Of course, Memorial Day weekend for me is never really more than time off from work or school to spend barbecuing, watching fireworks, or hanging out with friends.
But Israel's string of memorial holidays -- Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day), Yom Hazikaron (IDF Memorial Day), and Yom Yerushalayim (commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967) is so much more than that. Sure, we did our fair share of barbecuing and relaxing, but there was also something extraordinary in the air -- and no, it wasn't just the steady stream of fireworks displays (even though I was able to watch one of them right from my window)!
Thanks to HUC, we began our celebration early by attending the dress rehearsal for the big Yom Haatzmaut ceremony on Har Herzl, Israel's national cemetery and the final resting place of may of Israel's great leaders. I had to finagle my way out of an Oklahoma rehearsal to attend the tekes (Hebrew for "ceremony"), and boy was it worth it! It was like watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, but with a distinctly Israeli twist. There were dancers, singers, children in blue and white pajamas running around making incredible formations of Israeli symbols, you name it! The ceremony actually had a dual purpose of commemorating both Israeli independence AND IDF memorial day, and there was an almost manic shift between the somber remembrance and the celebratory independence. In a little over an hour, the mood went from melancholy speeches and commemorative torch lighting to exhuberant fireworks. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life, and one of the highlights of my year here:
The next day marked Yom Hazikaron itself. Every single person living in Israel has been touched by the loss of a loved one who died either defending the Jewish state or by the hand of a terrorist seeking to destroy it. To give us a taste of how Israelis commemorate this solemn day, HUC brought us to a ceremony at a neighborhood high school that honored its fallen students and alumni. My classmate cantorial Nancy has been blogging all year on behalf of HUC, and I liked the way she captured the ceremony so much that I'm going to include an excerpt from her blog here, along with some of my photos:
"Each year all over the State, solders return to their high schools around Israel, to take part in Memorial services, where names of those who have fallen, both in the past year, and throughout the school's history are read aloud. Once again, the air raid siren went off - the same one as on Yom HaShoah. This time, it drilled a hole inside me - a hollow tunnel right down my gut - as we remembered thousands more Jews who died in defense of the Jewish State, as well as others in Israel who died in the face of terror. Israeli teenagers with their uzi's strapped on, clutched each other. You could hear a pin drop. Hundreds of names were read of those who have lost their lives, as recently as in Gaza a few months ago. Yet during the ceremony, as I looked around, and heard a baby crying in the background, and watched people holding each other, I thought once again about the striking way that Israeli society intertwines a tragic amount of death....with passion - passion for being here and being alive."
As if the Har Herzl dress rehearsal didn't prepare us enough, the arrival of Yom Haatzmut that evening presented an even more dramatic emotional shift. For the next 24 hours, Israel became one non-stop party. The center of town was filled with live music, dancing, and even a sing-along with popular Israeli songs! There were several fireworks throughout the evening, and we stayed out into the wee hours watching teenagers pelt each other with silly string. A lot of my friends who actually live in Israel purposely avoided the festivities -- I suppose to them this is sort of akin to the fact that I avoid Times Square on New Year's Eve like the plague. But to me, Yom Haatzmaut provided great insight into Israeli pride and culture, and it was amazing to be right in the middle of the action.
The next day, we made like Israelis and continued the celebration with a giant HUC barbecue extravaganza:
A month later, we we celebrated Yom Yerushalayim, the day that celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in 1967. Thanks to my friend Mimi, I managed to snag a ticket to the official ceremony that marked the occasion on top of Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill. The ceremony was all in Hebrew, so I only understood pieces of the speeches -- although I certainly got a lot more out of it than I would have 10 months ago! Many important political luminaries spoke, including Shimon Peres, Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, and, of course, Bibi Netanyahu. In fact, this marked the third time this year that I heard Bibi speak live! I think that's a testament to what a small and close-knit nation Israel is. Chances are slim that I'll ever hear Obama speak live, at least while he's still president (unless he comes to the Y, of course!). The fact that I now have a friend named Barak is probably the closest I'll come, but he's not even American -- he's a Canadian Israeli! Sure, I heard former presidents Clinton and Bush Sr. speak at Tufts, but that was after their terms were up and they became active on the speaker circuit. Here in Israel, it seems like the Prime Minister makes a special effort to be accessible to the people he serves. Or maybe it's just the fact that Israel is barely the size of NJ, and the American president has a lot more ground to cover.
Either way, I feel fortunate to have been able to experience these ceremonies in person. And now that classes have finally ended, I'm taking advantage of having the time to take in the beauty and culture of this incredible country. It feels weird to be playing "tourist" now that I've spent a year living here, but there's just so much to see and do!
The next day marked Yom Hazikaron itself. Every single person living in Israel has been touched by the loss of a loved one who died either defending the Jewish state or by the hand of a terrorist seeking to destroy it. To give us a taste of how Israelis commemorate this solemn day, HUC brought us to a ceremony at a neighborhood high school that honored its fallen students and alumni. My classmate cantorial Nancy has been blogging all year on behalf of HUC, and I liked the way she captured the ceremony so much that I'm going to include an excerpt from her blog here, along with some of my photos:"Each year all over the State, solders return to their high schools around Israel, to take part in Memorial services, where names of those who have fallen, both in the past year, and throughout the school's history are read aloud. Once again, the air raid siren went off - the same one as on Yom HaShoah. This time, it drilled a hole inside me - a hollow tunnel right down my gut - as we remembered thousands more Jews who died in defense of the Jewish State, as well as others in Israel who died in the face of terror. Israeli teenagers with their uzi's strapped on, clutched each other. You could hear a pin drop. Hundreds of names were read of those who have lost their lives, as recently as in Gaza a few months ago. Yet during the ceremony, as I looked around, and heard a baby crying in the background, and watched people holding each other, I thought once again about the striking way that Israeli society intertwines a tragic amount of death....with passion - passion for being here and being alive."
As if the Har Herzl dress rehearsal didn't prepare us enough, the arrival of Yom Haatzmut that evening presented an even more dramatic emotional shift. For the next 24 hours, Israel became one non-stop party. The center of town was filled with live music, dancing, and even a sing-along with popular Israeli songs! There were several fireworks throughout the evening, and we stayed out into the wee hours watching teenagers pelt each other with silly string. A lot of my friends who actually live in Israel purposely avoided the festivities -- I suppose to them this is sort of akin to the fact that I avoid Times Square on New Year's Eve like the plague. But to me, Yom Haatzmaut provided great insight into Israeli pride and culture, and it was amazing to be right in the middle of the action.
The next day, we made like Israelis and continued the celebration with a giant HUC barbecue extravaganza:
A month later, we we celebrated Yom Yerushalayim, the day that celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in 1967. Thanks to my friend Mimi, I managed to snag a ticket to the official ceremony that marked the occasion on top of Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill. The ceremony was all in Hebrew, so I only understood pieces of the speeches -- although I certainly got a lot more out of it than I would have 10 months ago! Many important political luminaries spoke, including Shimon Peres, Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, and, of course, Bibi Netanyahu. In fact, this marked the third time this year that I heard Bibi speak live! I think that's a testament to what a small and close-knit nation Israel is. Chances are slim that I'll ever hear Obama speak live, at least while he's still president (unless he comes to the Y, of course!). The fact that I now have a friend named Barak is probably the closest I'll come, but he's not even American -- he's a Canadian Israeli! Sure, I heard former presidents Clinton and Bush Sr. speak at Tufts, but that was after their terms were up and they became active on the speaker circuit. Here in Israel, it seems like the Prime Minister makes a special effort to be accessible to the people he serves. Or maybe it's just the fact that Israel is barely the size of NJ, and the American president has a lot more ground to cover.
Either way, I feel fortunate to have been able to experience these ceremonies in person. And now that classes have finally ended, I'm taking advantage of having the time to take in the beauty and culture of this incredible country. It feels weird to be playing "tourist" now that I've spent a year living here, but there's just so much to see and do!
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