{"id":534783,"date":"2010-04-19T18:25:22","date_gmt":"2010-04-19T22:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"tag:blogs.rj.org,2010:\/rac\/\/2.2684"},"modified":"2010-04-19T18:36:52","modified_gmt":"2010-04-19T22:36:52","slug":"an-israeli-perspective-israeli-memorial-and-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/534783","title":{"rendered":"An Israeli Perspective: Israeli Memorial and Independence Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hanan Cidor is the <\/em>Shaliach to NFTY. Hanan grew up in Noar Telem, the Reform youth movement in Israel, and at Kol Haneshama, a Reform congregation in Jerusalem. Hanan moved to New York City in September 2008 following 5 years of IDF service. This piece originally published in iTorah.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span>
\nBeing an Israeli, one of the hardest things to deal with, and as far as I know it is unique to Israel, is the seemingly unbelievable and immediate passage between sorrow and celebration, as portrayed in the pairing of Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day). The idea behind this is that the day before celebrating our independence, we are reminded of the price and sacrifice made by so many in order to keep us free.<\/p>\n

If you’ve never been in Israel during those two days, nothing can possibly explain the experience and the kind of emotions that it evokes. After a full day of grief and remembrance, something that is very much relevant from a personal standpoint to literally every Israeli, we go rather abruptly to a truly joyous celebration of our freedom and achievements during Israel’s Independence Day.<\/p>\n

Those achievements are indeed very impressive. In just 62 years, Israel
\nhas managed to become a regional power, a modern, flourishing democracy
\nin a region that has very little. In almost every possible measurement
\nof world countries and societies, the Jewish state, especially when
\ntaking into consideration its small size, is at the top of the ladder
\nalongside countries that have been around for centuries. When you think
\nabout the fact that all of this was done while facing constant security
\nthreats, some of them even starting literally from day one, the
\namazement and sense of awe is even greater.<\/p>\n

But Israel’s achievements are not and should not be measured
\nonly in comparison to how other states perform. After all, part of the
\nwhole idea behind the creation of the State of Israel is to see if Jews
\ncan, over 2,000 years after the last time we “took a crack at it,”
\nactually handle themselves independently, be masters of their own fate,
\nand create a society based on a combination of human values and Jewish
\nculture and heritage. When looking at Israel through this “Jewish”
\nprism, the list of achievements is also quite impressive. As one
\nexample of having done something that was seemingly impossible, I point
\nto the revival of Hebrew as our people’s language. To think that
\nmillions of Jews are being raised today in Israel having not English,
\nGerman, Russian, or Yiddish as their main tongue but Hebrew – a
\nlanguage previously restricted to scripture alone, is nothing short of
\namazing.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, sixty two years is also very young, especially
\nto have suffered so much loss and dire threats. Of course, this sort of
\nexperience is not without consequences. No different than most other
\nIsraelis, I too have lost friends who died while serving their country
\nin the Israeli army. Regardless of past and future achievements of the
\nState of Israel, their lives are forever lost and those who knew and
\nloved them are left with a hole that can never be filled. <\/p>\n

One of the “little traditions” we have in my family during Yom
\nHazikaron is to keep the TV on throughout the day on a special channel
\nthat for 24 hours shows nothing but the names of all of the soldiers
\nand victims of terrorist attacks who have died since the day of
\nIsrael’s birth. I know that many families in Israel do the same, and I
\nthink there’s something very Jewish about that act. In a sense, it’s
\nour way of reminding ourselves that every person matters, that everyone
\nhad a name and an entire life to go with it – a whole universe that was
\nlost in a tragic way.<\/p>\n

So no, Israel is not perfect. In addition to the tremendous
\nloss of human life, like every other Israeli, I can name off the top of
\nmy head a whole list of things that I don’t like about my country. The
\nthing is, none of these things will ever make me doubt my love and
\nsense of pride for Israel, primarily because it belongs to me, and any
\nother Jew who chooses to care or identify with it. Israel is our
\ncreation, the grand project of the Jewish people, and like every artist
\nthat has worked hard on a new creation, no one can be more critical
\nthan us towards what we have made; but at the same time no one can love
\nthe creation more than the artist who has put his heart and soul into
\nhis work.<\/p>\n

Yom Ha’Atzmaut has always been my favorite holiday of the
\nyear. Not because I don’t like any of the other holidays, but because
\nin my view it is probably the only holiday where we celebrate a project
\nthat is still ongoing; where all of us can make a difference and shape
\nthe way this wonderful country, filled with our people, will look in
\nthe next year and the one after that. In my eyes, taking an active
\ninvolvement in the shaping of our country and our people is the best
\nway to commemorate the memory of those who have died defending it.
\nNothing is worth celebrating more than that.
\n

\nRelated Questions<\/b><\/p>\n