Jewish Musings, Tuesday,May 14

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[louise]

Today is Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) and yesterday was Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). Yom HaZiron was established in 1963 and while it has been traditionally dedicated to fallen soldiers, commemoration has also been extended to civilian victims of terrorism. I think it’s very poignant that they made this day to precede Independence Day. It’s a reminder of the price - they announced how many people had given their lives since Israel was formed. I attended a program at our synagogue Sunday night for Yom HaZikaron. It was largely attended by the Israelis in our community who, frankly, don’t come to the synagogue that often. It’s not just because of what is happening now; it’s probably because Israel is such a young country, but there is a sense of this holiday that is completely absent from Memorial Day here  Actually, that’s probably my short—sightedness because I am sure that for survivors of our wars and for the families of those that fell our Memorial Day is no doubt just as sad, but I feel there is a nationally experienced difference.

Rabbi Avi Strausberg from Hadar expressed it very well:

“I have always found it difficult to find an observance of Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzma’ut that feels meaningful and authentic as a Jew living in the Diaspora. In Israel, the observance of these holidays is effortless and all-encompassing: you simply have to be present and you are in it, flowing from the intensity of Yom HaZikaron to the joy of Yom Ha’Atzma’ut. It’s the music on the radio, it’s the tzfirah (siren) in the streets that brings everything to a halt in a moment of silence, it’s the communal get-togethers on Yom Ha’Atzma’ut. In America, I feel far from all of these observances. In my home, on these days, we tune into Israeli radio, we stop for the tzfirah, we try to make that tricky transition from grief to joy as Israel moves from a spirit of mourning to celebration. But, I am distant. Short of a couple of pieces of liturgy on Yom HaZikaron and hallel and a special Haftarah for Yom Ha’Atzma’ut, there is little to mark these days outside of Israel. If I’m honest, my observance of these days in the past has felt shallow, like a well-meaning observer trying on someone else’s clothes, copying someone else’s rituals, in an effort to feel close.”

Not looking to stir any conversations about what is going on now other than to give space for feelings of solidarity (and of difficulty) to the extent we are each able.

[hollygail]

Sorry I was MIA yesterday. I just read the thread and have very little to offer. I loved the stories about feeling the hunger and deciding what to do about both the hunger and the feelings around hunger! I have an imbalance in my blood chemistry, so I don't have as many choices as some people: if I don't eat something, my blood pressure continues to drop until my knees buckle and won't hold up my body. So I eat something. More often than not, I try for some protein, usually with something else (fruit or whole-grain something). And as yesterday was Yom ha Zikaron, the cantor had us stand at the end of minyan while he played a siren for two minutes. We all said the mourners kaddish together for the fallen soldiers and he did an El Malei for them. I was in tears.

I have no idea what he has in mind for us today. It's his last day with us this year (5784); he leaves for his home in Jerusalem (and will return to San Diego before High Holy Days and stay through at least Sukkot in the fall). If I can, I'll return later to report on what he adds for today.

I don't feel much of a connection with either Memorial Day in May nor with Independence Day in July, so my "connection" with the Israeli equivalents don't elicit more of a connection. I observe what I observe and leave it at that.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic: There was a full-page ad in today's Washington Post, with David Ben Gurion's speech about Israel's founding. I hope that some of the people who would benefit from reading it actually do.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[gazelle18]

My feelings about these two days are very similar to what the Rabbi quoted by Louise expressed. While I believe myself to be a Zionist, it is hard for me to stir up strong feelings on these two days. I think that if I were physically in Israel on these days, I’d probably get more caught up in the energy and feeling.