Jerusalem Log #3 - Tuesday p.m. 05.02.17 Jerusalem, Israel ("Picnic and Praise")

"Picnic and Praise"
Jerusalem Log #3

Steve Martin

Jerusalem Log - Tuesday p.m. 05.02.17
"Picnic and Praise"
Jerusalem, Israel
#3

Greetings to you.

After commemorating Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers (Yom Hazikaron) the Israelis celebrated their 69th birthday of the modern Israel state on this May 2, 2017 (Yom Ha'atzmaut). Actually they began the annual celebration the evening before at sundown, with loud music in many parks, followed by louder fireworks and more music until late into the morning hours. Here in Jerusalem several of us went to the Haas Promenade area overlooking the city from the south to be part of the fun.

After a few bands and a dancing Zumba group did their thing on stage, the fireworks started exploding at 10:30 pm, right over our heads. Literally, we were 30 yards from the area where the fireworks were set off. I had never been so close as I was to them last night. With the city lights filling the business area and residential hills below us, it was quite the sight. And one could actually see two other sites within the city – uptown and out west – setting off fireworks. Amazing view!

I liked the band that ended the night at the Promenade. It was a popular one, as the crowd knew the songs, and the lead singer had special escort on and off the stage. People thoroughly enjoyed their songs, and I liked them too, even though I didn’t know a word they were singing in Hebrew. They sang emotional music, and pleased the people by bringing on stage a young guy, about 15, to come and sing along. He was good. The crowd mouthed the words too.

This morning we caught the city bus #7 to Sacher Park near the Knesset. I remember this park as the starting point of the Jerusalem March held during Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) in which I participated in several years. Great memories. Taking along a portable grill and the works for hamburger and chicken lunch, we joined many families and groups gathered in the spacious, green area. The IDF Air Force made several scheduled pass overs of many different planes as part of the country’s nationwide celebration.

 Young Israeli group gathered at Sacher Park for the festivities

Oscar and his owner enjoy the day

We left the park in time to attend the Day To Praise gathering at the Ramat Rachel Conference Center in southeast Jerusalem. The CJCUC (The Center For Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation) began this event in 2014 during Sukkot. Now Orthodox Jews and Christians are coming together to have these Hallel (praise) services, enjoying music, messages and reciting a series of Psalms on Independence Day also, here in Jerusalem and around the world.

David Nekrutman, CJCUC

From the CJCUC website:

In January of 2008, a historical moment took place between the Synagogue and Church, when Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and David Nekrutman established the first Orthodox Jewish institution, the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation (CJCUC), to religiously dialogue and actively cooperate with Christians. In less than a decade, CJCUC has moved to the forefront of theological advancements in Jewish-Christian relations. CJCUC has changed the paradigm by interfacing with tens of thousands of Christians through bible studies, faith based events that bring Jews and Christians together, and providing humanitarian aid.

Several Christian groups had representatives taking part in this “shouldering together”, including Sharon Sanders from Christian Friends of Israel and Bridges for Peace personnel.

A bit weary and with red foreheads after the long day, we returned to the apartment for rest before we begin again on Wednesday.

Ahava (love) and Shalom (peace) from Jerusalem!

Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People

Other Independence Day photos by Steve Martin (more on my Facebook page.)

Israel Air Force flyover

Yom HaZikaron begins this evening at nightfall - Israel Today

Yom HaZikaron begins this evening at nightfall

Sunday, April 30, 2017 |  Israel Today Staff

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Support Israeli Soldiers

The beginning of "The Yishuv" in 1860, marked the first uprisings against the Jewish people in Israel, when Moshe Montefiori developed Mishkenot Shaananim, The neighborhood was the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside the Old City of Jerusalem, directly across from Mount Zion, above Sultan’s Pool.

The neighborhood was the answer to overcrowding and lack of Jewish residential space within Jerusalem's Old City.

Since then a total of 23,544 soldiers and terror victims have died. Over the past year 97 have joined the ranks of Israel's fallen. Of these 37 were wounded IDF veterans who have passed away as a result of their injuries and have been recognized as IDF fallen.

Events marking Memorial Day for Israel's fallen and Victims of Terrorism began on Sunday morning with the inauguration of a new memorial hall in Jerusalem. The memorial hall was dedicated in the presence of President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Ministry Avigdor Lieberman, and other ministers as well as defense and security dignitaries.

Yom HaZikaron will begin at nightfall this evening and a 1-minute siren will be sounded nationwide at 8pm when the official State memorial service will begin on Maount Herzl and the Israel Flag will be lowered to half mast until tomorrow evening. Tomorrow a 2-minute siren will be sounded at 11am which will mark the opening of the official and private memorial ceremonies at each cemetery where soldiers are buried.

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Love for His People Editor's Note: I arrived in Jerusalem last night, April 30, 2017, in time to hear the 1st siren. Today, May 1, 2017, is Memorial Day.

Shalom,

Steve Martin

Yom HaZikaron - Remembering (The 2 Spies)

Remembering the fallen Israeli soldiers... The 2 Spies

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Yom HaZikaron Posted: 04 May 2014 11:05 AM PDT An hour ago the siren sounded, calling us to soberly remember the cost of our country.... the blood of our children~ our sons and daughters. A poem that is often recited at the ceremonies is The Silver Platter ("Magash Hakesef"), written by Natan Alterman in 1947, following a statement by Israel's would-be first president, that the state would not be handed to the Jews on a silver platter. The following is a translated version of the poem. The Silver Platter The Earth grows still. The lurid sky slowly pales Over smoking borders. Heartsick, but still living, a people stand by To greet the uniqueness Of the miracle. Readied, they wait beneath the moon. Wrapped in awesome joy, before the light. Then, soon, a girl and boy step forward, And slowly walk before the waiting nation. In work garb and heavy-shod They climb in stillness. Wearing yet the dress of battle, the grime Of aching day and fire-filled night Unwashed, weary unto death, not knowing rest, But wearing youth like dewdrops in their hair. Silently the two approach and stand. Are they of the quick or of the dead? Through wondering tears, the people stare. "Who are you, the silent two?" And they reply: "We are the silver platter Upon which the Jewish State was served to you." And speaking, fall in shadow at the nation's feet. Let the rest in Israel's chronicles be told. Receive email updates from The 2 Spies  From http://www.algemeiner.com/ Yom HaZikaron:  What it Means to Lose a Soldier MAY 4, 2014 11:49 AM 5 COMMENTS Author: Maayan Jaffe /JNS.org Share this Article TWITTER FACEBOOK DIGG STUMBLE PRINT Tags: IDFIDF IsraelIsrael OneFamilyIsrael soldiers diedMaayan JaffeOneFamilyYom HazikaronYom Hazikaron IsraelYom Hazikaron siren A group of 125 future IDF soldiers at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York in August 2013, before they depart for their Nefesh B'Nefesh aliyah flight. Photo: Shahar Azran. JNS.org – Some 22,000 Israeli soldiers have died since the establishment of the Jewish state, including 40 soldiers between March 2013 and March 2014, according to the Israel Defense Forces. “We in Israel are fighting—and dying—on behalf of every Jew in the world. … We are maintaining a safe haven for every Jew to escape to. Jews in the Diaspora live safer lives and hold their heads higher because Israel and its army exists,” said Chantal Belzberg, executive vice chairman of OneFamily, an organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of Israeli victims of terror attacks and their families. On Yom HaZikaron, the fourth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar (sundown on May 4, 2014), Israelis will pay tribute to the country’s fallen soldiers in a solemn day of mourning. On its official Memorial Day, Israel also mourns the loss of civilians who were killed as a result of terrorism. Among the soldiers killed during these past 12 months was 20-year-old Gavriel Kobi, a combat soldier in the Givati Brigade, who was shot and killed on Sept. 22, 2013 by a Palestinian sniper while on guard duty outside Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs. Also killed were 18-year-old Eden Atias, stabbed in the neck on Nov. 11, 2013 while on a bus in the northern Israeli city of Afula, and 31-year-old Shlomo Cohen, a Petty Officer 1st Class in the Israeli Navy, who was fatally shot by a Lebanese sniper while driving near the Israel-Lebanon border fence in an unarmored military vehicle. Cohen was on operational duty on Dec. 15, 2013 at the time of his death. OneFamily’s Belzberg said that when a young soldier is killed, it has a “radically shocking, traumatic and debilitating” effect on the soldier’s parents and family. “Siblings suffer tremendously, but not as deeply as a mother losing her son, the son she bore, nursed, dressed, walked to school, took to his school’s football practice and whose game she watched proudly,” Belzberg told JNS.org. “Siblings suffer because they don’t just lose a brother; they also lose their mom and dad. … They wallow in their grief and have no energy to care for the living. The dead child occupies a lot more time than a living one.” Yehudit Rotenberg, whose son Sgt. Nadav Rotenberg, 20, was killed January 7, 2011 by a stray Israel Defense Forces mortar shell in an incident near the Gaza border, still remembers the day she learned of her son’s death. The family had seen a report on a border incident in which four soldiers were injured. “It was a Friday night,” Rotenberg recalled. “We learned of the incident at around 6:10 p.m. I was worried, but I didn’t believe he could have died. They said there were injuries on the news. Eating Shabbat dinner was very stressful; it was hard to eat the food. … We kept thinking he would call, that he would tell us he was OK. … Then there was a knock at the door, and we saw an army uniform collar through the window.” She said the hardship, the emotion, came quickly. Avital Yahalomi has a similar story. Her brother, 20-year-old Cpl. Netanel Yahalomi, was killed on Sept. 21, 2012 while on patrol along the Israeli border with Egypt. Three heavily armed terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel attacked the soldiers. One terrorist was wearing a suicide belt, which went off during the battle. Cpl. Yahalomi was a deeply religious solider and a Zionist; three Jewish books were found on his body after his death. His sister, Avital, toldJNS.org that her brother dreamed of being the strongest and best combat soldier. He was upset when he learned that because he wore glasses, which reduced his profile, he could not join the unit of his choice, but instead would be part of the Artillery Corps. This knowledge, however, put his family more at ease. They knew he was on the Egyptian border, but they assumed that he was safe there. “In general, we have peace with Egypt,” Avital said, noting that her brother was careful about what he told the family, never wanting to worry them. On the afternoon of Cpl. Yahalomi’s death, his family was preparing for Shabbat at their home in Nof Ayalon, near Modi’in. When an IDF representative came to deliver the news, then 9-year-old Yitzchak opened the door. “He didn’t know what was happening,” Avital said. “He thought they were coming to kick us out of our home and he called to mother. My father was in the shower. … One by one we learned what happened. Then we all just sat on the couch and we cried and cried. This is something that never goes away. It will never go away.” “When you say goodbye to your son as he gets on the bus with all of the new soldiers, you’ve offered up your son as a potential sacrifice to the country,” explained Belzberg. “Your heart sinks. The worst may happen. But most parents say to themselves, ‘It won’t happen to me.’” She added, “Then, in the middle of the night, there’s a knock at the door. … Three soldiers stare sadly into your eyes. Your worst nightmare has happened. Your son is dead. You scream and your whole body shakes. You collapse.” But you have no choice except to go on. Today, Nadav Rotenberg’s younger brother is in his second year in the army. The first year, said Yehudit Rotenberg, “I worried a lot.” Yet she is also very proud. “These are brave children,” said Rotenberg. “Even though I lost a child, I still believe the army is very important and we have to support it.” Avital Yahalomi has similar ideas. “I am happy to be Israeli, even though it cost me so much. … I plan to stay here, to raise my children here, to send them to the army to defend my country,” she said. “Yom HaZikaron is about remembering a larger family, about saying to each bereaved family that their child, the apple of their eye, is remembered,” said Rebecca Fuhrman, manager of marketing and communications for OneFamily. “Their loss is our loss.” For a full listing of soldiers (in Hebrew) who died between last Yom HaZikaron and this one, visit here. For a list of soldiers and victims of terror killed in 2013, visit here. Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer in Overland Park, Kan. She can be reached at maayanjaffe@icloud.com.

Israel's Memorial Day & Independence Day

Israel Memorial Day - יום הזכרון

Monday, April14,  2013

The Hebrew word zakhar (זָכַר) means "remember," and zikaron (זִכָּרוֹן) means "memorial." Yom HaZikaron (יוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן), then, is the "Day of Memorial" for those soldiers who gave up their lives in battle for the creation  and defense of the State of Israel.   In 1951 the Israeli Knesset established Iyyar 4 (the day immediately before Israel's Independence Day) as Israel's Memorial Day. In more recent times, the holiday has also become associated with victims of political terrorism.

Although Yom Hazikaron is observed on the 4th of Iyyar, it may be moved earlier or postponed if its observance (or that of Israeli Independence Day, which follows it) conflicts with the weekly Sabbath.   This year Yom HaZikaron is postponed one day to occur on Sunday, April 14th at sundown (the first siren is sounded at 8:00 p.m.), with various commemoration services scheduled throughout the following day.



	Israel Independence Day - יום העצמאות

Tuesday April 14, 2013

After the Jewish people had suffered for nearly 2,000 years of exile as clearly foretold by Moses (Lev. 26:38, 44; Deut. 28:64-64) and the Hebrew prophets (Isa. 43:5-6; Jer. 30:11; Joel 3:2; Ezek. 36:8-10; Hos. 9:1-10, etc.),   Israel was miraculously reborn as a nation in their ancient homeland on May 14, 1948 (Iyyar 5, 5708). Today Jews across the world celebrate Iyyar 5 as Israeli Independence Day.

As mentioned above, the date for Yom Ha'atzmaut can vary from year to year. For instance, this year it is moved a day later (i.e., to Iyyar 6th). On our secular calendar Independence Day is therefore observed Monday, April 15th at sundown until the following sundown.

Note that the word Atzma'i (עַצְמָאִי) means "independent" in Hebrew. The word atzmaut (עַצְמָאוּת) means the state of indepedence, which comes from atzmi - "my bones" (עֶצֶם). Hence the "Day of Independence" is called Yom Ha'atzmaut in Hebrew.   The name reminds us of God's promise to revive the "dry bones" (עֲצָמוֹת) of Israel by bringing the Jewish people back from their long exile (Ezek. 37:4-5).עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי / am Yisrael chai: "The people of Israel live!" The nation of Israel is God's "super sign" that He is faithful to His covenant promises (Jer. 31:35-37).   Celebrating Israel's independence acknowledges God's loyal love for us all.     From "Hebrew For Christians" website.