Monday evening April 26, marked the beginning of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Remembrance Day, on which we honor the Israeli soldier and civilian lives that have been lost as casualties of war and acts of terrorism. With the current state orders of sheltering in place, Ben Porat Yosef was forced to take its annual Yom Hazikaron program virtual and held its community-wide memorial over Zoom with over 200 attendees.
Middle school students gave a touching multimedia presentation from their homes, with teachers, administrators, parents, peers and shlichim all in attendance. One of the many ways BPY fosters students’ authentic connection to Israel is with an extensive Hebrew and Israel immersion program with five shlichim couples, transplanted from Israel to work at the school each year. When the pandemic started, most shlichim were required to return to Israel, but that has not stopped them from being involved as if they are still in the U.S.
Opening remarks were followed by an air siren sounding (just like in Israel) for a minute of silence. “V’Shavu Banim L’Gvulam” was the theme for the Yom Hazikaron program during which middle school students read excerpts from letters written by soldiers in 1948. Students compared the loneliness a soldier feels when separated from the people they love to the loneliness currently being experienced by many as we quarantine and practice social-distancing.
Via letters, songs, photos and news clips, students poignantly conveyed in both Hebrew and English, the story of soldiers who never returned home, “When will our wishes to reunite come true? When will we be able to resume normal life?” one letter read. A longing to be reconnected with those we hold dear and those we miss was piercing.
Details of Hadar Goldin and the three boys (Gilad, Eyal and Naftali) were among the stories included in the program. Letters from Hadar’s fiance and excerpts from Eyal’s journal revealed who they were and who they were supposed to become, showing them not just as victims but as people. The recent release of the third season of Netflix’s Fauda, a Israeli drama based on true events that has realistically depicted what it means to fight for Israel and what is at stake (Spoiler alert: and where the main mission was to retrieve two kidnapped teenagers), only added a deeper sense of understanding and necessity to honor those we lost.
Every year, the heaviness of this somber day is balanced with lightness as it segues into the festive Yom Ha’atzmaut, the celebration of the birth of the State of Israel and its place as the Jewish homeland.
Similarly, BPY transitioned into the joyous day with tefillah and school-wide Hallel, followed by an assembly with Head of School Rabbi Zucker. After, students logged into Zooms and pre-recorded sessions with subjects like gym—Israeli Army IDF Training Bootcamp—and cooking—making Israeli salatim and making hummus—all the way to science with experiments of distilling salt water to freshwater for irrigation and learning how Israel was a pioneer in this field.
The Yom Ha’atzmaut theme this year was “Places in Israel.” From their homes in Israel, the shlichim recorded extensive videos for the students taking them on various tours of different cities and locations. One video took place in Tel Aviv, as they stood outside Beit Ha’atzmaut where the State of Israel was established and even included the original footage of David Ben-Gurion declaring the state as a way to bring the past to the present for these young learners. Other videos included tours of shlichims’ hometown of Rechovot, which included a first hand inside look of the Weizmann Institute of Science by Dr. Sidney Cohen and a personal tour for BPY students of the equipment and microscopes they use for their research. The mayor of Rechovot, Rahamim Malul, recorded a personalized greeting for BPY students encouraging them to come visit Rechovot in the future.
My daughter in kindergarten enjoyed hearing about the army service from a current IDF soldier who was in a very elite unit and felt like he recorded it just for her, as a friend told me her child’s favorite part was learning about how Israel is using shrimp to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. There was something for everyone and there is much credit to be given considering this was all in addition to the new standard BPYBaBayit course load that is keeping our children up to speed on all of their studies, both general and Judaic, while at home.
As a parent of an early childhood BPY student (with another one incoming to nursery in the fall, God willing please let there be school) I felt fortunate that this year I was able to experience in greater depth what the BPY elementary and middle school students experience every year and every day. Having studied abroad in Beer Sheva at Ben-Gurion University before spending additional time living in Israel, and being married to a former Bar-Ilan student who volunteered and served for the IDF in Shiryon (a combat Tanks unit), Israel is a part of us. My grandfather was part of a social Zionist group in Poland that learned Hebrew and had plans to move to Israel before WWII, when his plans were detoured because of the war. With deep conviction and belief, I say Israel is in our blood. Israel, Judaism and Yiddishkeit are who we are as a family and what our values are centered around. We take great pride and nachat in knowing that our passion for Am Yisrael, Medinat Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael is being taught to our children both at home and in the classroom, and is nourished daily.
Not being together for these holidays was difficult but the sense of community, togetherness and unity delivered by Ben Porat Yosef and its staff went above what we envisioned was possible. At a time when we can feel more defeated and isolated than ever, BPY reminded us that we are always connected no matter the physical or social limitations. Community is where we find meaning and shared vision.We are realizing now more than ever how much that matters.
By Simone Rebhun, parent
