Yom Hazikaron/Yom Ha'atzmaut

There is nothing like Yom Hazikaron/Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel, that is a given. I'll tell you though, Toronto did a pretty good job of recognizing the two days in a appropriate and meaningful way and it was always part of our routine. For me, this year, Yom Hazikaron began a day before the day. Let me explain, Avital had an appointment with a respirologist whose office was in Mea Shearim, with regards to her asthma. It was an evening appointment and the two of us headed out. The doctor Dr. Eli Pikar, was a lovely, warm, happy man who took care of us so nicely. He wore a kippa , was clean shaven and immediately put Avital at ease. He was asking us about our aliyah and wondering how it has been for us. The usual question of why we came was asked and a "kol hakavod" accompanied the discussion. He was going to Montreal to visit a brother on sabbatical and was asking about hechshers and food etc. He had the remnants of a French accent and clearly was not a sabra. We said goodbye, nice to meet you we'll see you again in a few months. B'hatzlacha he smiled (good luck). I dropped into my family doctor the next day and mentioned that we had been to Eli Pikar yesterday and how nice and lovely he was. She asked me if he told us about his son. My heart stopped, oh no what about his son? His 17 year old son was killed a few years back in the attack in Atzmona..........What that lovely, friendly person had lost his 17 year old son? Atzmona was the yeshiva where an Arab penetrated and went on a shooting spree, killing Eli Pikars son and others, including a son of Toronto Olim. What struck me most was Dr. Pikars demeanor, his strength to resume a face of compassion and warmth in front of what he must feel inside, anger, pain and loss.

Yom Hazikaron began with another gathering of our yishuv in the ulam. We all filed in quietly and took our places. The ceremony began. Words are hard to use to describe the palpable feelings in that room. I felt as though I could reach out and physically touch the pain, loss and sadness. I also felt that strength was also palpable there, but for the moment sadness was overriding. One of our yishuv members , a man who lives one street below us spoke about his experiences in the Yom Kippur war. He talked about his friends who did not make it and for a few moments he stood up there on the podium and cried out loud. He pulled himself together and apologized, totally not necessary, but he did pull himself together and continued on. The youth read from appropriate readings, poems and stories. The rav spoke. The choir sang. The siren rang. It was piercing. I looked around me at those sitting near, and wondered what was on each of their minds, who were they thinking about, what battles were they remembering, reliving? I felt my newness in this country and my lack of history here. The ceremony ended and we made our way out. I was pretty much sapped of all energy and found it a hard time holding any sort of conversation. We headed home, heavy and deep in our thoughts.

The next morning I headed to the Gan before the siren. I had promised Sara I would be there with her for the siren, she is anxious about loud and sudden noises and I think she didn't understand what she was suppose to do and that upset her. So I came into the gan and was part of the mifgash, circle prior to the siren. The kids sat around in their circle. The teacher lit a candle and talked quietly and gently to the kids. There were pictures around the room of the flag, of soldiers, of memorials and she reviewed them with us. She talked about what we should be thinking about during the siren. "Remember children, we talked about some of you who have lost and are missing people who died protecting us...........Galia, you must be remembering your uncle yossi, and I am thinking about my cousin.........oh my Gd. here was a room of some 30 five and six year old kids, thinking about those they have and we have lost. I had a hard time holding myself together, but I thought of Eli Pikar and his son z"l........the siren began, thirty kids, two teachers and myself stood up. The teachers closed their eyes and looked down, the kids stood straight and looked at the ground, the siren moaned on and the kids stood straight and silent, I stood straight and silent too with tears rolling down my face, he was only 17, a baby! His family had to bury their baby and move on. Soon, the siren dropped in tone and began to taper off, you could again, hear it from the other yishuvim also tapering off. The kids sat down and the teacher began to say tehillim with them. After these deep moments of loss and sadness we turn back to Gd. and praise him and recognize his greatness, mercifulness, kindness..........ein amcha k'yisrael (there is no nation like Israel). I stayed a little longer and made my way home, slowly , because it took a lot of effort to drag my heavy self, actually my heavy heart home.

How appropriate in this country of ours that we go from great sadness to joy in matter of moments. We all gathered at our migrash prior to sunset for the end of yom hazikaron and the beginning of yom haatzmaut. There was to be a yishuv tekes, ceremony and two of our kids would be a part of it. This time it was Sara and Avital. Sara's gan was part of a dance and Avital had been asked to light a torch on behalf of olim youth. The ceremony began with the final siren of yom hazikaron and moved on to the celebration of israel's birth. There were poem's read and Sara's little dance was so cute. A whole bunch of little kids, decked in blue and white of course dancing in the shape of the Israeli flag. I must add that each and every event we have been to on the yishuv, in the schools, and gan are always decorated so beautifully and so too was the migrash with its big beautiful flag and balloons etc. Torch's were lit, twelve, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and Avital was called up to light hers. It is at these times when I feel the reality of what we have done, when I see my kids participating and being part of Israeli life, I have to pinch myself and then thank Gd. for the opportunities and the life he has enabled us to experience. The tekes ended and we joined our friends the Ports for a seudah chagigit, which was enjoyable as always. We headed home, or atleast some of us did, exhausted but happy, others went out to continue celebrating with their friends, as usual there were more activities organized for the kids.




The next day we were getting together with the Pomsons, our friends who had made aliyah from Toronto one year prior to us and live in Jerusalem. A few years ago at a yom haatzmaut celebration in Toronto Alex and Darrell were standing around together and Alex turned to Darrell and said that when we arrive to Israel, we would celebrate an Israeli Yom Ha'atzmaut together, and so we did.
Like the entire country we headed out for a mangal (BBQ/picnic). I must add that we started out late, because the Pomsons, were glued to the TV watching the Chidon Hatanach (world wide bible contest,the finals take place in Israel of course). What a place, on the day of its birth, chidon hatanach takes place on TV and the results are announced all day long on the news, and the radio etc. So we headed to Begin Park to find a suitable site for our long awaited BBQ. Well, I have to tell you that Israelis are PROFESSIONAL picnicers. First of all they were literally everywhere. Even along the highways, you could see spatterings of picnickers everywhere. And these were no regular picnickers, there were portable tables, major and minor portable bbqs, chairs set up in large circles waiting for large numbers of family members and friends to arrive, sometimes mattresses and hammocks were set up, some picnics were quiet, some had stereo systems going it was unbelievable and did I say they were everywhere? We found a nice spot and set up, we did not have so much to set up, the bbq, the coolers and some games we brought for the kids. The Pomsons arrived and we began. Well, all of us are technically Israelis now, but we have some practise until we are professional bbqers. Alex told us about this doohickey, which looks like a dustpan, which is to fan the flames, we could have used one of those. The next day I noticed in the supermarket the whole section devoted to bbqs and picnic paraphenalia, Yonatan declared that we too would have and set up a hammock next year. We had a fun afternoon, the kids loosened up and enjoyed also, although Avital and Anna spent a high percentage of the time sitting in the back of the open van, listening to IPod , crocheting kippas go figure.
We parents shared our aliyah woes and also some of the successes our children were beginning to experience. It was moving to see these eight kids in their new surroundings and environment celebrating the birth or THEIR new country. I still believe that despite the difficulties the day will come, probably later than sooner, when each child at their own time will thank us for bringing them here, that will be a great day. They say aliyah is the best gift you can give to your kids.........some of them just don't realize that yet. It was nice to be together and hopefully next year we will be a little bit more "professional" about it.



It was a wonderful first yom ha'atzmaut and we just really felt greatful to be here and be a part of our jewish homeland and its history in the making. After the picnic we headed off to the airport to pick up bubbie who was arriving for her six week visit.


P.S.: we seem to be experiencing some difficulties posting pictures. I in my limited technical ability have not been able to solve the problem. I will seek help and update my blank entries, especially of note was the lack of pictures on the Sherman visit blog and sara's siyum. Some entries are accepting pictures and others not......so frustrating. When I get it all to work I will let you all know to look backwards to see the pictures.