A Promising
Situation
Photo by Glenn Triest
One carat of diamonds
for only $1995
Candles are lit at Beth Achim.
Mood Of Ycim Hazikaron
Is More Somber In Israel
AMY J. MEHLER
Staff Writer
or Zevulin Hadad, a
reservist in the Israeli
Air Force, Yom
Hazikaron — Israel
Memorial Day — is the
hardest day of the year to be
away from family and
friends.
Mr. Hadad, who is from
Netivot, a city northwest of
Beersheva, said Yom
Hazikaron in America is not
the Yom Hazikaron of Israel.
Everyone in his hometown,
he said, gathers at the center
of town. They stand in si-
lence while officers of the
Israel Defense Force speak
words of nechamah, comfort.
About midday, a siren wails.
Yizkor is read. Often, stories
are shared. One is told about
a tank soldier, a boy who
grew up in Netivot. During
the Yom Kippur War, his
tank exploded. Instead of
running to safety or seeing
to his own wounds, he raced
to a nearby tank to rescue
other soldiers.
Five soldiers were trapped
inside the burning, red-hot
tank. The boy from Netivot
managed to drag all five to
safety. Just as he exited, the
tank exploded. The boy from
Netivot was instantly killed.
"In America, you have
Memorial Day, but for many
people it's a day of celebra-
tion, a holiday on which
many go shopping or have
outdoor picnics," said Mr.
Hadad, who now lives in
Southfield while he goes to
college.
"In Israel, it's an
unbelievably sad, emotional
day," he said. "There's not
an Israeli family alive who
hasn't lost a son, a brother, a
father, a friend."
Tuesday night, Detroiters
commemorated Yom
Hazikaron with a program of
their own, which included
presentations from Ameri-
can students, addresses from
Israeli emissaries and a tor-
ch lighting ceremony mark-
ing each of Israel's wars.
One torch symbolized the
American soldiers who fell
in the Gulf war.
Sivan Maas, the Jewish
Community Center's
shlichah, representative
from Israel, said this event
was the first to fully include
the participation of Ameri-
cans.
"In the past, Yom
Hazikaron programs were
mostly run and prepared by
local and visiting Israelis.
This year represents the in-
volvement of both segments
of the community."
Students from Akiva Heb-
rew Day School, Hillel Day
School and B'nai Akiva
recited poetry and songs in
Hebrew and English. One
student, in the 11th grade at
Akiva, sang the Balada La
Hovesh, an Israeli folk
classic about a medic who
risks his life to save a mor-
tally wounded soldier in the
field of battle.
Moshe Fox, Israel consul of
media and cultural affairs,
said, "We can never forget
Israel's fallen heroes."
Suzie Russek-Osherov, an
Israeli artist and program
co-chair, said that with Yom
Ha'atzmaut, Israel's In-
dependence Day, following
Yom Hazikaron so closely,
Israelis go through an emo-
tional roller coaster.
"Israel's history is made
up of many of these emo-
tional turns," she said. "The
Jewish people are constantly
going from great loss to
great revival and life."
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 15