Opinion | Jerusalem Day should be celebrated in the format of Independence Day Israel today

Over the years, the indifference on the Israeli street to Jerusalem Day celebrations has increased.

55 years after the unification of the city, those celebrating are mainly young people from the national-religious public and some of the city's residents.

It seems that Jerusalem Day has failed to be enshrined in the national collective memory.

Collective memory includes past events passed down to us from the previous generation.

This is how the Jewish and Zionist stories of the Exodus from Egypt, the Holocaust, the establishment of the state, the Israeli wars and the heroism of our soldiers were conveyed to us.

Our collective memory as a people has evolved from tradition, customs and mitzvos, from the education systems, from the media and more.

Memory is a flexible and changing thing.

Are the next generation being educated on the concept of Independence Day or Nakba Day?

Is ultra-Orthodox education taught about the Holocaust as in state education?

The struggle for collective memory is both latent and overt.

What is the narrative, what is the myth that needs to be nurtured, lived by and passed on to the next generation.

The state and its laws also have an impact on the process.

A state day, organized by government institutions, will be deeply ingrained in the public consciousness - such as Holocaust Remembrance Day, IDF Martyrs' Day and Independence Day. The siren, ceremonies, school and media events - all establish collective memory. , The liberators of the city, Mota Gur and Hanan Porat, in which it was stated that "the Knesset hereby declares the 28th of Iyar as Jerusalem Day, which will be celebrated every year as the state holiday."

Except for the announcement, it does not require anything.

The comparison to a similar law from those years, the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day Law, is fascinating: it was enacted in 1997, about two years after the assassination.

In contrast, the Jerusalem Day Law was enacted in 1998, some 30 years after the unification of the city;

Rabin is required by law to be celebrated in state institutions, IDF camps and schools. On Jerusalem Day, the Prime Minister is only allowed to make arrangements;

A ceremony is held near Rabin's tomb, according to the law.

On Jerusalem Day the Prime Minister is only authorized to order a rally;

In schools, Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day is marked by two types of activities, according to law.

On Jerusalem Day the Minister of Education may only prescribe educational activities for that day;

On Rabin Day, the Chief of Staff's day order will be published, which is not required by law on Jerusalem Day; marking Rabin Day is a legal obligation, but marking Jerusalem Day is an authority.

The law is a formative factor and influences the collective memory, and also an excellent measure.

A fixed day in the law, when in front of it is a day that is full of permission.

This shows to which of them the state attaches importance.

This is how the world of values ​​of policy makers is revealed to us, and probably also the political opinion of the legislature.

This is how values ​​are passed on to future generations.

A value that is important to the state - will be stored in the collective memory;

Marginal value in her eyes - will fade.

National collective memory is critical to our lives, and the Knesset should amend the law.

In a Jewish state desiring life, Jerusalem Day should be celebrated in a format similar to Independence Day, and not today a marginal holiday of a minority of its citizens.

Rabbi Dr. Hanan Yitzhaki is the head of the master's degree program in memory and heritage, Efrata College - Jerusalem.

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