It’s just after 6:00 p.m. here in Israel. Memorial Day is fast coming to a close. I lit a memorial candle last night. It burns for 24 hours. It is mostly gone and soon it will go out. At 8:00 p.m., Israel will do what it does each year at this time – a most amazing and hard to believe thing. It will, in an instant, switch from our deepest sadness to our greatest joy.
Before we can celebrate our Independence Day, we honor those who made it possible, by commemorating our Memorial Day. Soon, all over the land, we will go to parties, barbecues, and fireworks. We did not have Elie home for the first days of Passover, but he is home now and will go with us to see the fireworks and celebrate.
As hard as this Memorial Day has been, I can only hope that’s how happy Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Independence Day) will be.
Happy Birthday, Israel – may you go from strength to strength.
Leave a Reply