The first IDF \ Independence Parade 1949 –  “The Parade That Didn’t March”

The question of how Israeli Independence Day came to be celebrated in the way we are familiar with today is complex. One of the most cherished stories regarding the attempts to form a proper independence celebration is “The Parade That Didn’t March”. On the first anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence, it was decided to hold the first IDF parade, on Thursday, May 4, 1949, in Tel Aviv.

“The Parade That Didn’t March”, screamed the Hebrew headline in Maariv the next morning. The name stuck and it is remembered to this day.  At first, everything seemed fine. Representatives from the IDF’s various corps marched down the city’s streets: The navy, the medical corps, Military jeeps, and artillery guns were received with cheers while a handful of military aircraft flew overhead – all that the Israeli Air Force had at the time.

“The Israel Defense Forces managed to conquer everything except the streets of Tel Aviv”

But by 4 o’clock, when the marchers were due to arrive at the main stage on Dizengoff Street the parade had been canceled! The humongous crowds that showed up blocked the path of the marchers. All of the efforts by the police to open the roads ended in miserable failure. Eventually, the organizers were left with little choice but to call off the parade. A senior IDF officer was famously quoted saying “The Israel Defense Forces managed to conquer everything except the streets of Tel Aviv”.

Following the fiasco surrounding the Tel Aviv parade, it was decided to hold yet another celebration on July 17th, 1949. Another parade was organized, this one on a smaller, more modest scale, to make amends and finally complete the march. This was the last time that Israel’s independence was celebrated on the day of Herzl’s death, and the 5th of Iyar later became solidified as the official Independence Day of the State of Israel.

The practice of marking Israel’s Memorial Day on the day before Independence Day began in 1951. This was also the first year of the traditional Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. The Israel Prize ceremony was first held on Independence Day, 1953, and the first International Bible Contest was held on the State of Israel’s tenth birthday in 1958. Slowly but surely, year after year, Israel’s Independence Day has developed into the national celebration we know today.