Happy Birthday, Israel!
My future husband and I being goofballs in Akko in 2008
Shabbat on the Moshav as a student at the Pardes Institute of Judaic Studies - circa 2009
My middle child, Eden, came home yesterday and informed me that on Friday, she would need to wear blue and white. “OK!”, I said. “And do you know why?” “Yes”, she said, “because it’s Israel’s birthday”. “And why we do want to celebrate Israel? Why do we, as Jews, celebrate Israel?” And with that, I lost her. She didn’t know why. She can identify the Israeli flag. She knows that Israel’s colors are blue and white and she knows that it has something to do with her being Jewish but she genuinely didn’t know. “We celebrate Israel’s birthday, even as Americans, because first and foremost, we are Jews and Israel is the only Jewish country in the whole world.” Of course, in my head I was thinking, “Oy vey, it’s a lot more complicated and nuanced than that but she’s 5 so I let it sit there for the time being.
We celebrated Israel this week, of course, but we also mourned those whose lives were lost in defending our modern Jewish state and her right to exist. The duality of the two holidays is never lost on me as I’m sure it’s not lost on most Jews. I’ll never forget being a Junior in college and studying abroad at Beer Sheva University during Yom HaZikaron of 2001. The sound of the siren and the vision of every. single. person stopping whatever they were doing to pause and honor the fallen. I remember thinking that every single Israeli who was taking a moment of silent must know someone who has died in combat defending Israel. What that must do to an entire country knowing that most likely everyone has had someone close to them lose their life in the name of this complicated and incredible country. It was one of those moments as an American Jew (and there have been many) where I have felt raw in my extreme privilege of not having to be forced into the military but still getting to visit, explore, and fall in love with Israel.
As we are nearing the end of this school year, we, at Hillel are so looking forward to continuing to celebrate Israel at this year’s IsraelFest, taking place on Sunday, April 25th. While things will be a bit different this year due to COVID restrictions, our enthusiasm and love for Israel will certainly not be different so we hope to see you at this year’s festivities. As always, check out our website or our Instagram feed for more information on end-of-year activities. I hope you have a wonderful Shabbat.
With Gratitude,
Whitney
