Flag bearers from all branches and commands of the Israel Defense Forces will take part in the torch-lighting ceremony on Tuesday night for the Jewish state’s 78th Independence Day.
The guiding theme of this year’s ceremony is “Forces of Renewal,” symbolizing Israel’s achievements over the past year and groundbreaking technological innovation, the IDF said on Sunday.
The ceremony commander, Col. (res.) Shimon Deri, was quoted as saying that the theme “connects to the phrase with which I chose to open the ceremony: ‘And the children shall return to their borders.’ For me, ‘Forces of Renewal’ symbolizes the excitement and strength of commanding the first ceremony in which we will not need to open with a prayer for the return of the captives and the missing.”
About 125 flag bearers will march on the ceremony plaza at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
