On Tuesday April 25, the Young Israel of New Rochelle in New York commemorated Yom Hazikaron with a tekes. Following the tekes, the event transitioned into a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration with a festive Maariv and musical Hallel led by Pey Daled.
Westchester Torah Academy (WTA) fifth grader Amalya Danzig welcomed the participants. YINR Associate Rabbi Chaim Axelrod then previewed a ceremonial lowering of the Israeli flag and the sounding of the memorial siren. After two short videos of these events in Israel, Axelrod led a communal Yizkor and recited Kel Mole Rachamim.
YINR Rabbi Reuven Fink addressed the crowd stating, “It’s so sad to speak about the loss of close to 25,000 men, women, and children who have been lost in the modern era defending the land of Israel. Every time I go to Har Herzl, I always see mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, children and grandchildren hovering over graves, sometimes lying on the graves and crying. Every family is destroyed. So many widows, so many children left without mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers; beloved people whose lives were cut short, most of them so young.”
Fink noted, “We’ve also learned to transition into Yom Ha’atzmaut, which is a day of joy. We assume that’s what they would want us to do, as they were defending the Land of Israel so that it will be free.” Fink reflected, “Today, we celebrate the 75th birthday of the State of Israel. For humans, 75 describes a birthday, which usually indicates a time in a person’s life when a body no longer functions with the same vigor or efficiency as when they were in their 30s.. In terms of the historic longevity of nations, 75 is not a long time at all. It’s a very, very brief period of time. So, Israel is still in its youth, in its exuberant stage of development. Despite very serious challenges that it goes through as a nation, the external threat to its very existence has not diminished over the seven and a half decades since its founding.”
Fink added, “On May 14, 1948, when Israel was established, there were only 716,000 Jews in Israel, and that’s probably an overestimate. In 2022, there were over seven million Jews in Israel. How refreshing to hear the number seven million Jews who are living in the land of Israel after the sobering message that we heard last week on Yom Hashoah of the 6 million Jews were murdered in the Shoah.”
Fink continued, “The accomplishments of the young State of Israel are truly astounding in every area. Israel leads the world in discovery and innovation. I believe that much of the hatred and vitriol directed against Israel stems from jealousy and from envy, and certainly makes you wonder what other nations have accomplished or not accomplished in these past 75 years.”
Fink reminded the audience that “the prophets of old foretold this, of wonders that will take place but in the guise of natural endeavors and human accomplishments. These may not seem to be miracles but they’re miracles, nonetheless. It’s one thing to read about miracles in Yishayahu, Yechezkel and Yirmiyahu, but a totally different experience to witness and see miracles taking place before our eyes. Every time you go to Israel, you see the constant evolution, development and progression of Israel as a modern, wonderful country.
“There are different ways to celebrate birthdays. On Yom Ha’atzmaut, we follow a ritualized form of celebration. For us, it’s not about cake and singing happy birthday. For us, the existence and success of Israel is deeply on an emotional and spiritual level. We think about this every single day. We pray about this every single day. Israel is never out of our minds. Even as we live here, our hearts are really there.”
Fink added, “The Prophet Hoshea warned the Jewish people over 2,500 years ago to not think of yourselves and don’t celebrate like other nations. Yom Ha’atzmaut is a lot more than that. It is a lot more than Bastille Day, Dominion Day,or the Fourth of July. It is a day when the Jewish people once again continued their march because we are on a march. We are marching through time and our marches to the end of days, which is a time of peace, tranquility and perfection, when people no longer die. All this tragedy we spoke about and live through on Remembrance Day will cease to exist. So, it’s easy to say Happy Birthday Israel. Chag Sameach!”
The program continued with a performance by WTA eighth grader Natanel Jacobs and the two Israeli women who are doing their national service this year at WTA. The event concluded with the singing of “Hatikvah” followed by a festive Israeli buffet, with more music and dancing from Pey Dalid.
By Judy Berger
