Jerusalem: Israel will open the Democracy Pavilion in Tel Aviv to the public from May 18 till the end of the year to mark its 70th anniversary of founding.
Yuli Edelstein, speaker of the Knesset (parliament), Ron Huldai, mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Sean Taube of Taube Philanthropies attended on Monday a pre-launch event at the pavilion, where they re-signed the Declaration of Independence.
The pavilion, a large geodesic dome located on the Rothschild Plaza in Tel Aviv, will use the full 360 degree technology to give an audio-visual presentation of the main events since the establishment of Israel in 1948.
“The establishment of the Democracy Pavilion is an impressive demonstration of Israeli democracy, located in the first modern Jewish city, which was dedicated to democracy from the very beginning,” said Huldai.
“Only in a democratic society can freedom and tolerance co-exist. This is what allows the opposing sectors of Israeli society to co-exist and together create Tel-Aviv’s multi-cultural mosaic,” Huldai added.
The pavilion is established by the Israel Democracy Institute in partnership with the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, supported by the Taube Foundation.
Culture Minister Miri Regev has promised a massive party to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Jewish state.
“I thought it would be appropriate to implement a concept of ongoing events, beginning with the Independence Day ceremony on Wednesday and ending on Saturday evening: 70 hours of Israeli festivity that will bring citizens together across the country in varied and joyous events,” Regev said at a press conference where she unveiled the official logo for the nation’s 70th anniversary to be held under the tagline “A Legacy of Innovation.”
According to a report by Times of Israel, Regev also restated her desire to bring back the annual Israel Defense Forces military parade, which had been the centerpiece of celebrations during the nation’s first two decades of independence. She said she had asked Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to consider authorizing it.
The parades were discontinued in 1968 due to their high cost, though it was held in 1973 on the 25th Independence Day.
