Rabbi Sarah's Weekly Messages

Dear friends,

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Today is Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israeli Independence Day. Normally, the holiday begins in Jerusalem with a ceremony on Mt. Herzl, the burial site of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism. During the ceremony, officials and invited guests light twelve torches, representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel. This year, however, the ceremony was cancelled, along with most other Yom Ha’atzma’ut celebrations. Wildfires are currently raging in the Jerusalem hills, closing roads and forcing thousands to evacuate. It’s difficult to celebrate Israel’s statehood while Israel is on fire. 

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But that was true even before the hills were set ablaze. Israelis and Jews of all political orientations have expressed the difficulty in celebrating Yom HaAtzma’ut this year. As one opinion piece in an Israeli newspaper was titled, “We Have Nothing to Celebrate and Everything to Mourn this Independence Day.” In another piece, Dr. Sara Labaton writes, “Millennia ago, when the Judeans were exiled from the land of Israel, the Psalmist records that they sat on the river of Babylon and wept for their lost home, asking eich nashir, “How can we sing?” (Psalm 130:4). Since October 7, we have been asking ourselves the same question with each holiday and milestone we reach: how can we sing when so many lives have been lost? How can we celebrate moments of freedom and redemption when so many remain in captivity? How can we uphold our traditions and even our routines, when we are so fearful for our future, when all we want to do is sit by the river, hang our musical instruments on trees, and weep?” 

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It is perfectly understandable if you aren’t in the mood to celebrate today. But another way to mark this Yom HaAtzma’ut is to take some time to reflect on the the document that was signed on this date 77 years ago. Read the “Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel. You might be disheartened by how large the gap is between the ideals of the founders and the reality today, but please don’t forget to admire the ideals. The Declaration is an audacious and hopeful document. May we all live to see the Israel of our dreams become a reality. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Sarah