Yom Hazikaron The fourth of Lyar

Admin Tue 17 Apr 2018, 4:17 pm

Yom Hazikaron: Israel’s Memorial Day
This day honoring fallen soldiers -- next observed on April 18, 2018 -- immediately precedes Israel's Independence Day.
BY MJL STAFF
The fourth of Iyar, the day preceding Israel’s Independence Day, was declared by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) to be a Memorial Day for those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for all military personnel who were killed while in active duty in Israel’s armed forces. Joining these two days together conveys a simple message: Israelis owe the independence and the very existence of the Jewish state to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.

In 2018, Yom Hazikaron begins at sundown on April 17.

Shalom friends,
As Jews around the world excitedly prepare to celebrate Israel’s 70th Independence Day, we’d like to take a moment to focus on the moment before Yom Haatzmaut, before the parties and the parades – Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism.

There is something magical about the transition between Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut. The essence of Israel is not in big celebrations, parades or fireworks (fun as those are) but in that quiet, yet momentous transition between Yom Hazikaron to Yom Haatzmaut.

One day follows the other with mindfulness, the juxtaposition is purposeful and gut wrenchingly difficult. There is no real seam between the two days. There is no break where it becomes possible to stop grieving and begin celebrating because the grief does not end, the loss cannot be filled and it is a price we are forced to pay over and over. And that is exactly the point – we celebrate the miracle of Israel with the knowledge that our Independence is attained and held only through unspeakable sacrifice, honoring those who sacrificed so that we may live by being joyful and ALIVE.

How does one celebrate a miracle anyway?

Yom Haatzmaut is one day. It is impossible to encompass the miraculous achievement of 70 years in a single day, event or program. That is why we have decided to create the 70 Faces of Israel initiative and dedicate the entire year, between this Yom Haatzmaut and the next Yom Haatzmaut to present the many “faces” of Israel. Look for the first 70 Faces post in upcoming mailings!

Yom Hazikaron The fourth of Lyar Balfour100jpeg

NOT JUST NAMES: REMEMBERING ISRAEL'S FALLEN
https://israelforever.org/programs/remembering_israels_fallen/
Israel is our ancestral homeland, the birthright of the Jewish people. The religious believe that Israel was granted by God. Others focus on the Jewish people’s legal rights to the land and the reaffirmation of such by the League of Nations and in 1948, the United Nations.

No matter what your perspective, it is clear to all that without Israel’s soldiers, the country would not, could not exist.

The day after the Declaration of Independence Israel was at war with enemies who wished to eliminate her entirely. In the following seven decades Israel has been forced to defend herself in numerous wars and military operations. Each entered into reluctantly, in self-defense, each won – because Israel must win or be exterminated.

Everything Israel is, everything Israel has achieved, was made possible by her defenders. The soldiers of Israel are her sons and daughters, fathers and friends. They are our family. We love them and honor them for protecting us, serving us.

The soldiers who were killed defending our land have a special place in our hearts, as do their families and friends who had to go on living without their loved ones. This is a gaping wound that does not heal, a pain one gets used to bearing but one that does not go away.

On Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism, the State of Israel stops to remember, mourn for the dead and honor their legacy. The juxtaposition of Yom Hazikaron directly followed by Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day is a gut-wrenching reminder that without the first, we would not have the second.

It is important to take the time to remember and honor those who lost their lives defending Israel. At the same time, it is critical to note that we are not marking names or numbers. This is not about statistics, this is about people. This is about family.

The goal of the Israel Forever Not Just Names initiative is to serve as a reminder that each soldier or person murdered in a terror attack is a world: a child, a grandchild, a brother, a sister, a friend, a partner, a spouse, a parent. We grieve for their loss but also for the suffering of those left behind – bereaved families, orphaned children, friends, those who witnessed the death but survived, those who bear the physical and emotional scars of the loss.

The pain of the bereaved does not end when Yom Hazikaron ends. At the same time, Israel is a land of hope and joy. We honor those who died so that we could live by living well, and by helping others to do the same.

The Not Just Names initiative highlights ways we can remember and honor those who sacrificed to keep Israel safe and ways we can continue their legacy.

HATIKVAH - הַתִּקְוָה

Inspiration and Hope, Music, Yom Haatzmaut

When the State of Israel was established in 1948, Hatikvah was unofficially proclaimed the national anthem. As titled, "The Hope", this anthem speaks of the establishment of a sovereign and free nation in our homeland, the Land of Israel. In November 2004, it officially become law that the Hatikvah is Israel's national anthem.

THE HOPE FOR FREEDOM

Hatikva- Israeli national anthem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBIvPkdIOT8&ab_channel=TheTollundWoman

HATIKVA

Kol od balevav penimah,

Nefesh Yehudi homiyah.

Ulfa'atei mizrach kadimah,

Ayin l'Tziyon tzofiyah.

Od lo avdah tikvateinu,

Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim,

Lihyot am chofshi be'artzeinu,

Eretz Tziyon viyrushalayim.

Lihyot am chofshi be'artzeinu,

Eretz Tziyon viyrushalayim.

THE HOPE

As long as deep within the heart

A Jewish soul stirs,

And forward, to the ends of the East

An eye looks out, towards Zion.

Our hope is not yet lost,

The hope of two thousand years,

To be a free people in our land

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

To be a free people in our land

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

Note:

Hatikva is the national anthem of the State of Israel.

The text comes from a poem by Naftali Hertz Imber called Tikvatenu, first published in Jerusalem in 1886. It soon became popular throughout the Jewish world and in 1933 was adapted as the anthem of the Zionist Movement by the 18th Zionist Congress. Upon establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Hatikva became the national anthem.