Israel 71 Independence Day, From Sadness to Joy

Is it really only in Israel where a nation first gives thanks and honor to those who gave their lives for our country, honoring them and their families? We include not only those who died bravely in battle, but also those civilians who were murdered by cowardly terrorists.

Barely a week after the Israeli media and schools focused on stories from the Holocaust and how those who survived rebuilt their lives, again national mourning and sadness set in as we remember those whose lives had been cut short. Again sirens blast, even on the busiest highways, and cars pull over in advance of the piercing sound. My friend found herself totally amazed at how, just before the siren was expected, car after car pulled over to the road's shoulder, so drivers and passengers could get out and stand at attention together as the siren ripped through the air and our hearts.  Is it really only in Israel?

Immediately after Israeli Soldiers and Terror Victims Memorial Day ends, each community celebrates Independence Day in its own way. One thing you'll notice all over the country is that the celebrations are for the family. This is a time when you're not going to find willing babysitters. Young and old participate in Independence Day festivities.

I don't have any comparable memories from my childhood in New York about American Memorial and Independence Days. Only here in Israel do I feel connected to the past, present and future. 

עם ישראל חי

AM YISRAEL CHAI

THE NATION OF ISRAEL LIVES

חג עצמאות שמח

CHAG ATZMAUT SAMEACH

JOYFUL INDEPENDENCE DAY

Miriam Peretz, Israel Prize, Yom Ha'atzmaut 5778, 2018

Thanks to Gesher, the extraordinary speech Miriam Peretz gave at the Israel Prize,Yom Ha'atzmaut 5778, 2018 Ceremony has been translated into English. Now you can listen and understand it even if you don't know Hebrew. Read the subtitles.



Miriam Peretz has also told her life story, which was written up into a totally fascinating biography, which I highly recommend, Miriam's Song--The Story of Miriam Peretz by Smadar Shir. The translation is excellent.

Hobnobbing With Diplomats including USA Ambassador David Friedman

Last night my husband and I attended a diplomatic reception celebrating Israel's 70th year of Independence, Israel's Place Among the Nations, in the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. There were lots of diplomats, including ambassadors there. We got to meet the American Ambassador to  Israel, David Friedman and even got our picture taken with him by The Real Jerusalem Streets photographer.

Photographed by The Real Jerusalem Streets

I took the opportunity to invite the Ambassador to Shiloh. He didn't commit, but I thought it a great opportunity.

During the reception, there was a lot of talk about the upcoming move of the American Embassy to Jerusalem. Many of the attendees were on staff at what is now the American Consulate, which is being transformed into the Embassy in just a few weeks. We kept thanking them and US President Trump.

Prime Minister Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu spoke about a number of topics concerning history, American-Israeli relations, Arab nuclear threat, bombing of Iraqi nuclear reactor by Menachem Begin and international security. As usual, Netanyahu spoke beautifully; he's probably the best orator in modern times. I've heard him off the cuff, just answering questions, and there isn't a staff of professional speechwriters who can match him.

I certainly have my complaints about his politics, but he's going to be a very tough act to follow when the time comes. That's why so many polls show "none of the above" as second to Netanyahu when answering the question "Who is most suited to be the next Prime Minister of the State of Israel?"

Afterwards there was a panel discussion moderated by Wendy Singer, with Ambassador Friedman, the Ambassador from India, Pavan Kapoor, and Sallai Meridor, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States.

There's more here and here. I did the "live" feed via Facebook as people spoke.

On the whole it was an interesting and enjoyable evening.

Shiloh's 70th Yom Ha'Atzmaut Celebration

We couldn't be two places at once, so I'm so glad that the film of Shiloh's 70th Yom Ha'Atzmaut, 5778, 2018, celebrations is here for all of us to enjoy. This very well-edited film gives all of the highlights of the ceremony in less than five minutes. You don't have to know the participants to enjoy and celebrate along with the modern and growing town of Shiloh.

Sing along...



This year we attended the prayers and ceremony in Ofra with our daughter and her family, since one of our grandchildren performed in it.

Yom Zikaron, Memorial Day in Matan

Yesterday, Wednesday was my regular study day in Matan. Yesterday was also Israel's Memorial Day in which we stop everything we're doing when the siren goes off at 11am to mark the fact that Jews were murdered.

The custom in Matan is to have a small ceremony in which all the staff and students gather. After the siren, prayers are said, and a few people speak about personal and national memories of those killed. This year a close friend spoke of two friends of ours who had been killed during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and its aftermath, Eli and Chuck.

Here in Israel Memorial Ceremonies are always very personal. We all knew/know someone who had been killed, seriously injured or is one of the "official" bereaved. The longer we're here the more chance that we had been touched even more closely. There's no way for us to avoid this reality. Death and mourning aren't hidden in Israeli society.

Following are a few pictures from the Matan Memorial Ceremony, 5778, 2018.

Afterwards we sang Hatikvah and Ani Ma'amin. And then we resumed our studies...

Preparing for Independence Day by Remembering...

I know that some people have a problem with the Israeli custom which schedules Memorial Day immediately before Independence Day. It's an emotional roller-coaster as we quickly veer from tears to cheers.

Davka, I consider that timing to be of the most extreme importance and significance. The State of Israel would not exist and survive if it hadn't been for the bravery of our soldiers and civilians, who've lost their lives in our defense.

We remember and mourn not just the soldiers who actively fought for for the State of Israel, but we also remember and mourn the civilians murdered by Arab terrorists.

Last night at our Book Club meeting, we discussed the issue. We are "English readers" from a number of countries, so the question was:

"What do you remember of your former Memorial Day?"

For those of us longest in Israel, we only remember Memorial Day as one for socializing and barbecues. It was a vacation day. Those who made aliyah more recently from North America consider it a major shopping day. "Memorial Day Sales" are big draws in marketing nowadays. There was nothing ideological, patriotic or "thankful" in the day to those who lost their lives in defense of the country. Just remember to bring money and have lots of food.

It's clear to us that if Israel would, Gd forbid, separate Memorial from Independence Days, we'd have that same problem. We'd find ourselves forgetting rather than remembering on Memorial Day, Yom HaZikaron.

So, I'm taking this opportunity to remember two friends from over a half a century ago, both killed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. They were members of Betar Zionist Youth Movement and lived in New York. We all made aliyah in the late 1960s early 1970s. Our friends in Israel still gather together every year at the Har Herzl graves.

Chaim, Chuck Hornstein, Haran, HaYa"D, was a "lone soldier" before there were special conditions privileges for those who joined the army without a family support system. Chuck was killed in the early days of the Yom Kippur War, up north in the Golan. He lives on in the memory of close friends.

Eli Solomon, HaYa"D, was a young father of two, married to Rena, when he was killed in the Sinai, after the ceasefire with Egypt. He is survived by his widow, children, grandchildren and many friends.





When we celebrate Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israeli  Independence Day we remember the friends who are no longer with us. Actually, we remember them all the time. There are so many people we remember and mourn. Neighbors and students, children and grandchildren of those dear to us were also killed for no reason other than their being Jewish and Israeli. Some were uniformed IDF soldiers in battle gear, while others were just infants.

Our enemies don't distinguish between us. They have no mercy, nor do they value life. That is why we must remember and mourn at the same time that we celebrate our survival and the Independence of the State of Israel.

Chag Atzma'ut Sameach!

Will The USA Move Embassy to Jerusalem as a 70th "Shindig?"

Israel is now beginning to celebrate seventy 70 years of modern independence. The Jewish People had an independent Kingdom here in the very same place thousands of years ago. None of the peoples of that time or our ancient enemies still exist. But seventy years ago after a slow painstaking Zionist revolution, the Jewish People here in the Holy Land of Israel were able to reach the stage where a new Jewish State could be declared, defeat its military enemies and exist/thrive.

Seventy years ago, when Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, declared Israel's Independence from the occupation of the British Mandate, the odds of the tiny, weak Jewish population here to survive at all were extremely poor.

Very few of the countries that voted on November 29, 1947, in the United Nations General Assembly to "approve" the right for the Jews to have a country expected the country to be viable and survive. They didn't care either; they just wanted to act nice to the pathetic remnant of Jews after the Nazi Holocaust. There was more sympathy to the Arabs, whom they recognized as the rightful "owners" of the Land claimed by the Zionist Jews. That's one of the reasons why most countries located their embassies in Tel Aviv. For them, Jerusalem was Christian and Muslim, not Jewish.

Of course the "elephant in the room" is the Holocaust and how no country took a stand to protest the early anti-Jewish discrimination/restrictions or protect Jews  in an official way. The United States entered the war for other reasons, and they had no battle plan to destroy the death camps.

Even though, Christians in the western world/culture use the Bible to swear on, they don't really take Ancient Jewish History seriously or connect it to modern Jewry.

Many American Presidents pledged to move the embassy to Jerusalem when campaigning. But once in office they just followed the State Department policy, or like Obama who had also pledged to help establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, they were clearly lying, saying anything to get a vote and funding from Jews. Remember that American Jewry is giving much less to Israel and Jewish causes nowadays, but they are very big in funding American political things, especially Leftist.

Donald Trump has shaken up American politics in more ways than one. He came from real estate business and reality TV. The politicians and pundits never expected him to get the Republican nomination and certainly never thought he'd defeat Hillary Clinton in the elections. But with the relatively new primary system, the American People spoke, and they chose Trump.

And Donald Trump is the first American President willing to "put his money where his mouth is," officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's Capital City and move the American Embassy to there. Recent talk is that not only will it be done before the end of his presidential term but in a couple of months, around Israeli Independence Day.

Admittedly I'm a cynic, especially when it comes to politicians, but since Trump has been consistently hurrying the move rather than delaying it, maybe Gd willing it will become reality. What do you think?

The Knesset, Israel's Parliament, in Jerusalem, of course

Israeli Sovereignty Trumps Trump

This was first posted on Israeli Blogger.

I am disgusted by the reports that building for Jews in Judea/Samaria will be temporarily  frozen until after United States President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit. As an Israeli I’m disgusted and embarrassed by the report.

Didn’t we just celebrate our 69th Israeli Independence Day?

Are we an independent sovereign state, or not?

If we are an independent sovereign state then we don’t need approval from any foreign ruler, nor do we need to worry about their feelings and opinions.

Yes, it’s that simple!

For the first twenty years after declaring our independence and before that, and previous to that while Nazis murdered millions of Jews and then the British refused the survivors permission to relocate/immigrate to the Holy Land, no country allied with us or defended us Jews. We were on our own!

And the truth is that we’re still on our own when it comes to international diplomacy. But we do have one ally, and that’s Gd Almighty.

• Gd’s help enabled us to defeat the Arabs, who had been assisted by other Arab states and Great Britain in 1948-49.
• Gd’s help enabled us to defeat Egypt, Syria and Jordan in 1967.
• Gd’s help enabled us to defeat Egypt and Syria in 1973. Our dependence on American advice almost led to our defeat in the Yom Kippur War.

Israel does not owe any country for our existence, our survival. It is only through the grace of Gd that there is a State of Israel. And if we want the respect and support of American President Trump, then we must act like a strong, independent sovereign state, not a weak fawning nebbich.

Celebrating Israeli Independence Day, 5777, 2017

This is cross-posted on Israel Bloggers. There may be a slight difference in the photos included on that site.

Here in Israel the entire country manages to transition from the mournful Memorial Day to the exuberant and festive Independence Day. Having them connected helps the bereaved by showing how Israelis appreciate and value the price we pay for our independence and security. They aren’t forced to mourn in a lonely vacuum.  And Memorial Day here isn’t a convenient vacation/party day, which was what the American one ended up being for my family.

For those of us who attend the religious prayer services which includes a very enthusiastic and musical Hallel (Praise) Prayer, like we have in the Shiloh Tabernacle Synagogue find that thanking Gd as a community of Jews certainly prepares us for celebrating the miracles Gd has preformed for us.

Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Israeli Independence Day is definitely a spiritual holiday, not a simple celebration of a historic event. Recognizing the Hand of Gd in everything that has been happening to the Jewish People makes it easier to go on even when times are difficult. As we left the synagogue, it was easy to put our troubles in the “back pocket” and celebrate together. Following are a number of photos and short videos I took last night here in Shiloh.

Enjoy, Chag Ha’atzma’ut Sameach!

Israeli Memorial-Independence Days Connection, Suits to a "T"

Cross-posted on Israel Blogger

Over the decades I've been living here in Israel I've heard many immigrants complaining that they have trouble with, and don't see the point, in the Israeli custom of combining Memorial and Independence Days, into a two day extravaganza of mourning and celebrations. They find it difficult to quickly transition from the very depressing programs and events on Soldiers and Terror Victims Memorial Day to the great festivities on Israeli Independence Day.

I, on the other hand, consider this and the entire Jewish Holiday season from Passover to Shavuot, including restrictions while Counting the Omer, to be meaningful and very suited to Jewish Values. And in all honesty, I have no problems transitioning from mourning to celebration, even though I certainly knew people who had been killed.

Starting with the Passover Seder, reading the Haggada, since the mitzvah, commandment is to “tell,” the meaning of the word Haggada, we must make sure that our children understand what happened and from where we came. Placing Memorial Day just before Independence Day is exactly that. We should never let anyone think that our Independence came in a vacuum, or because of a vote in the United Nations or a “simple” miracle from Gd or without paying a high price of precious lives. And they shouldn’t think that we’ve finished paying, and suffering losses, because our enemies are still fighting us and attempting to delegitimatize us.

Our Independence Day celebrations honor those who were killed. By celebrating we are saying that they didn’t die in vain, and that our enemies will not defeat us, not militarily and not psychologically. We are strong and living the two thousand year old dream of the Jewish People to return to Our Land and be independent once again, Gd willing.

Counting The Omer, Looking Forward to The Next Holiday

Reminder for Counting the Omer when phone and computer are off. I've been leaving a "sign" right over the television, a place my eyes wander for the past few years. I find this to be the best way of remembering to count.

The Counting of the Omer, Sefirat Ha'Omer, is a pretty long process. It's 7 X 7 = 49, seven complete weeks long. And the numbers go up and up each night.

The Counting of the Omer begins on the second night of Passover and it ends just before the Shavuot Holiday. In Hebrew it is much more interesting, because seven, week, satiated and Shavuot, which means "weeks" or "oaths," are all written from the same root:

שבע

There's nothing like Hebrew as a brilliant language with so much meaning however you combine letters. There's no real "gibberish" in Hebrew. Every simple two or three letter combination can be linguistically interpreted somehow.

As we begin counting on that second night of Passover, we know that in forty-nine days, seven times seven weeks, we will all swear our allegiance to Gd, accept the Torah and be satisfied with it, Gd willing.

It's an amazing concept, and it repeats every year. Yes, it's connected to the commandment that we each must feel ourselves as having left Egypt and joined with Gd and Gd's Commandments to us. We first search for and destroy the chametz, forbidden leaved products, and then we start anew with matzot, מצות, which are linguistically, mitzvot מצות Gd's commandments. This is either confusing or comforting and satisfying in how it connects the Holy Days.

Passover celebrates our no longer being slaves of Pharaoh, and Shavuot celebrates Gd's giving us the Torah and our emergence as a People.

Even though the 49 days of the Omer is supposed to be a time of national mourning, there are, davka, two modern holidays in the middle, Israeli Independence Day and Jerusalem Day. These are the modern Holy Days that parallel the development of the Jewish People today. We've reclaimed the Holy Land as Ours! We are now a State/Nation after two thousand years of exile. And these significant days are during the forty-nine of the Omer. Gd controls timing, which is a reminder of how holy Israeli Independence Day and Jerusalem Day truly are.

Chag Sameach!!

From Mourning to Joy!

Yes, that's the Israeli way.

After a very long depressing day of mourning our dead, those murdered by Arab terrorists and killed in the wars we fight to defend ourselves, keep our precious country alive and well, we quickly change modes and celebrate our country's continued independence.

I know that there are many people who find it totally incomprehensible that we have this custom here in Israel, to burst into joy after so sincerely mourning our dead, but I davka, consider it such an important and sensible way to celebrate our independence.

Growing up in America, I never really understood what "Memorial Day" was all about. Actually, it wouldn't a "day;" it was a weekend to enjoy. And the story behind Independence Day was more like ancient history, even in my time. And also, the American wars had nothing really to do with the survival of the united States as a country.

In Israel things are very different.

Here in Israel we are all connected somehow. Memorial Day is a school day , and every school has ceremonies to commemorate the dead and to teach the children that our state/country id not come into existance on a silver platter. Nor can it continue to exist unless there are soldiers to defend it, which is why there's a draft. And our enemies don't restrict their attacks to soldiers. We suffer from guerrilla warfare attacks on civilians in neighborhoods, buses and even private homes.

To be honest, we don't exactly go from mourning to joy without a bit of ceremony in between. That is the Eve of Independence Day Prayers, which are very participatory and thrilling.

Chag Atzma'ut Sameach!

Have a Joyful Independence Day!

Our Israeli Flag

This is the season when you find flags all over Israel, the streets, the stores, cars and more. There's a great simplicity in the design and the pure colors, blue and white.

I ended up using a picture of the Israeli and Jerusalem flags for my 52Frames challenge this week because the theme was "Blue." Last week I got a tremp to Jerusalem that dropped me off not far from Jerusalem's Old City. That's where I took the picture:

"Blue and White, My Colors"
There's a well-known Israeli song, just over forty years old, "Blue and White, My Colors," "Kachol V'Lavan," http://www.hebrewsongs.com/?song=kacholvelavan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac57UhTnrP8
Blue and White are the colors of the Israeli Flag, and Israeli Independence Day will be celebrated in just a few days from now, so how could I resist the flag. I took this photograph outside of the Jerusalem Old City Walls. One flag is the Israeli Flag, and the other is the Jerusalem Flag.

The flag of Israel (Hebrew: דגל ישראל Degel Yisra'el, Arabic: علم إسرائيل 'Alam Isra'īl) was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the establishment of the State of Israel. It depicts a blue hexagram on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes.
The blue colour is described as "dark sky-blue",^[1] and varies from flag to flag, ranging from a hue of pure blue, sometimes shaded almost as dark as navy blue, to hues about 75% toward pure cyan and shades as light as very light blue.^[2] The flag was designed for the Zionist Movement in 1891. The basic design recalls the Tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, which is white with black or blue stripes. The symbol in the center represents the Star of David ("Magen David"), a Jewish symbol dating from late medieval Prague, which was adopted by the First Zionist Congress in 1897.^[1]   Wikipedia

The State of Israel, Celebrating 67 Years, 5775, 2015

Chag Atzma'ut Sameach!!

Have a Wonderful Israeli Independence Day!!

This was cross-posted on me-ander.

Thank G-d, the doomsday predictions which have followed the State of Israel even before David Ben-Gurion made the official Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, have been proven wrong. The State of Israel may not be perfect, as if there is a country someplace that really is, but it's alive, vibrant, successful, financially stable, the source of innovative technology, medicine and more. Here we are celebrating sixty-seven 67 years of independence, having survived wars and threats, we are one of the most open and democratic countries in the world. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for.

I have been living in Israel since 1970, when my husband and I, newlyweds at the time, docked at Haifa Port on the Queen Anna Maria-Greek Lines, along with about four hundred 400 other olim chadashim, new immigrants. I have seen an enormous amount of changes here in Israel. In 1970, Israelis lived under very difficult conditions compared to the United States, and today Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Considering that we rather frequently are forced to fight wars for our very existance, survival and security, it's amazing--yes, definitely a sign that G-d is helping us-- that we not only exist, but we have thrived and outpaced most countries in the world.

Following are photos from Independence Day, Yom Ha'atzma'ut Prayers and Celebrations in Shiloh, where we have lived since 1981.

Israeli Soldiers and Terror Victims Memorial Day- People Not Places

In Israel many towns, villages, cities, kibbutzim and moshavim are named after people. That includes quite a number of yishuvim in Judea and Samaria, such as Givat Assaf, established in memory of Assaf Hershkowitz of Ofra murdered as he passed there, the junction to Beit El where school girls stood yesterday waving Israeli flags to the passing cars, Jewish, Arab and all those "diplomatic plates" on their way.

Yesterday I caught a tremp (hitchhiked) from the Sha'ar Binyamin to Ofra with a young woman. We began to talk, and she told me that she lives in Givat Harel. I asked her how many families now live there; sixty 60 was her reply. I was obviously impressed at its growth.

"You probably remember when there were only ten families" she said.
"I remember Harel" I replied.

Yes, for me they are people, these communities and towns. I taught Assaf's brother, know Harel's family well, and Rachalla Druk, for which Shvut Rachel and Rechallim were named, was a very good friend.

When I look at these places, the homes, gardens, children and public institutions I feel a sadness and also a wonder. I wonder if the precious people whom they are named for are observing and guarding them from their status in Olam Haba, the Next World.

And for many years I've felt that if only we had established these communities sooner, then the victims would not have been killed. This is because the communities in the locations where they now are would never have had been established there if we hadn't been looking for a way to memorialize their lives and values.

Last night as I walked around our traditional display of victims of Arab terror connected to Shiloh, whether residents or family members of those who live here, again, like every year I felt that it had become harder for me than the year before. It just hurts more. I look at the pictures of those I knew and whose families I know and the pain is endless, reverberating as I see those optimistic faces. I see their siblings, parents and grandparents. I see the grandchildren, nieces and nephews they never knew. I see those named after them who will G-d willing be granted long, healthy and successful lives. Recently friends wrote a moving letter that they took their grandson, the first-born grandson of an IDF solder, a friend of ours, who had been killed in action, to enter the IDF. I tried to find the right response as I fought back tears.

"May he merit to bring his grandchildren to join the army, just like you are doing."

We in Israel know very well that our independence did not come easily nor cheaply, and the struggle hasn't ended. I fully approve and agree with the custom of having Israeli Independence Day follow immediately after Memorial Day.

יהי זכרם ברוך

Yihi Zichrom Baruch

May Their Memories be Blessed