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Starting with Purim on the 14th of Adar, Passover begins thirty days later on the eve of the 15th of Nisan, lasting eight days, ending on the 22nd of Nisan. Yom HaShoah begins on the eve of the 26th of Nisan. Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day, begins on the eve of the 2nd of Iyar and flows directly into Yom Haatzmaut the next day. What a busy 45 days!  It is interesting that only one of these dates, Passover, is biblically ordained by God. While Megilat Esther is in the Hebrew Bible, it was established by Mordechai sometime in the 5th Century BCE. The remaining three, remarkable in their close proximity, were established by the State of Israel.  While they each have special rituals associated with them, they are not Jewish holidays. Perhaps the best descriptor might be “commemorations”. The choice of language is important, for as I learned in the aftermath of 10.27, the annual remembrance is not of an anniversary. That is specific to a joyous occasion such as a wedding. Remembering a date acknowledges that it is important but lacks the celebratory nature of an anniversary. While this blog was written prior to Yom Haatzmaut, and while it is generally celebratory in nature, I would anticipate a more subdued event with concern for the remaining 59 hostages on everyone’s minds. 

If you had the opportunity to view a video of the 10:00AM sirens on Yom HaShoah, where everyone stops what they are doing and stands at attention for two minutes, you noted the power of this somber act. Yom Hazikaron also features the same observance, a two-minute siren at 10:00AM. As powerful as the two minutes are for Yom HaShoah, I find the Yom Hazikaron observance to be even more powerful. An entire nation stops what it is doing to honor the memory of the fallen who gave their lives so that the remaining citizens can stand for these two minutes. This year Israel will remember 25,000+ IDF, police officers, security personnel and civilians who lost their lives in war and terrorism. The day also remembers the 5,100 civilian casualties.  It is rare to find an Israeli family who has not lost a family member on this day. Many will make the sacred pilgrimage to Mt. Herzl, where the National Cemetery is located, to mourn, to grieve, to remember. 

Contrast that if you will with Memorial Day in the United States. It originated in the wake of the Civil War, and was originally known as Decoration Day, as proclaimed by Union General John A. Logan on May 30, 1868.  After WWI it was renamed Memorial Day. With the passage of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968, ostensibly to give people three-day weekends, it became the fourth Monday of May in 1971. How do we observe it today? I remember as a child that there was a parade in town.  I remember years ago in a prior congregation, that a group of us would go to the Jewish cemeteries the weekend before and place American flags at the graves of those who perished in battle. But today, while there might be pockets of commemoration, Memorial Day is known as the official start of summer weekend at the Jersey Shore. Stores have Memorial Day sales. The smells of barbecues waft through the neighborhood, as you best purchase the accoutrements before Sunday. 

Imagine for a moment if we shifted our priorities and observed Memorial Day like the Israelis do.  At an appropriately designated time, taking into account the various time zones, sirens went off in every town across the land, and everyone stopped what they were doing for two minutes, took off their hats, and paid homage to our fallen heroes, the land of the brave so that we could be a home to the free. It might be held on July 3, taking a lesson from the State of Israel: Before you celebrate your Day of Independence, you must pause to remember those who made it possible. Israel certainly gets it.