 |
| Selling flags in anticipation of Yom Ha’atzma’ut. |
Twenty
three thousand three hundred and twenty flags are flying half-mast today.
These blue and white flags were lovingly placed at the graveside of fallen Israeli soldiers and
victims of terror.
years of statehood: 23,320 lives lost for the sake of being Jews in a Jewish
land.
numbers are so high, the loss so vast, the wounds so deep.
years we have been living in Israel, there have been three wars and countless
acts of terror.
year, on the eve of Yom Hazikaron l’chayalim, Israel’s remembrance day for the
soldiers, every Israeli gathers at 8pm in silence and in tears.
siren wails across the country and we stand in silence and in tears to remember
those who we lost.
this ceremony with trepidation as it conveys the heavy burden that comes along
with Israeli citizenship. And because every year, the list of names grows.
our small town of Ra’anana, the list is so long, it is read in three portions.
mayor Ze’ev Bielski spoke last night, he encapsulated this feeling so well.
a young boy, my father said ‘Tzvika, there will be no more wars when you grow
up. No army.’”
paused and continued. “And when I was a young father looking at my son, I
yearned that he would not have to join the army and fight.”
when I look at my sweet grandson, I am no longer disillusioned. Because, sadly,
there will be more war and we will have to send our children and grandchildren
to fight. Sadly, heavily, this is our reality.”
reality. The names of the fallen are read and new names are added each year.
The IDF published the most recent list today.
soldiers fell since last year.
during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza during the summer.
killed in a Hezbollah ambush near the northern border
died in a terror attack in Tel Aviv.
killed in car accidents (on base or on leave)
killed in what the army called “other accidents,” such as training accidents.
was killed in an “operational accident.”
died in “suspicion of suicide.”
from disease and sickness
0
0
1
375
2139
Amnic
17
5
2509
14.0
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
 |
| Even the cars are patriotic. (Tel Aviv) |
Babies are
born, parents pray for peace, yet more wars are fought. We remember, we mourn,
we shed tears and stand for HaTikvah, our feet planted firmly on the ground.
At 11 am today, sirens wailed once more. Together, we stopped and stood on the ground in silence and in tears.
Discover more from Life in Israel
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Life in Israel 