Rabbi will help celebrate independence
Rabbi Shalom Hammer, a writer for the Jerusalem Post and a popular blogger in Israel, will visit Congregation B'nai Abraham, 519 N. Main St., Sunday to help in the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day.
“We are hosting Rabbi Hammer, who is an Israeli rabbi. Not only that, he has been a soldier himself and is a motivational speaker for the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces),” said Cantor Michele Gray-Schaffer of B'Nai Abraham.
“He is also a writer for the Jerusalem Post, and he has a popular blog in Israel, and he speaks all over the world,” she said.
Hammer said, “I was in the Rabbinate branch of the Israeli Army for nine years in the reserves.”
The Rabbinate provides religious services to soldiers and makes decisions on issues of religion and military affairs.
“I'll be speaking about the ideology of the Israeli Army. I am a motivational lecturer for the troops,” he said.
Yom HaAtzmaut is a holiday that is both civil and laden with great religious significance, and, unlike other Jewish holidays, Yom HaAtzmaut is specific to Israel.
“It's not a Jewish tradition, but it is obviously Jewish because it relates to the Jewish homeland,” said Hammer.
“It is the same day on the Jewish calendar,” said Gray-Schaffer. “It changes on the secular calendar from year to year. It is the day Israel was declared a nation in 1948.”
Yom HaAtzmaut is celebrated on the fifth day of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, the anniversary of the day on which Israeli independence was proclaimed, when David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence. The corresponding Gregorian date was May 14, 1948.
“Here, it's not a major holiday. In Israel it is a major holiday,” said Gray-Schaffer.
“If you watch old grainy footage of people listening to the radio, it just gives one shivers,” she said.
“I had a Hebrew teacher who was a child of maybe 3 when this happened,” said Gray-Schaffer.
“She remembers being woken up after her bedtime and people dancing in the streets all night. The next day her father kissed her goodbye and she didn't see him for a year,” said Gray-Schaffer.
War had broken out with the neighboring Arab nations, and her teacher's father was a soldier whose location was classified.
Because of this, she said, the Yom HaZikaron, the Israeli Memorial Day, always precedes Yom HaAtzmaut.
Memorial candles are lit, graves are visited and flags are flown at half staff. Restaurants, theaters and shops are closed.
“Everything is shut down. It is a somber, serious day, a day of remembrance,” said Gray-Schaffer. “But as the sun sets and it passes from one day to the next Yom HaAtzmaut is a very joyous holiday. There are picnics, barbecues, the lighting of torches, parades, marathons and sports competitions.”
WHO: Israeli Rabbi Shalom HammerWHAT: Presenting “ What Are We Fighting For?: Israel’s Struggle for Survival”WHEN: 11 a.m. SundayWHERE: Congregation B’nai Abraham. 519 N. Main St.INFO: Open to the public. Light refreshments (bagels, juice and coffee) will be provided.
