Memorial Day Blessings from Stand for Israel

The Fellowship | May 26, 2017

A soldier holding a bayonet outside of a memorial on a cloudy day.

Stand for Israel is suspending activity Monday, May 29, for Memorial Day. We’ll be back on Tuesday, May 30 — and rest assured, if any critically important developments related to Israel come up over the weekend, we’ll be here to let you know about them. We leave you with a Memorial Day message from Rabbi Eckstein, in which he discusses the mixed emotions felt on this holiday weekend:

Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. can be a time of mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s the unofficial beginning of summer. On the other hand, for those mourning the loss in war of a close relative or loved one, there is a deep and personal sense of grief, mingled with pride for their service.

On this day, besides the joy of spending time with family and friends – hopefully outdoors, in the beauty of God’s creation – we honor our heroes. Around the country, people will gather to remember those who, in the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, gave “the last full measure of their devotion” for the country they loved – the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces throughout the country’s history, ordinary people who showed extraordinary courage and sacrifice in times of crisis…