By Pamela Kekst
One of the great gifts of spending this semester in Israel is being present for all the events on the Israeli calendar. Yom Hazikaron is the national Remembrance Day in Israel for fallen soldiers and victims of terror. There was no school at Hebrew University, and Nachshon Project staff helped to guide us on how to best honor the day.
Yom Hazikaron started with a siren the night before and a moment of silence to set the tone. When the siren went off, I was sending in the middle of the Rova, or square in the Old City with my parents. We were on our way to the Kotel to witness a national ceremony, but in running late, we did not make it to the Kotel in time. This turned out to be amazing because we were able to stop our running and stand still for a moment to think, and we saw everyone around us stop as well. Inside the Jewish Quarter, the sensation created was that time stood still during the siren. Following our suspended moment, we continued to the Kotel to watch the President speak to bereaved families and statesman. This experience allowed me to reflect on the holy space of the Kotel and its symbolism for modern Israel. Beyond serving as a prayer space in the day to day, it is also a symbol of the Jewish State. Because of the Jewish people’s connection to the holy site, we see it as necessary to tie our modern, sovereign, state with this history. Nachshon has allowed me to recognize these connections and engage them while living here, so I can speak more intellectually about the nuance of this society at home.
The next morning, my parents accompanied many Nachshon Fellows and myself to Har Herzl, Israel’s military cemetery. There were hundreds of thousands of people there to pay their respects to fallen soldiers. Next to many graves were loved ones who were sharing their family’s stories with passersby like us. My family and I are lucky that we did not have any specific graves to visit, so we were able to just be present with the community and observe the day with Israelis. There were many soldiers at Har Herzl, and I was struck by how most them are younger than me. Nevertheless, they carry immense responsibility and have experiences I can only hope to learn about through listening to their stories. In the afternoon, I explored downtown with my parents, where many shops were offering free food and deals to soldiers in uniform. As the day blazed on, the mood around the country started to lift in preparation for Yom Haatzmaut and a new experience began. Still, this week of experiencing Israel’s traditions remains a highlight for me.
