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What began nearly five years ago as an emotional grassroots initiative is steadily becoming a tradition. The multi-denominational, public reading of the Declaration—chanted in traditional cantillation—has come to symbolize unity, Zionism and Jewish peoplehood.
The initiative is led by the World Zionist Organization under the leadership of Dr. Yizhar Hess, deputy and acting chairman, with the goal of connecting the Declaration’s values to modern Israeli and Jewish identity.
This year, against the painful backdrop of ongoing war and hostages still held in captivity, a special portion of the event was dedicated to prayers for their safety and return—a living expression of the values of liberty, justice and peace upon which the state was founded.
“The Declaration is not merely a document of the past,” says Dr. Hess. “It is a compass for the future—a reminder of the shared vision that unites us all.”
The chosen location—Jerusalem’s Egalitarian Kotel at the Western Wall—reflects a desire to create an inclusive, egalitarian space. It allows for full participation of both women and men, religious and secular, Israelis and Jews from abroad, representing the entire political and social spectrum.
The use of biblical cantillation in the reading creates a unique bridge between past and present, between Jewish tradition and a renewed Israeli spirit, between the Jewish people in the Diaspora and those living in Zion.
“This is a remarkable gathering, one that celebrates the values of the Declaration of Independence,” adds Dr. Hess. “A moment where women and men read together, sing together, lead together—an expression of Jewish peoplehood at its best. Here, in Israel and throughout the Diaspora, Jews can look one another in the eye and feel part of the same vision.”