At the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration at the Y on May 8, youngsters will have a chance to make Israeli crafts, as these children did two years ago. Photo by Elaine Durbach
May 01, 2008
For the second consecutive year, the YM-YWHA of Union County in Union is hosting the community-wide observance of Yom Hazikaron, the commemoration of those felled in Israel’s wars and by terrorism.
Two days later, on May 8, for the fifth year, the Y is hosting the celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s birthday.
In a year marked by a plethora of events marking Israel’s 60th anniversary, organizers are working hard to create events that stand out.
And while much of the talk of the anniversary is celebratory, organizers want to remind the community of the sacrifices that went into the creation and defense of the Jewish state.
“It’s really important to try to touch people here and help them understand that if you are living in Israel, there is a lot of sacrifice,” said Miri Hasson, Israeli emissary to the Central New Jersey community. “We need to remember those who have given up their lives — the soldiers and the terror victims.”
Hasson is organizing the events along with the Y’s program director, Jani Jonas, their fellow event committee members, and a band of willing Israelis.
Hasson’s predecessor, Yaniv Tayar, initiated the Yom Hazikaron observance last year to bridge a gap between American Jews and Israelis. In Israel, the memorial day is a day for visiting cemeteries, laying flowers on graves, and visiting families who have lost a loved one in combat. He wanted American Jews to share that emotion, however distant they may be.
Hasson said she felt the same way, and the Israelis she approached in New Jersey responded enthusiastically.
“The minute I mentioned it, people said, ‘I want to help.’ Everyone has been willing to be part of it,” she said.
At last year’s Yom Hazikaron commemoration at the Y, roses and candles were set around pictures of Israel’s fallen soldiers. Photo by Amos Kamil
Foremost among them are Enav Vitenson and Anat Torovezky, longtime NJ residents who head up the Springfield Israeli Club. The membership, Vitenson said, is informal, but their events draw about 130 Israelis from around the state and further afield. Many of them will be taking part in the events at the Y.
People in Israel tend to feel much more emotional about their Yom Hazikaron than Americans do about Memorial Day, Vitenson said, “though that might be changing now, with the soldiers who are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because Israel is such a small country, every family is touched by it; even if you have not lost anyone, you know people who have been killed.”
She wants the Yom Hazikaron (held Tuesday, May 6) and Yom Ha’atzmaut programs to be special, not just for herself but also for her four children. They were born in the United States, and because they visit Israel only in the summer, have never seen how the two days are celebrated there.
“I want them not to take Israel for granted,” she said, “and not to take for granted that Israel will always be there.”
As for the close juxtaposition of these two very different events, she said, “We want to celebrate the existence of Israel, but not without remembering what it has cost us.”
While the Tuesday event will be quite brief and geared primarily for adults, the following event — as in Israel — is a time for family fun.
The goal for the Yom Ha’atzmaut party, Jonas said, has been to offer a festive celebration that families can bring their kids to on a school night. To that end, it starts at 5:30 p.m. and winds up at about 7:30. Those two hours will feature some brief welcoming speeches and a d’var Torah, followed by food, music, singing, dancing, and Israeli crafts for young children.
Enav Vitenson and Anat Torovezky right, copresidents of the Springfield Israeli Club and members of the committee organizing the Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut events at the YM-YWHA of Union County.
Lenny Solomon, visiting from Israel, will perform with his popular Shlock Rock band, whose specialty is gentle Jewish parodies of rock and pop songs. There will also be performances by the choirs of the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth and Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union’s Cranford lower school. The program also features an Israeli-style cafe and a “mini shuk,” with vendors offering Israeli jewelry, cosmetics, and other products.
As in the past, admission is free, thanks in part to financial help from the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, the Halpern family, Sol and Clara Kramer, and a number of other donors.
Vitenson said she is hoping the involvement of so many more Israelis this year will bring a special flavor to the two gatherings. “I’ve always said that the spirit of an event is set not by the organizers but by the people who attend it,” she said.
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