The Sound of the Siren

There are two events in Israel when a siren is sounded throughout the country: Yom HaShoah- Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom HaZikaron- Israeli Memorial Day of fallen soldiers and victims of terror. On each of these days everything and everyone stops when the siren is sounded. Ariel once commented that the siren is really the only thing in Israel that actually starts on time. For a country that is always in motion, it is quite a sight to see people stop in their tracks as they cross the street or get out of their cars on the highway to pay respect to these days.

Hearing the shrill of the siren has always had a strong affect on me. Perhaps if I had grown up with this noise I might be more accustomed to it, but as I stand at attention, staring off into space, a shiver runs down my spine. The siren reminds me of all that Israel and the Jewish people have endured and yet, we are still here. Whether the oppressor is German or Arab, foreign or domestic, Israel is still here, 61 years later.

In America the national holidays, like Veterans and Memorial Day, were always an excuse for a long weekend. I never once went to a ceremony or honored the day properly. In Israel it is quite the opposite. I sat in Rabin square the other night with thousands of others Israelis and I listened to the stories of bereaved mothers and sang along with the sad songs of brothers and sons who are no longer here. And most importantly of all, at the end of the ceremony I stood and sang Hatikva- the Israeli national anthem- and felt part of the people of Israel.