Happy Birthday, Israel!!!

Israel just celebrated its 70th Independence Day! I feel so lucky to have been here to celebrate and experience the excitement! The day before Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day) is Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day), and what makes it especially meaningful is the start of each day beginning at sundown. Memorial Day, much like Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), is especially palpable in Israel. On both of these somber days, there are sirens that sound during which the country stops - traffic, people, etc. On Yom Hashoah eve, businesses are all closed. Even though some are open the following day, the sense of what is being remembered affects the atmosphere and invades the day. It was very similar on Yom HaZikaron. The nation of Israel is a mere seven million people, so almost everyone knows or is related to victims of the Holocaust, as well as war and terror victims. The entire country is in a state of mourning for these remembrance days.

Yom Hashoah is exactly a week prior to Yom Ha'atzmaut. The day before, we visited Yad Vashem. I have been to the Holocaust Museum here in Israel before, but we were able to spend more time on this visit; with tour guide, but I also was able to go off and see other things in each room as we went along. The layout of the museum is completely symbolic. The museum focuses more on stories of people and events than on showing gruesome images, etc. The victims of the Holocaust were human beings, with families and stories, hopes and dreams; they were not simply victims of a terrible tragedy, but there was more to their lives. The museum does a fantastic job of sharing these stories as well as taking visitors through the narrative of the events of the Holocaust, not sticking to stereotypical information but expanding to all the various countries and people affected by the evils of the events that made up the Holocaust. Photos are not allowed inside the museum, but I am sharing the ones I took outside below. The museum is cut into the mountaintop where it is located, not only to preserve the landscape but also to symbolize the Holocaust. The building is a long, narrow triangular shape, like a spine of a book, with rooms branching off like chapters inside. Inside, the long hallway is a slope which also adds to the narrative as visitors traverse the timeline and stories of events.

The beginning evening of Yom HaZikaron, I attended a Masa ceremony near Latrun which honored 23,646 fallen soldiers and victims of terror in Israel. Before the event there was an exhibition of military equipment, and we were able to ask questions to IDF soldiers and go inside a couple of tanks, which was really interesting! The ceremony was elaborate and told the stories of nine of the fallen, using testimonies, videos and songs. A siren went off at the start of the ceremony and we stood in remembrance. The size of the crowd, and the fact that it included families of the fallen, made the experience extra impactful. The day of Yom HaZikaron is filled with stories on the radio of people and somber songs, which adds to the overall atmosphere.

Immediately following this somber day - at sundown - was the start of Yom Ha'atzmaut, which was starkly different from the previous days, marked by country-wide celebration! There were street parties taking place all around where I live in Haifa, so I went with some friends! It was a lot of fun, with concerts and people everywhere (a little like Mardi Gras sans floats and free throws, but there were vendors with food and more).

People say that to know true joy, one has to know sadness, and this is exactly that. With Pesach not far behind us, it makes me think of the mixing of bitterness and sweetness with the maror and charosis.

In Israel, there is a strong sense of solidarity and unity during these holidays. I was talking with a friend the other day about why it is so meaningful living in this country. I know that all these holidays add to making one ponder these things. It's like the Elie Wiesel quote, "When a Jew visits Israel for the first time, it is not the first time; it is a homecoming." I have been to Israel three times prior to this experience, and the first time was a homecoming, as has been each time since. Sometimes I travel with people who are not Jewish, and I think it is difficult for them to understand. So for those reading this who are not Jewish, maybe this will be insightful. A place where the Jewish holidays are actually celebrated nationally, and the spirit of Judaism is alive and well, a spirit that has endured from ancient times and stood (and continues to stand) awful persecution and racism, is amazing.

Other than these holidays, I am continuing to photograph Bet Shearim, complete with rats and spiders (ack!), so here are photos of that as well as some Haifa views:

 

This is an area with TWELVE doorways, many of which have danger signs, that I just started the other day. I have to really squeeze through many of these, holding a spotlight, camera and sign, and they're filled with spider webs; in addition, some are more level inside, but many have ancient stairs that are difficult to get down especially from the tiny doorway! It's pretty crazy!

 

Here is one of the doorways from the inside of the cave. 

 

I photographed the famous Rabbi's cave the other day. Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi is the compiler of the Mishnah, and the one whose burial here drew Jews from all over the world to join him in burial, making Bet Shearim completely unique as a burial site. There are all types of burials here.

 

A non-tourist cave I photographed the other day - it helps to get over the creepiness when I get to photograph the cool engravings, like this menorah and inscription below!!!

 

 

View from my Haifa balcony

 
Views from the promenade in Haifa