The National Season
Three consecutive weeks in the Israeli calendar, starting with Passover and ending on Independence Day.
Throughout these three weeks, the daily routine in Israel shifts to a national mode. Israeli citizens (Jews) make way for a patriotic atmosphere that hovers over the country, waving its flags in a spring breeze, reminding them of the narrative foundations of its existence.
Throughout this short season, the education system repeatedly drills selected chapters of distant and recent history into students, and teachers focus on emphasizing lessons and morals. Local authorities take flags and symbols out of storage and display them proudly, in preparation for the mass ceremonies on the important days of the season. And all media outlets mobilize to strengthen the unique atmosphere exclusive to Israelis – most of whom are Jews, and some are of other religions.
In the background:
Days of changing guards in nature. A cold and rainy Israeli winter gives way to the arrival of the hot Israeli summer.
And meanwhile... a volatile, transitional spring season, with no weatherman willing to vouch for a clear climate forecast. The weather changes daily, swinging between climatic extremes – dusty and clear, hot and cold, rainy and warm.
And these are the three weeks, twenty-two days, net, of the National Season.
First Week: Passover Holiday
The opening whistle of the National Season sounds on Seder night. On the first evening of Passover, most Jewish citizens of Israel gather around a set table and recount the Exodus from Egypt and the arduous journey their forefathers made over thousands of years, from slavery to freedom.
At the end of the evening, they fully embrace their newfound freedom – then embark on a long vacation that will last eight consecutive days of weekdays and intermediate days, big and small celebrations, special prayers in synagogues, leisure and entertainment, and plenty of joie de vivre.
More on Passover in detail here.
Upon their return from vacation, rich with experiences and satisfied with the joy of being free people, a gloomy cloud will emerge from the horizon, accompanying the second week.
Second Week: Holocaust Remembrance Day
The beginning of the week – with a gloomy cloud emerging from the historical horizon.
Israeli society is exposed again, year after year, to World War II and its horrors. The war that left the most painful wound on the Jewish people in modern times, causing the annihilation of all European Jewry and the murder of six million Jews.
The national mood drops to a low level. Not yet the lowest, but enough to minimize general cheerfulness and avoid mass celebrations as much as possible.
The education system deals with stories and drawing lessons, and media outlets clear the stage for Holocaust survivors who tell their survival stories. The most common words are: "Hitler" and "Nazis" – two words that evoke the perpetrators of the great disaster, and along with them the accompanying results such as: "extermination camps," "gas chambers," and all that led to the death of the six million.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is the climax of the second week in the National Season. On the evening of this day, the doors of coffee shops, restaurants, and all entertainment venues are closed. The signal is given by a state ceremony, which will be the first in a series of ceremonies that evening and the next day, across the country.
At the end of the day, Israelis return to a day or two of calm, and already prepare themselves for the last week of the National Season and its two peak days.
Third Week: Memorial Day and Independence Day
The last week of the season is the most national.
At its end, Israelis are supposed to celebrate their country's Independence Day, and in preparation for it, all city streets are adorned with Israeli flags.
Preparations for the celebrations are frantic – all municipalities and local councils prepare squares for a mass happening with dances and performances by first and second-tier artists; kibbutzim and communal settlements prepare cultural centers for a festive program; synagogues organize special prayers for the holiday; shops and markets boost their meat shelves for Israelis to make "al ha'esh" (BBQs); media outlets prepare nostalgic articles and features accompanied by historical photos...
But wait.
Before all the celebrations, one must pause.
Bow one's head.
There is a Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers of the IDF and security forces and victims of hostile acts, or in short: "Yom Hazikaron."
Yom Hazikaron is a sacred day in Israeli society.
The national mood takes on an air of seriousness and solemnity, mixed with gloom. There are no celebrations and no amusements. Even in the communities of the Arab/Muslim minority, who are not part of the Israeli narrative, they respect the day and comply with the solemnity.
Two memorial sirens pierce the atmosphere of general sadness and are heard clearly across the country. Flags are lowered to half-mast, work ceases for minutes of silence, and every Israeli who respects the day will bow their head silently throughout the siren minutes. Only to honor the memory of the fallen.
Between the sirens, and after them, hours of ceremonies will take place in cemeteries, educational institutions, public halls, on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, and in the Knesset of Israel. Public and private media channels will switch to a mourning format and deal exclusively with everything concerning the memory of the victims and their families.
At the end of the day, all eyes are turned to Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, where the Torch Lighting Ceremony is about to take place.
The ceremony symbolizes the transition from the somber Memorial Day to the national joy and pride of Independence Day. From the moment the transition occurs, the cork will be removed from the Israeli champagne bottle, and celebrations will begin in the streets and squares, in resorts and nature sites, at home parties, or on the couch in front of the TV.
No one planned the National Season in its current format.
It came into being naturally, with a little help from history, or as others would say: with God's help or divine assistance.
Since its existence, the season has moved, and continues to move, between extremes – from the joy of freedom to the deep sorrow of horrific memories. Between a flag waving in the wind and a flag lowered to half-mast, between scorching heatwaves and a spring chill bringing pleasant breezes on starry nights.
Only the haze emerging from the desert and covering the horizon with a grayish tint, without prior warning, reminds everyone who gathered here to live in the State of Israel that, after seventy-five years – nothing is certain or clear in the country. Its borders are not fixed, the narrative of its citizens is not uniform, the next war is expected to happen in the north or perhaps in the south, peace with the neighbors is still lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, and meanwhile one must remain vigilant and alert, ready for any trouble that may come.
And after the dust settles, clear skies and a shining sun are seen above homes and fields and vineyards, and in the background, the sounds of a song roll carrying the simplest and clearest words for every Jew who chose to live here: Ein Li Eretz Acheret (I Have No Other Country).
I Have No Other Country,
Even if my land is burning
Only a Hebrew word penetrates
Into my veins, into my soul.
With a body that aches,
and a heart that yearns,
Here is my home.
This is part of "The Israeli Story 1948-2025" project
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