Brian Geminder
Last night we experienced a very moving as well as uplifting Yom Ha’Zikaron memorial and Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration
These two events, one immediately following the other, is probably a good idea as after listening to the harrowing experience Beryl Shapps and Janet Clifford encountered during their recent JNF trip to Israel we needed uplifting with the Yom Ha’Atzmaut sing along led by Rabbi Cowan
Beryl and Janet recounted their recent trip to Israel to meet people directly affected by the 7 October massacre.
They showed and elucidated on numerous evocative slides such as the memorial at the Nova Festival park along a path stretching for miles where photos of those killed have been erected on metal poles stuck in the ground.
- bullet riddled cars with photos of the passengers killed in the vehicle pinned to the windscreen
- an impromptu memorial 7 metres high of burnt out and damaged cars piled one on top of another.
- the monument erected in the village where the police station had been taken over by the terrorists from where they were indiscriminately shooting and killing the villagers. The only resolution was getting the Israeli Air Force to bomb the police station
- a family who were abroad when the atrocity occurred and returned to find their elderly parents and eldest son had been killed, their house burnt down and all that was recognisable of their possession was a burnt JNF blue box.
Beryl and Janet described the trauma and physiological damage done to so many people some of whom they had met
However, as always in Israel, Beryl and Janet saw some amazingly positive things, such as a kindergarten recently established for children and orphans from a tiny age.
The caravan type homes that have been erected in kibbutzim where houses were all destroyed so that the people could go back and rebuild their communities. Hope and the future always prevailing and at the end a memorial candle was lit
After a short break for excellent refreshments of typical Israeli dishes and to change our sombre mood, the all singing and guitar playing Rabbi Cowan led us in uplifting songs, explaining their significance and giving anecdotal stories of our sages, rabbis and personal experiences as he progressed through the selected songs
Fittingly the evening ended with the song Um Yisroel Chai and the Hatikva