Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut- Disha
Yom Hazikaron is a very special day for Israelis. Yom Hazikaron is the day to remember the fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks. Israelis take this day to honour and remember the soldiers who have lost their lives fighting to protect the state of Israel. For 24 hours on April 17, everyone in Israel is mourning and showing their respect to all who unfortunately lost their lives. As we learned, this day is extremely hard for people who live in Israel because everyone knows either a family member, friend or someone who knows someone that has died in the army which is different from remembrance day back in North America. On this day from sunset to sunset, all public places like clubs, theatres, cinemas, etc. are closed. On Yom Hazikaron this year, we all got to hear the two sirens that sound all around Israel. The first siren marks the beginning of Memorial Day at 8 pm and the second one is at 11 am the next morning. On the night of Yom Hazikaron, we went to the kotel and saw the ceremony where many Israelis gathered for the beginning of Memorial Day. That is where we heard the first siren and the next day we heard the second one which sounded for 2 minutes while seeing the highway where the cars had stopped as soon as they heard the siren. On this day radio and television stations broadcast programs which portray the lives and heroic deeds of the fallen soldiers. We went to the kibbutz cemetery and got to see how everyone on the kibbutz had some connection to the people who died, which made it extremely personal and meaningful for people here.
Immediately following Yom Hazikaron, comes Israel's independence day which is known as Yom Ha'atzmaut. This is a huge celebration in Israel because there is a mood switch that takes over that goes from mourning to partying and we witnessed that at the ceremony. On the night of Yom Ha'atzmaut we went to Ben Yehuda street for a huge festival celebrating Independence day and I think all of us can agree it was the best night we've ever had. Everyone was out decorated in Israel accessories and rejoicing with huge stages full of music and lights that took over the night. We definitely experienced the change from us giving silence for the fallen soldiers to partying in Jerusalem. The next day we went to the Palmachim beach to have a barbecue and we watched the air force fly their jets across the sky to celebrate Israel's 70th birthday. After experiencing Yom Hazikaron in Israel do you think remembrance day in Israel is more meaningful to you than in North America?
It is because of the sirens because they unite the country. When everyone stands in silence and stops moving, I felt really proud to be in Israel.
ReplyDeleteYom Hazikaron is much more meaningful here in Israel than the American equivalent. Here in Israel, the world seems to stop, the entire nation joins in singing the national anthem at the same time, everybody rejoices for their lost brothers and sisters together. Everybody is mourning for somebody they know or someone that their friend knows. The entire nation is bonded by this pain. And ass unfortunate as it is, everybody knows that this pain is necessary for the protection of this nation.
ReplyDeleteYom Hazikaron is way more meaniful in Israel than on memorial day in America. This is because, the IDF is mandatory, thus everyone in israel is mourning the loss of someone. On Yom Hazikaron the people of Israel become united through their sadness and remembrance. It was an amzing experience to witness this first hand from Israel.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Yom Hazikaron would be moving to anyone come from the U.S. even a non jew because just seeing a whole country come together like Israel does is very moving. Memorial day in the U.S. has no emotional impact on 90% of the population but in Israel everyone can connect to this day.
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