I Wish You Knew What Memorial Day Really Was, I Wish We Didn’t Have To |
It took the jarring two-minute siren that sounded across the country yesterday for the epiphany that I needed to share about the unique commemoration of victims of war and terror that took place, as does every year, as we observed Memorial Day in Israel. It’s an important thing to understand in a country that has never lived a day of 78 years in peace, and coming out of a 40-day operation against the Islamic Republic, and ongoing war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and other Islamic terror groups, with the threat of war and terror looming. It’s important to understand the paradox of living under this threat from day one through today, and to note our resilience. It's one of the most remarkable aspects of Israeli society that I wish you understood overseas, and I wish we didn’t have to understand ourselves.
I attended one of hundreds of events that began the solemn observance of Memorial Day across the country. Some are local community events, some are national and televised. The event was powerful, but more on that in a moment.
No less powerful was getting to the event outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. I started in Tel Aviv in the afternoon as things began shutting down in preparation for the commemoration. Businesses, shops, cafes, and restaurants all closed. People scurrying to get where they were going to begin the solemn observance.
The event itself in Jerusalem’s Sultan’s Pool was a mix of inspiring recollection of the lives of any number of victims of war and terror to which Israel has been........