Reflections from Yom HaZikaron, Yom Ha'atzmaut, and hearing about the Marathon Bombing

For those that do not know this past week Israelis commemorated Yom Hazikaron and celebrated Yom Ha'atzmaut. Yom Hazikaron is Memorial Day. It commemorates the lives of over 20,000 Israeli soldiers and civilians who have died serving in the IDF(Israeli Defense Force) or were victims of terror. My program would commemorate those that lost their lives at a ceremony in Rabin Square the night of Yom Hazikaron. The square would swell with thousands of Israelis coming to remember the lives of the fallen. There was no joking around. Everyone was serious. All across the country, the commemoration of Yom Hazikaron a tzfira, or siren was sounded at 8 at night. It would last a minute and everyone would stand at attention for a moment of silence. The ceremony in Rabin Square would be led by famous Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi and would be joined by famous Israeli musicians such as Idan Raichel, who played songs of mourning, life, and remembrance. There was also poems recited and video interviews with the families of the fallen about their fallen loved ones. To end the ceremony, the whole crowd sang Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem. Singing along with the rest of the thousands of Israelis was an enriching experience. I felt part of the Tel Aviv community. The next day, I went to a ceremony at the Ironi Zayin High School in Jaffa. The ceremony commemorated the fallen Israelis that had attended the school. The ceremony commemorated each of the person who had died. There were poems and songs recited. To begin the ceremony there was another siren sounded across the country.

On the same day Israelis mourn, they also celebrate. As day turns to night, Yom Hazikaron turns into Yom Ha'atzmaut. Israelis took to the streets to drink, dance and be merry. It was fantastic. The streets were filled with people just looking to party. It was awesome because I got to see a good friend of mine who has made Aliyah and is serving as a lone soldier in the IDF. The night however was soured by the news from my home of Boston. A bomb killed 3 people including an 8 year old boy. When I read the description on the news when I staggered home I was shocked. I cannot believe something like that could have happened in the city which I love so much and know very well. I grew up watching the Boston Marathon. The marathon runs through my town. To see a sporting event like the Boston Marathon be attacked hit my heart. Since living in Tel Aviv, I have experienced rockets and a bus bombing. I am not happy I experienced these things, but when I heard about what happened at the Finish Line I knew it could have happened here. I am very proud to be a Bostonian, New Englander, and resident of Massachusetts. I loved seeing the response from the Nation as stadiums around the country played "Sweet Caroline" in solidarity. What was even better to see was the reaction from my fellow Bostonians and New Englanders. Bostonians are not people you want to scare, because quite frankly if you bite, we will bite back harder. We will rise above the senseless violence that happened and we will hopefully find the person who decided to screw with us. Last night for instance, the Bruins played their first home game since the bombing. Hearing the whole crowd sing the Star Spangled Banner almost brought me to tears. Since I have been in Israel, I have worn my Bruins hat as a fan of the team. Now, I wear it with pride to be from Massachusetts and Boston.

Yom Ha'atzmaut is also celebrated by having a barbecue. Millions of Israelis head to the nature reserves and the beach for barbecues with friends and family. I had a barbecue with some of my friends on the program on the beach in Jaffa. It was very relaxing and everyone had a great time. This whole week was enriching to see Israel come to together to collectively remember, mourn, and finally celebrate 65 years of independence. It was also enriching to see my home community come together to become even more close. It is just tragic that it was caused by a bombing. I am proud to be where I am and who I am. Much more to come from the Holy Land for sure and for all of my friends and family back home in Boston, I am with you and staying strong with you. I love that Dirty Water and I am Boston Strong. Shalom, Salaam, Peace.

Mealtime: Italkiya

Sitting in the heart of the Flea Market in Jaffa is Italkiya. I have passed so many times when I am in Jaffa, I had to try it. I went and tried it with a friend on my program this past week before the holidays. The business lunch there is good for the value. I got the soup of the day which was onion soup, and I got gnocchi with balsamic sauce, mushrooms, creme fraiche, and arugula. It was delicious. The sauce was delicious and reeked of balsamic. If you like balsamic vinegar this is dish for you. The sauce was sweet and not very tart. There was a lot of cracked black pepper and the creme fraiche was a nice touch. I swirled it into the sauce and it became really delicious. The arugula was a nice contrast to the mushrooms and the gnocchi. The Gnocchi were spot on as well. All in all, it was pretty good for Italian food in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. It is a great to go at lunch at sit outside on a nice day and people watch while you are eating your pasta or pizza. Enjoy!

Reflections from Yom HaShoah

Yesterday was Yom HaShoah. It is the day in which Israelis remember those that lost their lives in the Holocaust and fought for their freedom against the Nazis. At schools around the country, Israeli children would take part in ceremonies commemorating the Holocaust. My fellow participants of Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv and myself were at a ceremony at the Bialik Rogozin School in South Tel Aviv. It is a school which has children of migrant workers, asylum seekers, and regular Israelis living in the area. As this is the case, a considerable percentage of the children at the school are not Jewish. As part of the ceremony, the entire school held a moment of silence outside in the playground. At 10 in the morning a siren was sounded all over Israel. When the siren was heard, the entire country stopped what it was doing and it observed the moment of silence. As we were outside, I saw people stopping their normal working day to stand in silence. There was even a Dan bus that stopped on its route for the siren. After the siren, we all would sing Hatikva, the national anthem. To see children who are not even Jewish or Israeli commemorate the Holocaust was amazing. It also was thought provoking. During the ceremony, the children and some of the staff would read poems, speeches, and sing songs commemorating the day. To see some of the kids rush through their poems or lines was as if they did not care or were bothered by something. I could tell which children were native Israelis and which children were not. Either way, to see them commemorating the Holocaust is forward thinking because genocide in all forms is a human event. It has happened to many peoples including Rwandans, Armenians, Bosnians, Darfurians, and Jews. To commemorate and stand against genocide is what I saw in the ceremony. For as long as those non Jewish and non Israeli students are living in Israel they will commemorate Yom Hashoah. When they leave, hopefully they will remember those who perished in World War II and those who stood up to the Nazis.

This world is full of people who deny what happened in World War II. Some claim it is a hoax by the Jews for sympathy and a state. Some claim that they want to continue the Holocaust and have called for the annihilation of Israelis and their state. To have a remembrance day and still know that there are people who want to see these things happen to the Jewish People. It bothers me extremely. It bothers me that some people claim that what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is equivalent to the Holocaust. It just is not so.Are there huge concentration camps set up in Gaza and in the West Bank were the Israeli Government is systematically murdering Palestinians in gas chambers? The Answer is no. Anyways, it was a day of inner reflection. Of who I am as a Jew, American, and human being. We all have our rights to live. Victims of the Shoah had these rights taken away from them. Let us not forget and always remember. לעולם לא תשכח

Mealtime: Eggplant with Tehina

Here in Israel there are many ways in which the locals prepare eggplant. One of those ways is roasting the eggplant. You can either roast the eggplant on the grill if you are already grilling things, or in a hot oven. When the eggplant is roasted, the flesh becomes tender and can be combined with mayonnaise or tehina. Once combined with the tehina or mayonnaise, the eggplant becomes a great starter or accompaniment to lunch with a salad and some pita.

Ingredients 

raw tehina

two eggplants

the juice of two lemons

black pepper

paprika
4 minced cloves of garlic
salt
olive oil

Method

Coat the eggplants with the oil and place them in an 425 Degree Fahrenheit oven. Roast the eggplants for about 30 minutes. You should flip the eggplants halfway through the roasting process. To see if the eggplants are done, you can prick them with a toothpick, if they come out without resistance then the eggplants are ready. Make sure to scrap out all of the flesh from the skin. Then chop the flesh into bite size pieces. In another bowl, place a cup of tehina paste with the lemon juice, half a cup of water, and minced garlic. Whisk the tehina until it becomes pale and creamy. Add the eggplant, pepper, and paprika to the tehina and mix. Garnish with more paprika and parsley if you have parsley. Serve as a side dish to any meal, or serve with other salads and you could make a meal out of that. It also makes a great dip with crackers and pita as a snack. It is delicious and does not take a rocket scientist to make. Give it a try, I am confident you will love it. Enjoy!