Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day. I definitely wasn't prepared for how powerful this day would be here in Israel. It's a different, more intense feeling, definitely because of the deep connection this country has to the horrors of the Holocaust and the triumphs of the Jewish people afterward. It has honestly been hard to get back to that feeling of profound sadness, and I've been dreading writing this, a bit, just because of how much it shook me.
I first started feeling the buzz of the day Sunday night. As I'm sure many of you know (or maybe I've mentioned it before), all of our holidays start at sundown the evening before. I had worked all day and had come home to crash before going to scavenge for food since I hadn't been grocery shopping. I took the dog on a walk with dreams of falafel dancing in my hungry head only to find everything closed up tight. Everything. Even the little convenience store that is open on Shabbat was closed. That's the first time it hit me just how heavy this holiday is for everyone here. I retreated to my house and cooked all that I had, plain chicken breast and spinach. Which, in retrospect, would have been a feast for a lot of people, especially those whose memories we were recalling. And now I'm feeling a bit guilty about complaining as much as I did.
I was a little panicked about the next morning because my friends had informed me that at 10am, there would be a two minute long siren to honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust. This brought back horrible fears of the war and the constant sirens, but I was assured that this siren sounded different. I nervously watched the clock all morning, and when 10am came, the piercing siren started. However, this did not evoke a sense of fear in me but more, a sense of chilling realization. I stood at my window, trying to calm the frightened dog, and I watched as the street behind my house became empty as people actually stopped on the road to show respect. I reflected on why we were all stopping, and I was initially hit with a wave of sadness connected to this tragedy. But curiously, I was next hit with a sense of pride in that I am living proof that the Jewish people have succeeded and survived. I am here, living the dream, and continuing on the Jewish legacy. By living my life, by just being alive, I was honoring all those lives lost. The fact that I was finally living my life in a Jewish place and living to strengthen the nation of Israel was an even profounder way of honoring their memories. A lot passed through my head in those two minutes, obviously, but it was so powerful. Just to give you a taste, watch this video of how my country reacted to this siren and how they honored those 6 million lives. It's worth it to watch it all the way to the end and experience what we did.
I felt so proud of the fact that I am Israeli, and I watched as other new olim reacted to what they had also just experienced for the first time on Facebook. Pretty amazing stuff.
On a different note, there was also another feeling throughout that day. As I was waiting for my dinner to be done Sunday night, I got an alert on my phone saying that, yet again, there had been a rocket attack in Southern Israel. That mix of emotions was hard to take. The fear, the anger, the sadness, the cynicism, the almost hopelessness. What's worse is that it interrupted a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony...here's another video just to show you the reality of the situation. The woman is saying "Red Alert, Red Alert" as the kids instinctively bolt for shelter. This town, Sderot, only has 15 seconds to reach a safe place before the impact of the incoming rocket(s). And what timing, while these brave residents were honoring those lost in the Holocaust.
I'll leave you with that on which to reflect, but rest assured, our next posts will be FUN as Israeli Independence Day is just around the corner. Shabbat Shalom!
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