Not Just a Date on the Calendar

Not just a date on the calendar.

There are three hours left before Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s national Memorial Day, officially begins. And yet, the somber silence is already palpable in the streets. When I moved here nearly 40 years ago, someone told me that every Israeli family has lost someone in defense of the country- a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, a neighbor, a co-worker. Everyone knows someone who was killed in the line of duty. At the time, I thought that the person talking to me was over exaggerating. Boy, do I wish that were true.

So now, 4 decades later, I  realize that this is an unfortunate statistic. We are a small country, but as a nation, we are all connected. And now, as I write these words, the streets are quiet, and the radio is playing sad music. Everyone, in his or her own way, is preparing for Memorial Day. Growing up in America, Memorial Day meant the official opening of the beach season as well as huge sales in all the department stores. Some towns had a memorial parade (although I never went to one in my hometown of Chicago). Memorial Day was not on my agenda, and most certainly not sitting anywhere near my heart- it was a welcome day off school and work, but unfortunately (or maybe it was actually fortunate ), it did not have any personal feeling for me.

But today, as I am listening to somber music and remembering the children of friends and family who gave their lives for this country, the sons and daughters of neighbors and community members, my children’s friends and comrades in arms, I  feel not only sadness but also immense pride.

Yom Hazikaron is not just another day on the calendar. It is a day of showing respect to those who have fallen, a day of solemn thought, introspection, grief, mourning, and yet pride. This is how Israelis gear up to celebrate Yom Ha’atsmaut, our Independence Day. We do not and cannot take our independence for granted. We never lose sight of the price that we pay to live in our own country. Somehow, July 3 just does not conjure up these feelings- it’s essentially just another day, one that happens right before Independence Day.

But here in Israel, we are acutely aware that Memorial Day is not just another day; it is the day that we remember how painfully fragile our independence in our homeland actually is.

May the memories of the fallen soldiers be for a blessing for all of us, and may their families and friends be comforted in the knowledge that their deaths were not in vain.