The Quest for Freedom Is Never Finished
Yael Eckstein | April 14, 2021
This week, the people of Israel observe two special days – Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day). Writing at Townhall, Yael says that as our remembrance culminates in rejoicing and celebration, let us pray for the day when a true spirit of peace, cooperation, and understanding will cover the world:
All of this could only have come about because we are a free, sovereign, secure Jewish nation; and the cost for this freedom, sovereignty, and security has been high. People had to fight, and die, to protect our right to live here. The recent threats by Iran’s Defense Minister to “take out Haifa and Tel Aviv” remind us that the threats to Israel’s very existence continue – despite the remarkable achievements we’ve had in the past year securing peace deals with our neighbors.
This week we observe two very different holidays that speak to both the cost and the blessing of living in Israel. The first of these, Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day), reminds us that we are only able to live freely in this land because of the real sadness, real pain, and real sacrifice of others.
Every Israeli has been touched, or knows someone who has been touched, by the harsh realities of terrorism and war. One of my neighbors, an elderly woman who my children call “Grandma,” had a son named Amos who was killed in one of the many wars Israel has had to fight to defend herself…