Should Yom Ha'atzmaut be the Day After Yom Hazikaron?

Should Yom Ha'atzmaut be the Day After Yom Hazikaron?

Rabbi Jonathan Feldman, Director, Tribe Tel Aviv

Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, is a day to celebrate the return of our people to our homeland, the land of Israel. For centuries, this was a dream and a prayer, and now we are living in times when we have seen a dream become reality. This day encapsulates our national rebirth, resilience, and the fulfillment of the Biblical promise of gathering our people ‘from the ends  of the earth to return to the land of our forefathers.' (Deuteronomy 30:4-5) It is a day to celebrate our extraordinary blessing of living back in our land, of the ability to defend ourselves and to create a society based on Jewish values.

Yet some people question how we can celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut in the shadow of October 7th. With hostages still in Gaza and domestic issues still unresolved, it is a challenge to feel the joy with a whole heart. Part of the answer to this dilemma might lie with the first Memorial Day, or Yom HaZikaron, in Israel.  When the first Yom Ha'atzmaut was approaching in 1949, figures in the fledgling government realized that there had not been a commemoration for those who had fallen in the War of Independence over the course of the year. They were fighting a war, building a new country, and there was much else to attend to. They turned to Rabbi Shlomo Goren, the chief Rabbi of the IDF, who arranged a Yom HaZikaron. Given that there was only a week to Yom Ha'atzmaut, the only viable day of remembrance was the day before Yom Haatzmaut.  This was a temporary plan just for that year, and over the following year, they would decide which day in the calendar would be the most appropriate. 

Over the following year, as they began to look for a suitable day on the calendar for Yom HaZikaron, some felt that Yom HaZikaron should specifically be kept on the day before Yom Ha'atzmaut.  Recognizing the sacrifices made for our homeland makes it even more precious to us, and is a demonstrates our love of the land and our country. Yet juxtaposing these two days requires toggling between the pain of the loss of those who have sacrificed and the joy of our gift of Israel from one day to the next. In this new context, Yom Ha'atzmaut is no longer just a celebration of independence but a reaffirmation of survival and determination. It is a reminder that the state was born out of struggle, pain, and sacrifice.  

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin tells the story of visiting a family of olim in Efrat who had lost their son who was serving in the IDF. When he walking into the home, he saw that the family showed an accepted the loss.  He thought they had made peace with it by knowing that this was the price they had to pay for making Aliyah, living in the land of Israel, and being a part of the dream and destiny of the Jewish future. However, instead of saying  'This is the price we have to pay for making Aliyah and being in Israel’ as he anticipated, they said, 'This is the privilege of being in Israel.' 

It takes and extraordinary person and faith to be able to have such an outlook, where we see the challenges as a privilege. Tonight, as we enter Yom HaZikaron, and tomorrow, as we transition into Yom Ha'atzmaut, by having that outlook perhaps we can be in a place to hold both the pain and the joy. October 7th is still with us, but so is a renewed sense of commitment to Israel, Zionism and the Jewish people amongst Jews throughout the world.   This Yom Ha'atzmaut we are called to honor the fallen, support the living, and strengthen the ideals upon which our enduring nation is built.