooking the main route to Jerusalem, to see how the Jews defended the road from Arab attackers. In the south, motorists can visit battle sites and monuments on the internal Negev road from Hill 69 to Hulikat.
The Defense Ministry\'s twelve museums around the country will be open free of charge on Independence Day. They include the Lechi Museum in Tel Aviv (tel: 03-682-0288), the Haganah Museum in Tel Aviv (03-560-8624), the Prisoners of the Underground Museum in Akko (04-991-8264), the Prisoners of the Underground Museum in Jerusalem (02-623-3166), the HaShomer Museum in Kfar Giladi in the Galilee (06-694-1565), and others.