Crossing the Yarden

By Yarden Frankl

A Nation That Weeps

Only Those Who Weep Will Know True Joy

Last week, on Yom Hashua, the Holocaust Remembrance Day, I was on my way to a meeting in downtown Jerusalem. I happened to be at one of the busiest street corners when the siren went off. Although I knew it was coming, nothing really prepares you for the reaction.

Everything around you stops. The people on the sidewalks, in the cafes, in the shops, all stop and look down. The cars and buses and trucks pull over, and everyone gets out and stands. The usual sounds of a busy city fall away and all you hear is this eerie shrill siren. Like the final shofar call on Yom Kippur, it doesn't just pass through your ears, it sinks into your flesh.

Then, without thought, the tears start. You look down at the ground because it seems more appropriate. Every now and then, you take a glance and see that you are not alone, you are part of a nation weeping. A whole nation takes a break to remember and mourn.

Then, the siren ends, the cars start up, the people cross the streets and return to the cafes. It's as if someone watching a video pressed the "pause" button and then resumed watching the movie.

Yet moving as it is, the ultimate memorial to the victims of the Holocaust is not a two minute siren when everyone stops working. It is to work even harder when the siren has stopped to build a strong nation. A nation where the innocent children who were murdered because they were Jewish could have grown up happy and free.

Now a week later, I am busy at work when the siren of Yom Hazichron, Memorial Day, comes blaring through my nation, through my community, and into my home. Last night, I heard stories of valor, stories of heroes who gave their lives for others. This one who cried "Shema" and fell on a grenade, and that one who returned from America to be with his unit in the thick of the fighting. Their mothers, sons, and friends speak about their loss, and try to understand.

We see their pictures everywhere today. Smiling teenagers, a father with his daughter, best friends. It is a painful day. A nation longs for its sons and daughters, taken so cruelly, taken so suddenly. This year, we especially grieve for those who happily attended last year's celebrations only to fall in the dust of Lebanon.

Yet, tonight, we will be happy again. We will celebrate the 59th year of our beloved country. We will feel proud of our achievements and brush off the constant threats from our enemies. We will come together with our families and friends and celebrate that the miracle of Israel continues.

Look into the eyes of those around the mangool. Beyond the happy, joking atmosphere that marks Independence Day here, lies a steely determination that has enabled a tiny nation surrounded by millions of enemies to survive and live proud and unafraid.

In our actions, in our words, and in our eyes, the whole world must understand:

This is our nation and we are not going anywhere.

Chag Sameach from our Blessed Nation

© 2007 Yarden Frankl