Reflections on Yom Hazikaron and Memorial Day in Israel

 By Martin Kessel

This year Yom Hazikaron ceremonies and celebrations were far from normal. The reality of October 7th and the war on Hamas choked the air out of thoughts of hope. 

Memorial Day Parent’s Circle Ceremony

I attended three different ceremonies on Memorial Day.

The first, held at various locations both in Israel, around the world, and broadcast online, was The 2024 Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony, on the eve of Memorial Day, was sponsored by the Combatants for Peace and the Parents’ Circle, a Palestinian-Israeli support group formed by parents who lost children during the Intifada. Apeirogon, by Colum McCann, our Books of Jewish Interest selection in 2021, is based upon the stories of two of the founders of the Parent’s Circle, Rami Elchanan and Bassam Aramin. In fact one the two hosts of this year’s ceremony, Guy Elchanan, is the son of Rami. As always, this is a truly moving ceremony - but this year with emotions we have never before experienced.

This ceremony is conducted both in Hebrew and Arabic with simultaneous translations.

Yonatan Zeigen paid homage to his mother Vivian Silver at the Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony

One of the speakers was Yonatan Zeigen, left, the son of peace activist Vivian Silver. Silver was brutally massacred in her home on Kibbutz Be’eri by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

Yoni's homage to his mother was heartbreaking as he touched on every salient aspect of his relationship with her, and in so doing expressed the relationship of both those near to Vivian like our Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum and those of us who came to know her and respect her through Rabbi Donna.

Yoni's very sober vision of the future touched us all very deeply. Not that there is no future - but that there is.  It will, however, take much hard work and resilience to achieve the peace envisioned by Vivian.

Certainly a Yom Hazikaron like no other in our lifetimes.

Memorial Day with Grandchildren in Rehovot 

My second ceremony was on the morning of Memorial Day, when I attended a beautiful and moving Memorial Day ceremony in Rehovot where my Israeli granddaughter’s Orr's sixth grade class remembered individual soldiers who had fallen on or around October 7. (see photo below) First a short reading about the soldier, followed by a dance or a song that was composed by friends of the fallen soldier.

Weizmann Institute of Sciences

A Commemoration at Weizmann Institute of Science

Following the school ceremony, I attended a very moving third ceremony at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where I am spending a month as a visiting scientist.  The ceremony began exactly 11:00 am, with a nationwide, 3-minute, chilling siren: everything comes to a halt throughout the country. The ceremony consisted of graphic remembrances of soldiers and people connected to the Weizmann community who had fallen on October 7 and in the ensuing war.

One of the stories was about Weizmann Institute Ph.D. graduate Marcel Freilich Kaplun (2007) who had spent years working in improving science education in Israeli high schools. As vividly recounted at the memorial ceremony by one of her closest colleagues, Marcel, who lived on Kibbutz Be’eri, was in contact with several of her friends since 7:55 on the morning of October 7 via WhatsApp, telling everyone that she and her husband were being attacked by terrorists, and that shots were being fired outside her house. The last message from Marcel came at 8:35. She was one of 100 members of Kibbutz Be’eri murdered on that day. To this day her husband is a presumed hostage. The overall theme of all the Yom Hazikaron ceremonies was “Bring Back the Hostages Above All Else”.

 Mt. Herzl Yom Haatzmaut Ceremony, Normally Joyful, Pre-Recorded

Normally, as Yom Hazikaron draws to a close at sunset, there is an abrupt transition from the sadness of Memorial Day to the joy of Yom Haatzmaut. This usually includes a special ceremony at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem with the prestigious lighting of torches by citizens who have contributed to Israel in a variety of ways. There is dancing, singing, and speeches by the Chairperson of the Knesset and the Prime Minister. All of this is  accompanied by a very colorful trooping of the Israel Defense Forces military colors. The ceremony culminates in a brilliant display of fireworks. But again, October 7 hung over the celebrations like a cloud.

This year, given the massacre of October 7, coupled with the ongoing war in Gaza and the strong emotions against the government - and in particular Prime Minister Netanyahu - the decision was made not to hold the traditional ceremony live, but to have it prerecorded and then shown on nationwide TV at exactly 8:00 pm, when Independence Day celebrations would normally begin.

A Heavy Mood

The mood in the nation was definitely not one of celebration, and, in fact, alternative ceremonies like the one to douse the torches rather than light them were held but not televised.

One tradition that was partially upheld was for families with younger children was to gather downtown or in village centers to mingle and enjoy special entertainment for children, rather than listen to famous Israeli singers and bands appealing to an adult audience. I walked to downtown Rehovot with my son and two granddaughters Orr (12) and Noam (10). Notably absent were the traditional fireworks in cities and towns.

So, all in all, a very muted salute to Israel’s 76th birthday. A country very much troubled with no clear immediate future in sight.

Martin Kessel is a BHC Vice President and Director Emertis of the Sounds in the Sanctuary concert series.

Martin with granddaughters, Orr and Noam, at their school in Rehovot on Yom Hazikaron