Netanyahu: Shavuot is when we became a united people

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted the Shavuot holiday on Thursday, saying that it marks the moment Jews became a people.

This moment was conceived “at the foot of Mount Sinai, with the receiving of the Torah, with deep faith in the righteousness of our path,” the prime minister tweeted, referring to the traditional belief that the Bible was given to the people of Israel via Moses after he led them in leaving Egypt thousands of years ago.

They received the Torah “Like one man with one heart,” Netanyahu said, invoking an old Jewish interpretation of the ancient event.

“This is the great power of the people of Israel even today. Against our enemies, in time of war, we stand together. United, determined, strong. Our heroic soldiers fight in this spirit. The families of the fallen and the wounded bear it with bravery. And the entire people knows: When we stand together, faithful to our heritage and our land, we win,” Netanyahu wrote, wishing “the House of Israel” happy Shavuot.

Besides the receiving of the Torah, Shavuot also marks the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel, with traditional celebrations of the land’s produce.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog highlighted on X the agricultural aspect of the holiday, thanking the country’s farmers for providing Israelis “with all the bounty of the land” during a meeting with farmers across Israel at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

He commended their achievements and expressed sympathy with their hardships during the two and a half years of war that has plagued the country since the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The farmers “defend our borders, safeguard our lands and supply us with our food,” the president said, wishing Israeli citizens a happy holiday.

One of the attendees in the audience said that 2026 marks 100 years since the first Israeli cowshed was established.