ISRAEL TURNS 74 with ’quiet’ fireworks, calls for kinship * Herzog to ToI: Celebrate, unify, seize moment * 74 reasons to love Israel * Roots of toxic ’Jewish Hitler’ lie

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Thursday, May 5, 2022 [Israel celebrates 74th Independence Day with flyovers, barbecues and a Bible quiz]( By [TOI staff]( [Bennett hails Israeli spirit to overcome adversity as tens of thousands flock to parks and nature reserves; IDF bases reopen for visits after coronavirus hiatus]( [Israeli teens tie for 1st place in International Bible Quiz]( By [TOI staff]( [With ‘quiet’ fireworks and calls for kinship, Israel kicks off 74th Independence Day]( By [TOI staff]( Interview [Tal Schneider and David Horovitz]( [Herzog to ToI on Israel at 74: Celebrate, unify, seize moment for regional dialogue]( [President hails ‘amazing’ achievements of ‘zestful’ Israelis, urges global Jewish unity while predicting further antisemitism surge, sees no prospect of permanent Palestinian deal]( [‘Heroines and heroes’: President honors 120 outstanding IDF soldiers and officers]( By [Emanuel Fabian]( [Bereaved family groups deplore ‘extremist’ hecklers for politicizing memorials]( By [TOI staff]( [Palestinians, Israeli police clash as Temple Mount reopens to Jewish visitors]( By [TOI staff]( [Scuffles break out after non-Muslims once again permitted to enter Jerusalem holy site following end of two-week Ramadan closure; 21 suspects arrested, two cops lightly hurt]( [High Court greenlights expulsion of 1,300 Palestinians from army firing zone]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Zelensky calls Bennett to discuss Lavrov’s ‘scandalous’ Hitler comparison]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [Ukrainian leader says he has ‘fruitful’ talks with PM, updates him on war with Russia; earlier lamented world’s ‘weak’ response so far to Russia claim that Hitler had Jewish blood]( [Zelensky: With its Nazism claims, Russia ‘following same concept of Goebbels’]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( Analysis [Lazar Berman]( [Lavrov’s ‘Jewish Hitler’ comments are latest manifestation of an old, dangerous myth]( [Rumors about Nazi leader’s ancestry go back to the 1920s, but are dismissed by Holocaust scholars; plainly, the idea remains useful for some, including Putin]( [‘Our ties are unbreakable’: Biden, world leaders share Independence Day messages]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Canada’s Trudeau vows to ‘continue to oppose efforts to isolate Israel in international fora’; amid diplomatic spat, Putin says he is ‘confident’ in Russia-Israel relations]( [Hidden behind hat and mask, police counterterror chief lights Independence Day torch]( By [TOI staff]( [Bennett: Never in a thousand years did I imagine leading this government]( By [TOI staff]( Analysis [Nathan Jeffay]( [The demise of fireworks: How PTSD awareness changed Israel’s Independence Day]( [Widely considered a ‘must’ for Israel’s birthday until now, fireworks canceled this year in many cities and towns out of respect for military veterans suffering from post-trauma]( ToI Podcast [Daily Briefing May 5: On Independence Day, digging up the roots of Israeli society]( By [TOI staff]( [Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur takes time out from his family BBQ to elucidate what it was like for Jews the days before and after May 5, 1948]( From the blogs [Talya Woolf]( [74 reasons to love Israel]( [From Yom Kippur bike-riding to sea turtles, the meditative power of the Negev and good-looking men, Krembos, hummus, wine, and how simply everyone helps everyone else]( Top Ops [Susannah Schild]( [Seven quiet trails for Yom Ha’atzmaut]( [If you want to celebrate the birth of Israel out in nature, enjoying its beauty… and you also want to avoid the BBQing crowds, try one of these hikes]( [Idit Codish]( [This is a Yom Ha’atzmaut post]( [Life here is deeply flawed, but bombs and inequality and poverty and all, it’s where I can be a Jew no matter what else I do, and there’s nowhere I’d rather be]( [Kenneth Jacobson]( [On Yom HaAtzmaut, celebrating the new era of normalization]( [As Arab states normalize relations with Israel, others continue to criticize the Jewish state, and in starker terms than ever]( [Irene Rabinowitz]( [Dawn’s child at 74]( [The Jewish state and I were born in the same year, but regardless of my focus on the news from Israel, it was not a given that I would make aliyah – until I did]( [Israel at 74: Economy shows resilience, though clouds loom large on the horizon]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [While Israel has weathered the past two years well, economically speaking, experts note areas of caution like flow of funds, inflation, housing prices, cost of living]( [Arizona offers gas chamber execution to ex-Jewish death row inmate]( By [AFP]( [Frank Atwood, sentenced to death in 1987 for murder of an 8-year-old girl, is son of Jewish woman who fled Austria; local Jewish community unsuccessfully appeals use of Zyklon-B]( [Minister’s revelation shines new light on 1984 death of commando behind enemy lines]( By [Shalom Yerushalmi and TOI staff]( [For years, the military would only say Barak Sharabi died in an unspecified operational incident; now new details have been revealed on the top-secret action in Syrian territory]( [Ukraine: Russia ‘trying to destroy’ last troops in besieged Mariupol steel plant]( By [AFP]( [Ukrainian military says Russian forces have renewed offensive on Azovstal facility as Moscow-announced ceasefire and humanitarian evacuations set to begin]( [US intelligence helped Ukraine target Russian generals — report]( By [AFP]( [Russia pounds Ukraine, targeting supply of Western arms]( By [Jon Gambrell and Cara Anna]( [US Orthodox Jews prepare for balancing act ahead of reversal of abortion rights]( By [Ron Kampeas]( [Orthodox Jewish advocacy groups are getting ready for a potentially delicate political balancing act if Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade]( [UN chief expresses ‘grave concern’ over Hezbollah’s arms ahead of Lebanese elections]( By [Agencies]( [Antonio Guterres calls for Iran-backed terror group to become ‘a solely civilian political party’ and demands ‘free, fair, transparent and inclusive’ vote for parliament on May 15]( [‘Bio’ food, precision oncology to take center stage at biomed summit in Tel Aviv]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [Three-day annual conference, marking 20th year, brings together thousands of participants for newest innovations in medical and heath tech]( [CRM]( [Who counts as a Jew? Pioneering yeshiva fumbles admissions criteria, renewing debate]( By [Jackie Hajdenberg]( [NY’s Hadar quickly removes erroneous language on website saying applicants should have two Jewish parents, but sparks heated conversation about egalitarianism and Jewish identity]( More Headlines [Feuding Rahat families said to reconcile after shootings turn town into ‘Wild West’]( By [TOI staff]( [Suffering from knee pain, Pope uses wheelchair in public for first time]( By [AFP]( [Truck driver in deadly wreck suspected of negligent homicide, recklessness — police]( By [TOI staff]( [Dave Chappelle tackled onstage during standup routine]( By [Agencies]( [In first, ‘Hatikva’ played at Dutch ceremony to honor nation’s fallen]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [IDF, police seize 10 handguns from Palestinian gun smugglers in Jordan Valley]( By [Emanuel Fabian]( [The daily edition]() [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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