Every year, following the Passover holiday, Israel enters a somber period culminating in Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut). Eight days earlier, Holocaust Day (Yom HaShoah) is observed with memorials throughout the country. Stories from the ever-decreasing contingent of survivors are shared on television, in schools and even in one’s living room Zikaron BaSalon (remembrance in the living room). Poignant accounts of both loss and survival reawaken us to the Jewish past and, at a time of festering antisemitism, alert us to the dangers of apathy.

Exactly one week after Yom HaShoah, sirens sound proclaiming the start of Yom HaZikaron. Israel Memorial Day commemorates  those who fell protecting Israel in the wars of survival that have been fought nearly continuously since the rebirth of the Jewish homeland. Television programing again is dedicated to loss. Following October 7, 2023, most stories involve the hostages or bereaved families sharing coping mechanisms and tragedies. In the morning of Yom HaZikaron millions gather in cemeteries dispersed throughout Israel to honor our fallen heroes and to support their families. It is a rare family that escapes the battle scars of our conflicts.

Yet the mood of the country, while one of sadness and mourning, also reflects hope, determination and resilience. Jen Airley, the mother of Sergeant Binyamin Airley who fell in the Northern Gaza........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)