Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Organizers consider canceling Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony due to high winds
Rabbi Shmuel Slotki, Racheli Tadesa Malkai and Riki Sitton light a torch during a rehearsal for the annual Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, April 28, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Organizers are considering canceling the torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl this evening amid expected heavy winds, Channel 12 reports.
Quoting people involved in organizing the ceremony that marks the intense and emotional transition from Memorial Day to Independence Day, the report says that the event will be canceled if winds reach 70 kilometers per hour (45 mph).
In the event that the ceremony is canceled, organizers will broadcast footage from the rehearsal.
Organizers say there is also a fear of fires in the area due to the hot, dry and windy conditions, similar to those that saw a massive blaze outside the city last week.
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