Yom hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut in Israel are nothing like I have ever experienced before. Firstly everyone in Israel relates to these two days very differently. Yom Hazikaron In England I may hear a speaker or two before Yom hazikaron and go to a ceremony where they light a candle or two but not much else. In Israel, you feel the change in mood - the country slows down as people remember those who have lost their lives for the state. On Tuesday afternoon we heard from two speakers who had been affected by death in their family. Cheryl Mandel who lost her son while he was serving in the army and Elaine Hoter who’s son was murdered by terrorists who broke in to the Otniel Yeshiva. Both of these inspiring women spoke to us about losing their sons - before Yom Hazikaron had officially begun we had already immersed ourselves in the mood of the day to come. As night fell and Yom hazikaron began we walked to the kotel for the official ceremony. For the first year ever it seemed that the kotel was blocked off to the public for the ceremony. We managed to (with our knowledge of the old city) find a lesser known entrance that was letting people in. We stood and listened to the president as he spoke to the nation. As Hatikva played we sung together, we cried together and many thought of those families we knew who would be hurting today. After an emotional activity and discussion with the Israeli programme at Harova, a few of us decided to return to the kotel to say some tehillim. Later that evening in our room one of my roommates shared a story of achdut yisrael she had seen earlier in the day: Two men were standing by the torch at the kotel (a big torch is lit for the duration of Yom hazikaron). One was a chareidi man and another dati-leumi (modern-orthodox/Religious Zionist) they were arguing about conscription into the Israeli army and were attracting quite a crowd. Instead of continuing their disagreement one of the men said to the other ‘we may disagree about this, but today is not the day to argue about this.’ They then went on to shake hands and hug. The next day we went to Har Herzl along with the rest of Israel to remember those who have fallen. Yom Haatzmaut As Yom hazikaron came to an end we reflected on the day we had and returned to the kotel in blue and white for a very different experience from the night before. Tonight there were no issues with being allowed in, a heaving kotel plaza with people ready for tefilla and dancing. Another hatikva, the pain of the day we had experienced mixed with the anticipation of the celebrations to come. HaRova then went to a hall in the Old City with our Israeli programme to have a celebratory dinner. After dinner we cleared the tables and 200 of us danced together until late into the night. We spent our day as the rest of Israel does, with a hike and a BBQ. Spending the day outside walking through Israel and chilling with friends was the ideal way to appreciate where we were.
Two very different consecutive days, two very different experiences. Both of which gave me a much greater understanding of Israel and its citizens and an even greater appreciation for the sacrifices we have had to make for the sacrifices we have had to make for the state.
