Moreh Ben Zion Ferziger, Idea School Hebrew and history teacher and head of Student Life, helped the school mark Yom Hazikaron this year by sharing his own and his siblings’ experiences in the IDF. Born and raised in Israel and now living in Riverdale, Moreh Ben Zion helped students understand the culture of army service that exists in Israel and described his experiences, both scary and mundane. He also shared the feelings of loss he experienced and grief he continues to feel over those friends and acquaintances who have been killed while on duty.

Judaic Studies Principal Rabbi Tavi Koslowe shared an excerpt from Amir Gilboa’s poem, “And My Brother Said Nothing,” enhancing the students’ understanding of what the day means for Israelis:

My brother came back from the field

Dressed in gray. And I was afraid that

My dream might prove false, so at once

I began to count his wounds.

And my brother said nothing.

[….]

Then I undid the pack

And took out his belongings, memory by memory.

[….]

And my brother said nothing.

And his blood was crying out from the ground.