The 16 outstanding individuals who have been chosen to light 13 torches at Israel’s 71st Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem this week arrived at the Knesset on Monday to attend a special reception in their honor.
The reception was held in the presence of Speaker of the Knesset MK Yuli-Yoel Edelstein (Likud), Culture Minister MK Miri Regev (Likud), World Zionist Organization Chairman Avraham Duvdevani, Knesset Secretary Yardena Meller-Horowitz and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
After taking the traditional group photo with Speaker Edelstein, each torch lighter received the Knesset Medal.
“The lighting of the torches has been a tradition in the Israeli nation for thousands of years and was used to send messages between Jews in different locations,” Speaker Edelstein told the torch lighters. “There is an important message here - of responsibility for rolling the chain and continuity.”
“On Wednesday, the eve of Independence Day, the entire Israeli nation will be warmed by the light of the torches you will light and will applaud the Israeli spirit you represent,” he added.
Minister Regev addressed the security situation, saying “the State of Israel has a right to protect itself and the security and well-being of its citizens. This is why we have been acting and will continue to act, as needed, against Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets.”
Minister Regev praised the targeted killing of top Hamas figure Hamed al-Khoudary and said, “There is no doubt that the State of Israel should resume targeted killings, as I have said in the past. The IDF, directed by the political echelon, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, dealt a very powerful blow to Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s terror infrastructures. This is why the other side was quick to ask for a ceasefire.”
Turning to the torch lighters, Minister Regev said, “Particularly in light of the recent days of increasing tension and loss of life, the Israeli spirit you represent emphasizes a spirit of togetherness, of caring for the other, of overcoming obstacles, of mutual responsibility and a belief in the righteousness of our path.”
“You, each in his or her own unique way, symbolize our Israeli spirit; the Jewish, human and strong spirit of Israeli society which has led the State to great achievements,” Minister Regev said.
The following individuals were selected to light a torch at the Independence Day ceremony:
- Paralympian Moran Samuel
- Mental health activist Dr. Hila Hadas
- Singer Yehuda Poliker (was absent from the Knesset ceremony, will receive the Knesset Medal at a later date)
- Director of the Ziv Medical Center Dr. Salman Zarka
- Filmmaker Avi Nesher
- Wounded IDF Col. Shai Siman-Tov
- Sderot teenager and scout leader Gil Shlomo
- Soccer star and Ethiopian-Israeli activist Menashe Zalka
- Hodaya Oliel, a recent medical school graduate with cerebral palsy
- Marie Nahmias, a Holocaust survivor who became a foster mother to dozens of handicapped children
- Three women – Iris Yifrach, Bat-Galim Shaer and Rachelle Fraenkel, the mothers of three teenaged boys killed by terrorists in 2014 – will light a torch together
- Morris Kahn and Kfir Damari, two of the central figures behind the recent SpaceIL attempt to land on the moon, will also light one as a team
- The torch for Diaspora Jewry will be lit by Jeffrey Finkelstein, president of the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, the city that was the site of a deadly anti-Semitic shooting last year
