Jerusalem Day – Yom Yerushalayim in Hebrew – is an Israeli national holiday that commemorates the date when the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount returned to Israeli and Jewish possession in 1967.
The date of Jerusalem Day is Iyar 28, which this year (2013) corresponds to Wednesday, May 8. (It begins on the previous evening, as do all days in the Jewish calendar.)
It is interesting to note that this date is also the exact same Hebrew date that commemorates the passing of the prophet Samuel. Samuel, during King David’s reign, played a crucial role in determining Jerusalem to be the site of the Temple.
The day is marked by state ceremonies, memorial services for soldiers who died in the battle for Jerusalem and parades through downtown Jerusalem. The Western Wall plaza is the site of celebrations of singing, dancing and giving thanks to God for the return of Jerusalem.
