40 years and counting
Mom mentioned she'd hoped I'd written something about Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) in my blog, and I realized it's been a long time since I've posted here.
On Mother's Day, Mom called around 10:30pm. (Yes, I had actually called her earlier in the day, like a relatively good daughter... but she couldn't talk then, so she called me back.) We were chatting about whatever, when these huge BOOM! sounds started.
Thinking back, they weren't such a big deal to me. I assumed they were fireworks, although they sounded much closer than normal. I wonder, though, what Mom was thinking before I mentioned they were, in fact, fireworks. Poor Mom. I do realize what my parents go through with me living in Israel, and I am 100% grateful for their unwavering support of my dream and reality. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, and the size of your window will take this into account, no matter what happens in the future ;) )
The fireworks were so close, in fact, that I could see them through my front door, and I had to shut the door in order to be able to continue my conversation with Mom.
Yom Yerushalayim is the annual celebration of the unification of Jerusalem. It marks the day that the IDF took back the Old City, and, for the first time in 19 years, had access to our holiest site -- the Western Wall (Kotel).
For many years, until 1948, we had access to a tiny little section about as big as a standard doorway. But in 1948, when the UN Plan for dividing the land of Israel into two countries and an international region didn't work, we stopped having any access at all to the Kotel.
This was when Jordan wasn't anything like the "friendly" country it is today. Jordan controlled the West Bank and Jerusalem... and our holiest site.
So yeah, it's a big deal for us, and we mark it with celebrations every year. This year is particularly awesome, because it's an "0" year -- the 40th year. It's been 40 years since the Six Day War that allowed Jews to get to not only our holiest site, the Kotel, but also to many of our other holy sites, including the Cave of the Patriarchs, Joseph's tomb, Rachel's tomb, and others.
It's pretty amazing that after we weren't allowed to get to so many of our holy sites that we did not stop the Muslims from accessing their sites when we had/have control. But, as the Torah says, we're to be a Light Unto the Nations, so I guess we have to set a better example.
Anyway, this past Tuesday evening marked the 40th anniversary. There were events all week, but on Tuesday there was a parade.
Whenever I mentioned at work that I wanted to go to the parade, people laughed at me. "A parade?" they asked. "That's not a parade."
I knew it wasn't going to be America's Thanksgiving Parade, one of the three nationally-televised parades in the States, that was held in Downtown Detroit. But still, it was a parade, and I like parades.
I read the description ahead of time... it was to boast 11 floats, some tractors, some 40 dancing groups, and a bunch of workers' union people.
So I asked my boss if he minded my leaving early, so that I could go to the parade (it started at 6pm), and with his permission, I left. On my way out, someone said I should take lots of pictures. If she hadn't said that, I wouldn't have even thought to take my camera, so I'm glad she did. (I haven't loaded the pics onto my computer yet... when I do, I'll try to get some up.)
I was prepared for a small and not-very-fancy parade.
I was not, however, prepared to start weeping as the beginning of the parade neared where I was standing. Yes, weeping.
I was standing in a place where not so many years before I could have been murdered just for being a Jew, and now it is the Jewish country.
And leading the parade was the Police Band, marching and playing a traditional folk tune. It was a Jewish band, made of Jewish police officers, walking down a street in a Jewish neighborhood of the Jewish state.
It was pretty amazing to comprehend, and yes, I wept.
You can view the entire album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mgbayer/JerusalemDayParade
On Mother's Day, Mom called around 10:30pm. (Yes, I had actually called her earlier in the day, like a relatively good daughter... but she couldn't talk then, so she called me back.) We were chatting about whatever, when these huge BOOM! sounds started.
Thinking back, they weren't such a big deal to me. I assumed they were fireworks, although they sounded much closer than normal. I wonder, though, what Mom was thinking before I mentioned they were, in fact, fireworks. Poor Mom. I do realize what my parents go through with me living in Israel, and I am 100% grateful for their unwavering support of my dream and reality. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, and the size of your window will take this into account, no matter what happens in the future ;) )
The fireworks were so close, in fact, that I could see them through my front door, and I had to shut the door in order to be able to continue my conversation with Mom.
Yom Yerushalayim is the annual celebration of the unification of Jerusalem. It marks the day that the IDF took back the Old City, and, for the first time in 19 years, had access to our holiest site -- the Western Wall (Kotel).
For many years, until 1948, we had access to a tiny little section about as big as a standard doorway. But in 1948, when the UN Plan for dividing the land of Israel into two countries and an international region didn't work, we stopped having any access at all to the Kotel.
This was when Jordan wasn't anything like the "friendly" country it is today. Jordan controlled the West Bank and Jerusalem... and our holiest site.
So yeah, it's a big deal for us, and we mark it with celebrations every year. This year is particularly awesome, because it's an "0" year -- the 40th year. It's been 40 years since the Six Day War that allowed Jews to get to not only our holiest site, the Kotel, but also to many of our other holy sites, including the Cave of the Patriarchs, Joseph's tomb, Rachel's tomb, and others.
It's pretty amazing that after we weren't allowed to get to so many of our holy sites that we did not stop the Muslims from accessing their sites when we had/have control. But, as the Torah says, we're to be a Light Unto the Nations, so I guess we have to set a better example.
Anyway, this past Tuesday evening marked the 40th anniversary. There were events all week, but on Tuesday there was a parade.
Whenever I mentioned at work that I wanted to go to the parade, people laughed at me. "A parade?" they asked. "That's not a parade."
I knew it wasn't going to be America's Thanksgiving Parade, one of the three nationally-televised parades in the States, that was held in Downtown Detroit. But still, it was a parade, and I like parades.
I read the description ahead of time... it was to boast 11 floats, some tractors, some 40 dancing groups, and a bunch of workers' union people.
So I asked my boss if he minded my leaving early, so that I could go to the parade (it started at 6pm), and with his permission, I left. On my way out, someone said I should take lots of pictures. If she hadn't said that, I wouldn't have even thought to take my camera, so I'm glad she did. (I haven't loaded the pics onto my computer yet... when I do, I'll try to get some up.)
I was prepared for a small and not-very-fancy parade.
I was not, however, prepared to start weeping as the beginning of the parade neared where I was standing. Yes, weeping.
I was standing in a place where not so many years before I could have been murdered just for being a Jew, and now it is the Jewish country.
And leading the parade was the Police Band, marching and playing a traditional folk tune. It was a Jewish band, made of Jewish police officers, walking down a street in a Jewish neighborhood of the Jewish state.
It was pretty amazing to comprehend, and yes, I wept.
You can view the entire album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mgbayer/JerusalemDayParade
posted by M at 21:06
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