Seventy-six years ago, during the War of Independence, Israeli author and poet Chaim Gouri wrote, “Here they dwell together, grief alongside glory,” sparking what would be the beginning of the shaping of the Israeli psyche for many years to come.
Throughout recent months, much of my work as our community shalicha has been created to challenge community members of all ages to engage in conversation surrounding those two concepts – grief and glory. Children, teens, college students and adults have gathered through various programs to discuss how these two concepts intertwine with one another and connect to their own lives, all building up to the events of this coming week.
Israel’s national days are calendared in a way that is meant to evoke an emotional response. Having Yom Ha’Atzmaut start on the tail end of Yom HaZikaron means we must grapple with the dissonance between the feelings of sorrow and joy, all while asking ourselves why the days were chosen to be so close together. Is it to show cause and effect? Is it to remind us of all we went through to establish a prosperous, independent country? Or is it so we understand the grave price that independence holds?
My favorite answer to this question came from an 8th grader at one of the local religious schools: “It’s because that’s the Jewish way to do things,” they said, reminding their peers that even in moments of Jewish celebration, we take time to commemorate destruction.
As we approach this next week, we should remember that Israel’s national days are an expression of Jewish values. The intertwined feelings of grief and glory are ones we are meant to feel on purpose, both through Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut as well as throughout the entire year.
The fact of the matter is that celebrating Israel and its wonders is exactly what we have been fighting for during these past months, both in the war itself and abroad in the court of public opinion. As such, being able to celebrate Israel’s 76th year is the culmination of the grief and sorrow we have experienced so intensely during this past year.
This coming week provides us with a unique opportunity to gather as a community and express these complex feelings of grief and glory, both to each other and outwards. Israel is in a time of struggle, and, in my opinion, there is no better time to celebrate the existence of the only Jewish country — a country that has overcome so many other struggles, conflicts and issues. Now is when we raise the flag the highest, for the Israel we aspire to be.
Join us in the upcoming programs to partake in the celebration of Israel, and all who gave for the existence of the state.
Mika Kislanski is the Kansas City community shalicha (Israeli emissary). The shalicha works under Jewish Experiences, a collaboration of Jewish Federation and The J.
