Somehow, as the moments tick down to the siren in just over 30 minutes, this video that I just saw is all the more painful.
This is a kibbutz very close to the border with Gaza – last night, as so many of us did in Israel, they gathered for a ceremony to remember the victims of the Holocaust. We remember it with candles, with songs, with testimonies, with tears.
Last night, they remembered it with fear. Notice how the children seem to be the first to react…
Color Red at Kibbutz Alumim during the Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony
I am a reader from the United States. I very much reading your blog, and was touched by this video.
A google search revealed to me that “color red” in Israel is roughly equilvalent to the translation “Code Red” in the U.S., which conveys the urgency and danger.
My search also revealed this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoB1AjVCueU of a song written by a Kindergarten teacher to help her class deal with the ongoing air raid sirens.
It touched my heart, in a strangely uplifting way, and thought I’d share it. This is the spirit I think of when I think of the Israeli people.
You don’t dwell in perfect safety (yet), but Israel gets stronger every day. And we are proud to stand with you.
Ruth
Paula, but the most important thing to take from this is that after we all moved to a safe place, we waited till the rocket fell, and then WE WENT BACK OUT AND FINISHED THE CEREMONY WITH HATIKVA AND ANI MAAMIN. THAT IS THE MESSAGE!
I’ve watched this video a few times now, and this is the first time I realized the children’s reaction was so much quicker than everyone else’s. The first few viewings made me mad. This one made me cry.