Under the stars on Mount Herzl, Israel marks 78 years of independence

(JNS) — Nobody was entirely sure the ceremony would take place.

Organizers had quietly filmed a full dress rehearsal days earlier in case renewed fighting with Iran made a live public event impossible. A fragile ceasefire with Iran and Lebanon was holding—barely.

Last year’s ceremony was canceled due to wildfires in the Jerusalem hills. This year, thousands arrived from across the country, determined not to miss the event.

What followed was one of the most emotionally charged Independence Day ceremonies in recent memory—a sweeping, two-hour program centered on the theme “Strengths of Renewal,”...