Jerusalem Day

Jerusalem Day (Hebrew: יום ירושלים, Yom Yerushaláyim) is an Israeli national holiday that commemorates the joining of East Jerusalem (including the Old City of Jerusalem) with West Jerusalem following the Six-Day War of 1967, in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel views East Jerusalem as fully annexed; this view of the status of Jerusalem is disputed by others. Jerusalem Day is celebrated annually on 28 Iyar on the Hebrew calendar, and is marked officially throughout Israel with state ceremonies and memorial services. A notable celebration that marks the holiday is a flag-flying parade known as the Dance of Flags. In recent years, there have been anti-Palestinian chants of in these parades, including "Death to Arabs," "May Your Village Burn," and others. The parade involves flag-bearers marching through the city streets, accompanied by mobile orchestras on trucks playing Hasidic songs. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel declared Jerusalem Day to be a minor religious holiday, as it marks the regaining for Jewish people of access to the Western Wall.