It really has been non-stop holidays here since, well, Purim. After Purim, there was Pesach, Yom HaShoah VeHaGevura, Yom HaZikaron, Yom Ha'atzmaut, Lag BaOmer, and now Yom Yerushalayim, followed by Shavuot next week.
This is a good thing for someone like me. I've been feeling a bit melancholy lately. Dare I say it? Missing "my people" back in the states. Don't get me wrong, I have "people" here, but, well....I guess what I want is for all "my people" back in the states to join me here in Israel. As in live here. Then life here would be, well, then it would be just perfect.
Sigh.
So along comes Yom Yerushalayim. Forty-one years ago Israeli paratroopers made their way to the most holy site of our people, and announced, "Har Habayit is in our hands!" Another miracle, another day of utter joy, of remembering this gift given to us in our time, the beginning of our ultimate redemption. And I am here to celebrate it.
Do you know how many times I've gone to visit Jerusalem since I got here? I stopped counting. Why do I go? To paraphrase what my friend Treppenwitz said earlier today, BECAUSE I CAN.
Chag Sameach!
6 comments:
"Why do I go?... BECAUSE I CAN"
Lucky you. I'm envious.
Happy Yom Yerushalayim. I'll be there for a few days in July.
(How do Israelis get anything done with all these holidays???)
Nice post, but one caveat.
You wrote:
and announced, "the Kotel Hamaaravi is in our hands!"
In fact, the actual quote was, "Har HaBayit biyadeinu."
SR,
It's a good thing to be jealous of...
Leora,
Just for a few days? Any chance of meeting up with some bloggers?
Anon,
Over at Treppenwitz you can listen to the entire broadcast of the actual events unfolding on that great day. I noticed right away that I messed up the quote...I'm going to change that right now. Thanks.
Leora: (How do Israelis get anything done with all these holidays???)
Hmm - we don't have July 4rth, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King's Day, or President's weekend.
So we sort of come out even ;-)
We wish we could all be with celebrating too, it is something to strive for.
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