Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut

In Israel, most people will spend tomorrow either attending the national ceremony at Har Herzl (the military cemetery); visiting the graves of soldiers who gave up their lives in Israel's wars or watching and listening to the stories of different fallen soldiers which are played all day on TV and on the radio. For anyone who's had the privilege to be in Israel on Yom HaZikaron, I'm sure you will agree with me that you feel as if the entire nation is mourning together. In America, we have to work a little harder to really feel that sense of loss and connection to Israel on these days. Below are some stories about different Israeli soldiers that I posted on the blog last year, but that are worth re-reading/watching before Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut to help us reflect about the importance of these two days and our own personal connections to Medinat Israel.

1. The story of Nachshon Wachsman z"l
2. The story of Baruch Shapira z"l
3. The story of Gedalia Malik z"l
4. An interview with the mother of Uriel and Eliraz Peretz z"l

One aspect that I always had difficulty with was how the entire state of Israel can go from complete mourning on Yom HaZikaron to complete celebration 24 hours later on Yom Ha'atzamaut. It reminds me of the mixing of emotions in the Gemara in Makkot 24b where R' Akiva laughs upon seeing foxes walk through the ruins of the Bet HaMikdash, while the other rabbis cry. R' Akiva laughs since he is able to see past the destruction to the day when there will be גאולה. So too, perhaps true celebration of the גאולה of Yom Ha'atzmaut can only exist once one has experienced the חרבן of Yom HaZikaron.

Below is a very powerful video that I think highlights this process of mourning to celebration; going משואה לתקומה, from the Holocaust to the State of Israel, reminding us of how much we should appreciate the miracle that we are able to return as a nation to our land after 2000 years of exile. One of the more powerful parts is when it shows the footage of Ben Gurion declaring the state in 1948, followed by R' Yehuda Maimon (an Israeli rabbi and politician) reciting she'hecheyanu. Chag Sameach!!