Remembering

April 23, 2007 - 7:00 AM by Stephanie

Numerous bloggers have written about Israel’s Memorial Day, in observance since last night.

Posts include descriptions of standing in silence as the siren to commemorate the fallen sounded, quiet contemplation throughout the evening and today and noting the country’s general mood as political uncertainty continues to swirl.

Oleh Girl’s Yael attended the open air ceremony at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square and found that while she sat listening to “moving tributes and heart-tugging and heart-wrenching songs performed” she felt…
not disconnected. Not that. More like a dry husk in the wind. Perhaps with all that has happened this past year and all the emotion spent already I have none left. Perhaps I am just tired and spent from many sources and many stresses, from the political disaster we have internally, from the political disaster that always seems to be in the Middle East, from work, from worry over my cat, from existential angst.

The Muqata’s Jameel shares the story of Toronto-born Daniel Mandel who fell while fighting in Nablus. A video clip tribute to Daniel’s life and quotes from Daniel’s mother Cheryl are included on the site.

Imshin chose a simple and effective flame of remembrance to mark the day.

And Dutchblog Israel captured a thought pattern common to many parents as they stand in silence during the siren’s call…
For days I was sure that during the siren I would think about the parents, wives, and children of the soldiers who fell during the latest – I should say last, I know – war…. Instead I stood, held and hugged our youngest in my arms and looked at my four-year-old son with tears in my eyes, hoping and praying that never, ever will I have to stand at the Wailing Wall or at any other national monument or cemetery as a representative of the Bereavement Family ( Mishpahat HaShkhol ), with personal grief, sorrow and loss somehow turned into national ones. I felt so selfish because of that hope and that prayer, and I apologize if this offends anybody, but for a few moments I just could not help it. Then I put the two of them to bed, after giving the oldest boy an extra hug and kissing both of them good night.

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