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The Charlotte JEWISH Vol. 43, No. 4 Nissan-lyar, 5781 April 2021 From Commemoration to Celebration In his book, “A Passion for a People,” Avraham Infeld calls the post-Passover period linking the three major Israeli national commemoration days — Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memori al Day), Yom Ha’zikaron (Is rael Memorial Day), and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)— the “Nine Days of We.” The term echoes the traditional unit of time in Jewish tradition we call the “Days of Awe” (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). During this period, “we com memorate the Jewish people’s collective transition, the funda mental shift from destruction and powerlessness to independence and sovereignty.” Yom HaShoah is a day com memorating an event that hap pened to one-third of the Jewish people but not to Israelis and not in the geographical territory of Israel. However, because it is something that happened to the Jewish people, as the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel has the privilege of commemorating this experience as a majority with all the trappings of government ON ‘31101hJVH0 80ZI #lllNhJ3d aivddovisod sn aisidSdd and national expression. Al though the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities and individ uals worldwide. Likewise, as Jews living out side of Israel, we should all en gage with Yom Ha’zikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut to celebrate our collective connection to Israel, the national home of our people. Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of lyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. Yom Ha’atzmaut in Isra el is always preceded by Yom Ha’zikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence — the very exis tence of the state — to the sol diers who sacrificed their lives for it. For Jews around the world. joining with Israelis commemo rating Yom Ha’zikaron and cel ebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut has become a concrete link in the Jewish connection to the land of Israel. “The declaration of a Jewish homeland is one of the greatest feats of our time and it is import ant to mark this historic day with a celebration,” said Tair Giudice, chief impact officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. “Amid the hardship and tragedy that has been brought on by this pandemic, we welcome a mo ment to share our love for Israel with our local community as well as our brothers and sisters from around the world.” We ask that you start the cel ebration now by sharing your favorite thoughts, wishes and memories of Israel on social media. Post photos or videos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #IsraelToMe. See page nine and back page for community event details. Honoring Our Survivors on Yom HaShoah Takes On a New Meaning During The Pandemic p0}S0nb0y 0OIAJ0S 060040 9ZZ8Z ON ‘sHO|JB40 Zll# siins ‘peoy 0ou0p!AOJd /009 By Tain Dippold Director of Jewish Life Associate Director, Stan Green- spon Center for Peace and So cial Justice COVID-19 has changed many aspects of our daily lives over the past year. One group that has been severely affected is the global Holocaust survivor community. According to estimates by the Conference on Jewish Mate rial Claims Against Germany, there are around 400,000 Holo caust survivors worldwide, and about 85,000 are in the United States. Although the pandemic has made it easier for individuals to participate in a variety of pro grams from their homes, survi vors are in a unique situation of feeling loss that can be mitigated by engaging in virtual programs. Many survivors cherish the op portunity to share their stories, which remains possible in the virtual age (with some technical assistance). In a New York Times op-ed in January, Holocaust survivor Toby Levy shared his sentiment, “The way we have lived this year means I have lost many oppor tunities to lecture, to tell more people my story, to let them see me and know the Holocaust hap pened to a real person who stands in front of them today. It’s im portant.” Many survivors are using the resilience and coping mecha nisms they developed during the war years. Eva Fogelman, renowned psychologist, shared that society has much to learn from the attitude of survivors “During this pandemic. Holo caust survivors’ resilience is (Continued on page 3)
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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April 1, 2021, edition 1
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