Rememberance Day

Last night, at 8 pm, as I stood in the emergency room with Little Red (story for another time), the siren sounded, signaling the start of Rememberance Day for the fallen heroes that defended the Jewish Homeland. Everyone, young and old, religious and secular, stood silent for one minute, to commemorate those who no longer stand amongst us. I have had few religious experiences more touching and profound, than the minute or two a year, when we all stand together, paying our respects to all the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice, so that people they never knew or would never know could live out our lives as full Jews in the Jewish homeland.
As an oleh who was not given the chance to serve, I am deeply moved by the somberness and unity of the day. It's a day of reflection and paying respect to our brothers and sisters who were killed in the line of duty. Television and radio stations forgo their usual drivel to tell the stories of each of these heroes. As someone who grew up with Memorial Day as a day of picnics and sales, it really puts things in perspective. We have a chance to see what is important, and it gives a little more insight into another unique feature of Israeli society, the central role of family life. Here, family is in all aspects put first. The day of the birth of your child is a paid vacation day. Women are given by law 3 months paid maternity leave, with the option of taking another 3 months unpaid. A Brit is a perfectly legitimate excuse for being late to work. Employers expect that you will use all of your vacation days. For most of the country, Friday night is family time. I could go on and on, but my point is, with so many families being incomplete, with so many who have lost someone in defense of our Home, everyone understands, accepts and expects that time spent with the family is to be cherished. This is one of the beautiful things about having Independence Day immediately following Memorial Day. First we pay our respects to those that gave their lives for ours, and acknowledge the sacrifice and loss of the family left behind, then we move on to family celebrations of the fact that their sacrifice was not in vain. Life here continues, families grow, and we continue to stand tall, as Light Unto the Nations, and the fulfillment of G-D's promise to our forefathers.
So tonight, as we cross the threshold of 65 years of independence, and the continuing of the fulfillment of G-D's promise to "return His sons to their borders," I will hug my children a little tighter, knowing that I owe thanks to G-D and and all the families of this wonderful country for the opportunity to be a part of the great family of the nation of Israel. I will silently pray, as we watch the flag rise and the fireworks explode above us, that in the coming year, our greater family of the nation of Israel from Eilat to Karzrin, and from Tel Aviv to Talmon are able to be just slightly less dysfunctional, and that we should be able to celebrate each other's successes, as well as our collective ones, together, as a family. May our national family know no new suffering, and may we see our greater family grow and expand, both through natural growth, and our long lost family overseas finding their way home.