It’s the Hammer of Justice. And Power. Reflections for Independence Day 2025.

Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) begins at sundown on April 30.  It immediately follows Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) which itself is one week (like a shiva which is the seven day mourning period in Jewish tradition) after Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). The modern Jewish calendar is taking us through the journey from Jewish powerlessness to Jewish independence, linking the cost of independence before the celebration of it.

Weirdly, plastic hammers have been a traditional way for Israelis to celebrate their independence, either by blowing in to the whistle at the end or bopping a stranger on the head with it to emit a squeaking sound (as depicted in this portrait of Herzl on the balcony by Jerusalem artist David Harel).

Portrait of Herzl by the Jerusalem artist, David Harel from the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow, Toronto (davidmatlow@icloud.com). Photograph by David Matlow.

The “musical toy mallet” was patented in March 1960 by Louis Marx & Co., a New York based toy company.  Starting in 1964, the toy became a hit in Bern, Switzerland at the Onion Market festival held very fourth Monday of November.  That same year, an enterprising Swiss Jew brought a few of the hammers to Israel and found a partner to manufacture them to be sold for one lira each.

The product was released for Purim in 1965 but the sales continued until Independence Day and were unexpectedly used to celebrate that day.  By 1969 they became known as “Yom Haatzmaut hammers” and were the symbol of the holiday.  Their popularity has waned somewhat to be replaced with inflatable hammers, silly string and spray foam.  Of course, last year the celebration of independence was muted, and that may remain the case this year too.

Even though the celebration may be subdued, the fact that we live at a time when the sovereign State of Israel exists remains miraculous. Perhaps unintentionally, the plastic hammer provides us with something to think about this Independence Day.

The hammer is a symbol of power (for example, as held by the Nordic and Marvel character Thor).  It is also the symbol of justice (as referenced in Peter Paul and Mary’s If I Had a Hammer). 

As Israel celebrates its 77th birthday this week, we should recall the plastic hammer and reflect upon the necessity of the power of a sovereign state being used only justly.  We should then consider how we can help ensure that Israel’s power will be wielded exclusively in a just manner during the upcoming year.  When we celebrate together again on Israel’s 78th birthday, we can consider how (and what) we all did.

Happy Independence Day.  Hag Haatzmaut Sameach. 

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For more treasures from the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow which appears weekly in the Canadian Jewish News see https://herzlcollection.com/treasure-trove