Israel is 75

Photo courtesy of the author.

Grandson Ami Goldenberg on his eighth birthday with Jonathan Ben Zeev (cousin), Leo Goldenberg (brother) and Etai Goldenberg (father). Photo courtesy of the author.

Yom Ha’atzma’ut is Israel’s Independence Day. I painted my nails blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag as well as the colors we usually wear in honor of this special day. It’s my own personal, fun tradition that I started two years ago.

Israel is celebrating 75 years as a Jewish country. Yom Ha’atzma’ut is Israel’s 75th birthday, and mine, by proxy. Although my birth date is in March, both Israel and I were born in 1948! My mother linked our birthdays each year, so this is my celebration, too.

Life granted me extra reasons to make this a day of celebration for me. This is the day that I met my Israeli husband, Mickey, at a Yom Ha’atzma’ut celebration at the JCC in suburban Detroit. And this is the day on which, in 2015, I received a special gift: the birth of my grandson, Amichai “Ami” Barack Goldenberg.

Three wonderful events to joyously mark on this day.

We often enjoy being in Israel at this time of year. We mark Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, at a community ceremony with Mickey’s family on Erev Yom Hazikaron. The following day, we visit the cemetery where Mickey’s Uncle Nissim, a terror victim, is buried and take part in the ceremony for those who died before the creation of the State of Israel. On Yom Ha’atzma’ut, we have a festive barbaque with family and friends, music and song in the backyard of Mickey’s family home in Ramat Gan since 1934.

This year we celebrated Ami’s eighth birthday and participated in celebrations with his community and his school, Epstein Hebrew Academy, in St. Louis, MO. A celebratory day, L’Dor v’dor.

Am Yisrael Chai!

עם ישראל חי

Happy 75th birthday to Israel and me!