Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
WATCH: Israel’s 77th Independence Day opening ceremony begins; it’s a pre-recording, after winds and then wildfires forced cancellation of live event
A rehearsal for the 77th Independence Day ceremony, filmed at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, April 28, 2025. The recorded rehearsal for the ceremony was in fact broadcast on the evening of April 30, at the start of Independence Day, in place of the intended live event, which was canceled because of wildfires raging around Jerusalem. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel’s 77th Independence Day opening ceremony is being broadcast now.
The broadcast, which features the annual torch-lighting centerpiece, is a prerecording of what was the final dress rehearsal for the ceremony.
The live ceremony has been cancelled because of high winds earlier today that preceded the huge wildfires that are now raging in the Jerusalem area.
Related — ‘Bridges of Hope’: The 35 torch-lighters set to take the stage on Independence Day
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