Yom HaShoah
Last night began Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Martyrs' Remembrance Day. I was not aware of the wide-ranging impact of the day on general Israeli society.
I invited myself to dinner with Steve at about 6 p.m. last night and he called me while we were each on the way there to tell me that our first choice restaurant was closed. I reconfigured my appetite but when we arrived at restaurant number two, the security guard at the front door didn't want to let me in because they would close at 6:30 and it was already 6:20. I managed to get in and Steve told me I still had a few seconds to order so I did, and quickly. Steve told me that most stores, including the 24 hour convenience store nearby, were also already closed due to Yom HaShoah. I was awed and impressed that this day was so widely celebrated.
At 8 p.m. the official memorial ceremony took place at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust museum and educational center here in Jerusalem. Most of our television channels simply displayed a memorial candle but others carried the event live. I watched most of the event and it was incredibly moving, even though it was all in Hebrew. I surprised myself by understanding the gist of what was being said, for the most part.
This morning, classes, work, and business went on as usual until 10 a.m. At exactly 10 a.m., air raid sirens were sounded for two minutes and everyone stopped anything they were doing and stood at attention in memory of the Holocaust. Cars on streets and highways stop and the occupants get out and stand on the street during the siren. It was an incredible experience, seeing the city come to a complete stop. The sirens will sound again next week for Memorial Day, a.k.a. Yom Hazikaron.
While Jen and I lit a 24 hour memorial candle at home, our synagogue here didn't have a special service or program for Yom HaShoah, as is common in the United States. There were some lectures but there was no liturgical program.
I invited myself to dinner with Steve at about 6 p.m. last night and he called me while we were each on the way there to tell me that our first choice restaurant was closed. I reconfigured my appetite but when we arrived at restaurant number two, the security guard at the front door didn't want to let me in because they would close at 6:30 and it was already 6:20. I managed to get in and Steve told me I still had a few seconds to order so I did, and quickly. Steve told me that most stores, including the 24 hour convenience store nearby, were also already closed due to Yom HaShoah. I was awed and impressed that this day was so widely celebrated.
At 8 p.m. the official memorial ceremony took place at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust museum and educational center here in Jerusalem. Most of our television channels simply displayed a memorial candle but others carried the event live. I watched most of the event and it was incredibly moving, even though it was all in Hebrew. I surprised myself by understanding the gist of what was being said, for the most part.
This morning, classes, work, and business went on as usual until 10 a.m. At exactly 10 a.m., air raid sirens were sounded for two minutes and everyone stopped anything they were doing and stood at attention in memory of the Holocaust. Cars on streets and highways stop and the occupants get out and stand on the street during the siren. It was an incredible experience, seeing the city come to a complete stop. The sirens will sound again next week for Memorial Day, a.k.a. Yom Hazikaron.
While Jen and I lit a 24 hour memorial candle at home, our synagogue here didn't have a special service or program for Yom HaShoah, as is common in the United States. There were some lectures but there was no liturgical program.
Labels: Israel
posted by Matt | 9:48 AM
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