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In the week between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day—amid an ongoing war and with 59 hostages still held by Hamas—Israel is searching for silver linings and anchors of shared identity.
“We cannot fully celebrate Independence Day until all the hostages return home,” said Dr. Yizhar Hess, Acting Chairman and Vice Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, ahead of a special public reading of Israel’s Declaration of Independence to be held Sunday (April 27, 2025) at the Egalitarian Kotel in Jerusalem. The event will be livestreamed on Ynetnews.
Now in its fifth year, the official multidenominational ceremony was established with the goal of restoring the Declaration of Independence to the heart of Israeli and Jewish identity. “The Declaration is a foundational document rooted in values, emphasizing Israel’s identity as both a Jewish and democratic state,” said Dr. Hess. “This year, under the shadow of war, a special part of the ceremony will be dedicated to praying for the hostages’ safe return.”
The event will feature a reading of the Declaration with tropes, blending reverence with diversity—bringing together rabbis and female rabbis from across denominations, public figures, representatives from diverse Jewish communities, and descendants of the original signatories. “The Egalitarian Kotel reflects the diversity of the Jewish people—Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, secular—everyone is equal,” Dr. Hess explained. “That’s exactly the vision we hoped to see when reading the Declaration of Independence.”
The timing and location were not coincidental. The days between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day are known as the “Ten Days of Gratitude,” symbolizing the Jewish people’s national journey from destruction to renewal. The Egalitarian Kotel was selected as a place of connection—between Israel and the Jewish people, to Jerusalem, between different segments of society, men and women—reflecting the values embedded in the Declaration itself.
'He chose to sign – and spent Shabbat in Tel Aviv'
“They signed the Declaration on a Friday, and there was a question whether he would make it back to Jerusalem before Shabbat,” recalls attorney Nitzan Kahana, granddaughter of Rabbi Dr. Kalman Kahana, one of the signatories of the Declaration, who took part in last year’s ceremony. “My grandfather chose to sign—and spent Shabbat in Tel Aviv. That says it all—the decision to take part in history. Knowing he signed the Declaration at age 38 gave me a sense of possibility—a realization that I, too, have a path to influence and shape reality.”
For Kahana, her family legacy quickly became a personal calling. “From a young age, I knew I would be involved in public service,” she says. Her record includes active involvement in groundbreaking legislation in the field of women’s rights. “I see equality as a foundational value, and that’s why I’m here—to promote it. The Declaration of Independence articulated this so clearly and progressively. Today—unbelievably—there are those who claim it was too progressive.”
'We didn’t see them as immigrants – but as family'
Yehudit Kol-Inbar, daughter of Moshe Kol, who signed the Declaration of Independence, will read a passage at this year’s ceremony. “We didn’t talk about it much at home—we simply lived by it,” she says of her family legacy. Her father, who signed the Declaration at age 36, was the first representative of HaOved HaTzioni in the Histadrut’s executive committee.
“In our home, we didn’t see them as immigrants—we saw them as family,” she continues. “My father deeply believed that Israel must be both a Jewish and democratic state, and that peace with our neighbors was a real goal. He also opposed military rule and worked to support the Druze community and displaced persons during those years. It was part of his DNA.”
Kol-Inbar, who worked at Yad Vashem and helped promote the Museums Law, continues her father’s legacy. “I come from the world of Holocaust remembrance, but the message I grew up with wasn’t about victimhood—but about humanity. We must lead the call of ‘Never Again’ not just for ourselves, but for every human being.”
For her, the core value of the Declaration of Independence—and her reason for taking part in the ceremony—is “our right to live here as Jews, and our obligation to see the others. These two values—Judaism and human rights—this is the kind of country I want to live in,” she declares. “The Declaration reminds us of the most fundamental thing: the desire to live here, in this land, in peace, security, and dignity—with all the groups and peoples within and around us.”
'If you don’t have a better alternative, don’t take apart what you have'
Oren Kagan, grandson of Rachel Cohen-Kagan—one of only two women to sign the Declaration of Independence—participated in the 2023 reading ceremony. Like the children and grandchildren of other signatories, he seeks to return the Declaration’s values to the center of public discourse.
“I was born into a home where it was clear that my grandmother, Rachel Kagan, was a significant figure,” he recalls. “From a young age, I would accompany her to public events. I believe I absorbed a lot from her—especially her liberal, civic-minded outlook and the socially egalitarian vision that shaped her work.”
To Kagan, the Declaration of Independence is more relevant than ever. “In today’s Israel, this document is the country’s moral anchor,” he says. “There are those who want to relegate it to the archives and label it as ‘the past.’ But in my view—if you don’t have a better alternative of equal value, don’t take apart what you have. You can’t build stability without a foundation. The Declaration of Independence isn’t just a historical document—it’s a living basis for our shared values. Without it, what holds all this together?”
Kagan, a software engineer living in Haifa, also initiated a group of signatories’ descendants in response to the judicial overhaul. “The Declaration of Independence expresses the delicate balance between a Jewish and democratic state—and that balance must be preserved.”
'A country that is less than we hoped for, but more than we expected'
Dr. Emmanuel Wahrhaftig, son of Declaration signatory Dr. Zorach Wahrhaftig, takes part in the annual public reading of the Declaration. A scholar with a doctorate in Talmud, he has dedicated his life to preserving his father’s legacy, whom he describes as a man of Torah, law and the people.
“I am proud of my parents,” he states. “My father worked to rescue Jews during the Holocaust, helped establish Israel’s legal system, and was a leading figure in shaping religious legislation and advocating for religious rights in the young state. To me, the Declaration’s greatest value is the unity of the people of Israel—connecting Jews from the Diaspora. Immigration to Israel, settlement, strengthening the Jewish majority and education—these are all essential to our continued existence.”
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“He signed next to Ben-Gurion—and that was no accident. Ben-Gurion insisted on it,” Wahrhaftig adds. “My father used to say, ‘This is a country that is less than we hoped for, but more than we expected.’ That’s progress. And there is still more to aspire to.
'A rare opportunity to experience a Jewish-Israeli ceremony that includes everyone'
This year’s public reading of the Declaration will feature participants from across Israeli society, including bereaved families, relatives of hostages, and reserve soldiers. Among them are Tzvi Zussman, father of the late Ben Zussman who fell in battle in northern Gaza; Levi Ben Baruch, uncle of Edan Alexander who was kidnapped on October 7; and Maj. (res.) Oriah Baruchi Cohen, head of the Sdot Negev Regional Religious Council and an officer serving in the IDF's hospital casualty unit in southern Israel.
“This is a rare opportunity for Jewish communities in the Diaspora to experience a Jewish-Israeli ceremony that includes everyone, and does so equally,” said Dr. Hess. “It’s a moment in which women also read, sing, and lead. Our vision is to make the Declaration of Independence a shared asset of the Jewish people—not just a document of the past, but a compass for the future. ‘Jewish peoplehood’ is not just a slogan—it’s a deep sense of family, and this ceremony shows how Jews in Israel and around the world can look one another in the eye and feel a sense of belonging.”
The ceremony is open to the public with advance registration and will take place on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Egalitarian Kotel in Jerusalem. The event will be broadcast live in multiple languages to Jewish communities around the world. Additional information about the Declaration and educational materials are available on the event website.
For more details and to register: www.the-megillah.com
In collaboration with the World Zionist Organization