A Secular Yom Kippur (aka Yom Hazikaron)

Tonight, as I was walking to the local community center for a ceremony, I was struck by how much it felt like a secular Yom Kippur. People were walking in the streets, wearing white shirts, and had solem faces yet there was music, I was wearing jeans and carrying my wallet and phone, and there were cars on the roads. It was not Yom Kippur but rather Yom Hazikaron- Israel's memorial day.

This evening, I was priveliged to listen to a community ceremony with 1000 people present. I say listen because I could only hear what was going on for the first part as I was sandwitched off to the side. I got there about 7:55 and at 8pm, the siren sounded.

I think that the siren is one of the most incredible things but this year, with thinking that it felt a lot like Yom Kippur, I noticed the siren in a new way. There was a slight lag from the starting and ending times of the siren closest to us and to the next one. It made me think about Biblical times where messages were passed from mountain top to mountain top and from town to town through shofar blasts or flames. It was like the wave/domino effect.

After a few speaches, testimonies, a children's choir, and musical performances by local atrists, the ceremony ended with everyone standing for Hatikva, Israel's national anthem. Then some people left and the rest of us (about 800) stayed for Shira B'tzibur (community singing). There was a screen at the front of the yard with the words projected and a guitarist and singer who was quite good. From Israeli dancing and music that I accumulated and absorbed since before my first trip to Israel, I knew almost all of the songs.

Tomorrow, I will be going to a school to watch/participate in their tekes/ceremony for Yom Hazikaron. Then home to prepare for the evening....Yom Hazikaron flows right into Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) where there are parties, more communal singing (with alcohol) and bbqs. Ari and I are hosting a bbq that is starting at 11pm (so that we can go dancing and partying first). Will post more after.