Listen to KYW Newsradio 1060 and visit KYW1060.com all next week as KYW's Hadas Kuznits, an Israeli native, reports from the Mideast -- "Her Homeland at Sixty."  

See Hadas Kuznits' personal video blog   


by KYW's Hadas Kuznits, in Israel

The State of Israel prepares to celebrate its 60th birthday coming this Thursday, May 8th.

Tourism is always big in Israel, but this is an especially busy week here for hospitality due to Israel's 60th Independence Day next week.

What does this landmark anniversary mean?

(Man:)  "It means a great deal, of course. I am elated that Israel is there and prospering, for all its troubles."

Independence Day iteself tends to be a bit euphoric in Israel. That euphoria comes on the heels of another important holiday -- Soldiers Remembrance Day, a sort of Veterans Day -- commemorated this year on Wednesday of next week with memorial services and a nationwide moment of silence across Israel. 
 
Those two days, back to back, tend to evoke a bipolar sense of emotion in Israelis.

(Woman:)  "It's maybe a release from sadness on that (Remembrance) day."

(Kuznits:)  "Sadness from?"

(Woman:)  "Struggling."

(Man:)  "We're not entirely accepted by our neighbors."

Stay tuned!  KYW Newsradio 1060 will have a full series of reports all next week, and KYW1060.com will have web extras like podcasts and Hadas' personal video blog.

(Official logo, above, translated: "Israel, 60, Today and Beyond.")