Dateline Jerusalem – This week Israelis went from sadness to joy in seconds. First we observed 24 hours of Israel's Remembrance Day, a memorial to its victims of terror and war. Then, at the 25th hour, we celebrated Israel's Independence Day, its 65th birthday. The back-to-back national holidays, which occur one week after Holocaust Memorial Day, make this month a time for tears of sorrow and gladness.
Just like last week, sirens brought the entire country to a standstill, in silent remembrance of the fallen. The only TV was that of stories of those who lost their lives or of acts of heroism. Nearly every city has a wall of the names of the victims and/or sculptures dedicated to them. Memorial services are held, families and friends flock to the country's cemeteries. I know one person who attended three different memorials, one for a relative who died in the War of Independence, one for an army buddy who died in the Lebanon War, and one for a friend who was a victim of terrorism. For this person, three memorials in one day is not unique. It is said just about every Israeli personally knows someone who has died, been disabled or injured solely for being Israeli. Israel is surrounded by enemies and has had to fight for its existence for the last 65 years.
Like the 4th of July in the U.S., Israel also celebrates its Independence Day with fireworks displays and barbecues. The blue and white flag of Israel, a blue Star of David sitting between two horizontal blue stripes on a white background, can be seen all over the country. Some buildings have flags hanging down 30 stories, draping the entire side of a building. Intersections have little flags crossing from corner to corner and diagonally. Flags wave in the wind from automobile windows. Even car mirrors have special Israeli flag-coverings. Everywhere you look, flags furl from balconies and window ledges on homes, apartments and high-rise buildings. My living room picture window was covered with a 4-foot by 6-foot flag. Another flag hung from the window in one of my bedrooms. On each of my wrists I wore thick white bracelets with the word “Israel” in blue letters nestled between two blue Stars of David. Even the snood on my head had little Israeli flags sticking out from it. Okay, so I overdo things a bit. I am both a patriotic Israeli and a patriotic American. I am blessed to have been born and to reside in the two greatest democracies in the world.
In a recent poll, 92 percent of Israelis were proud to be Israeli and preferred to live in Israel than anywhere else in the world. That statistic says a lot about this country. Although salaries are low, living expenses are high, there is the constant threat of terror and/or annihilation, the media portrays Israelis in a bad light. Obviously living in Israel is not as bad as many think. It is no more a war zone than living in the United States, as evidenced by the school shootings throughout the States, the bombings at the Boston Marathon, and the crime statistics there compared to here. In many ways I believe living in Israel is safer than the States. Perhaps this is because of the way we live here, prepared for the worst scenarios.
A Magic Number
It was announced this week that Israel has reached a population of 8 million people, 6 million of them Jews. During the Holocaust, 6 million Jews were murdered, half the world's Jewish population at the time. Although the 6 million living in Israel today are not undergoing a holocaust, every day they face an existential threat of annihilation. Therefore, honoring those who gave their lives to be Israelis, to maintain freedom and a haven for Jews from all over the world, for the last 65 years is a bittersweet victory. We have to survive. We have to win our wars against terror and against the threats of our neighboring nations. The Israeli nation, as a whole, recognizes this basic fact. As such, we pull together as a people, in sorrow and in joy.
Happy birthday, Israel!
L'hitraot. Shachar
