In their honor

time of year compresses so much of Jewish emotion and Jewish history. It all begins with Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagvura (“Holocaust Day”) last week and continues this week into the feeling of a “yoma arichta” (extended day) of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzma’ut — Israel Memorial Day that transmutes into Israel Independence day. In essence, the two days are as if one. It’s like the creation story in Genesis when G-d declares, “And it was evening and it was morning,” the two contrasting elements of darkness and light, of night and day, bring definition to one another, creating the whole. And so it is with how we acknowledge the modern state of Israel. We grieve for the fallen as a prelude to the joy of celebration. […]