I used to find it strange that Yom Ha'atzmaut comes right after Yom HaZikaron - how are we supposed to switch from extreme sadness to extreme joy within a 48 hour period? But maybe this is the most appropriate way to celebrate, as to truly appreciate Medinat Israel, we first have to take time to realize the tremendous sacrifices that it took (and continues to take) for us to have our own independent state in the land of Israel.
In Israel everyone will spend the day visiting military cemeteries, watching and listening to the stories of fallen soldiers on TV and on the radio and stopping everything they are doing (even driving on the highway) to stand at attention for 2 minutes during a memorial siren in the morning. Anyone who has been to Israel on Yom HaZikaron can tell you that it feels as if the entire country is mourning together.
In America, it's much harder for us to feel this way. We may take breaks from our regular day of school on Yom HaZikaron to have a ceremony, hear a speaker and watch a video in Ma'ayanot, but it's much harder for us to connect to the day. We live busy lives and for many of us, Yom HaZikaron may even take 2nd place to our studying for and taking of AP exams. As well, as much as we are thankful for everything that Israeli soldiers do for us, sometimes it may be hard for us to see them as more then the guys in uniform that we run to take pictures with on MachHach and Yad b'Yad... For high school students in Israel, these soldiers are their neighbors, older brothers, cousins... plus most importantly, these soldiers are who they will be becoming in a few short years when they turn 18 and it becomes their turn to put on a uniform.
Even though it is much harder for us to connect to Yom HaZikaron in America, perhaps we can take an important lesson from this and see it as a reminder of the different religious and emotional quality of life one can have when living in Israel (yes, even different then Teanck, land of kosher restaurants!); where you can experience the special sense of unity in the country around Yom HaZikaron/Yom Ha'atzmaut and where you don't have to feel as if your religious life is running on a different calendar then the country that you are living in, as businesses are closed on chagim and bagrut (government) exams would never be scheduled on Yom HaZikaron or Yom Ha'atzmaut!
I encourage you to take some time and read some stories of fallen soldiers to help you connect to the Yom HaZikaron on a more personal level. You can check out a post on this blog from last year for some links to powerful stories. I would also recommend a great story by Daniel Gordis (one of my favorite Israeli-American writers) and a story by David Hartman who lost his son-in-law in the Lebanon war in 1982.
Have a meaningful Yom HaZikaron and an amazing Yom Ha'atzmaut!
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